Pitch Checklist

I’m soon sending agents queries for my YA manuscript. It’s a daunting process. Am I ready? Is it good enough? Will someone like it? My answer to all of the above is YES. Of course, that hasn’t stopped me from wishing upon a star.

Here’s a checklist for the query letter:

-catchy (but not corny) opening

-simple yet sophisticated sentence structure

-strong voice

-brief synopsis

-book comparison and word count

-correct spelling and grammar

-professional credentials

-thank you

As for my manuscript, my checklist included:

-unique voice

-character growth

-plot development

-mystery and intrigue

-opening hook

-strong climax

-developed subplots

-edit and revision (like 200 times!)

Wish me luck!

Quotes

Don’t forget – no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.

– Charles de Lint

 

If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.

-Barry Lopez

 

“Everyone should observe the way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.”

— Hasidic saying