Hook Your Reader Contest for Novelists (May 2015)
Hello Fiction Writer!
If you’ve started talking about your novel at all, whether your manuscript isn’t finished yet or you’re an already published author, then you may have experienced the struggle of how to hook your reader.
- Do you friends’ eye glaze over when you start talking about your book?
- Or does the opposite happening? People get really excited when they hear your pitch?!
Congratulations either way!
You’re in the mix, working to hook your reader.
What is a hook?
Yes, it is what you catch fish with.
In marketing, it’s how you draw people in.
The FIRST rule of sales is “generate curiosity,” and in my opinion that is what good marketing is designed to do.
You don’t need to say it all, nor should you.
You want to say just enough to get them to metaphorically or physically step closer to you.
How do you do this?
You use a hook, or a pitch.
I thought it would be fun to start running contests here at Writer’s Fun Zone and focus on hooking your reader.
So here’s how this first contest will work. (And if we get lots of interest and participation, I’ll run them monthly.)
RULES
Craft your pitch for your published or unpublished novel and post it in the comments below.
Use this article Ezra wrote as a guide, “How to Write the Perfect Pitch to Sell Your Novel In Person.” It has examples and step-by-step guidelines on to craft your perfect pitch.
- You can post any one of the six pitches, but you can only enter one pitch per book.
- Post your pitch in the comments. Emailed pitches don’t count. Nor does delivery by any other way.
- You can enter more than once, but for separate books.
- This contest is open to all fiction writers, published, unpublished, with a completed manuscript, or incomplete manuscript, at any stage of the writing process, even unwritten.
Contest opens: May 1, 2015 (as soon as I hit publish on this post)
Contest ends: May 31, 9pm Pacific
Winner: Winner is chosen by my sole discretion (with Ezra’s help), but you can upvote yours and your friends in the comments.
PRIZES
Yes, there are prizes, because what fun would a contest be without prizes!
1st Place Winner: You win a one-hour consultation with me, Beth Barany, writing and publishing coach for novelist AND a 30-minute book cover discussion or evaluation with Ezra Barany.
2nd Place Winner: You win a one-hour consultation with me, Beth Barany, writing and publishing coach for novelist OR a 30-minute book cover discussion or evaluation with Ezra Barany. Your choice!
3rd Place Winner: A copy of Beth’s Twitter for Authors: Social Media Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers
So, good luck! And please share with your friends! Ezra and I will cheering you on!
More book marketing resources here.
WHO WE ARE AND WHY YOU MAY CARE
Beth and Ezra Barany are award-winning, best-selling novelists, who have worked with over 100 authors to help them get their books written and published.
Happily married for over 15 years, we’re passionate about writing, story telling, and guiding authors to achieve your dreams.
Together we have written and published 18 books, plus 3 audio books. Together and separately, we have taught thousands of students over the years, in both the public and private sector, including overseas in Paris, France. We both teach (and Beth’s case, coach) and working on writing and publishing our novels.
We run classes at the Barany School of Fiction. Check out our catalog here.
And more specifically…
Book marketing mentor, Ezra Barany is the author of the award-winning bestseller, The Torah Codes. Contact Ezra today to begin the conversation on how he can help you design your book cover or pitch via Facebook, Twitter, or contact him through this blog, or email: EZRA at THETORAHCODES dot COM.
Beth Barany helps authors get their books completed and out into the world, into the hands of their readers. Creativity Coach for Writers and Master NLP Master Practitioner, Beth Barany has been there and knows how hard it can be to take your idea and turn it into a real book, that people will actually be interested, and even yearning, to read.
She walks the talk, as her clients like to say. She is the author of the 2012 award-winning young adult fantasy novel Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, as well as the author of the bestselling nonfiction books for authors and aspiring authors.
Ready to finish your book but not sure how?
Beth gives away 10 spots per month for a 60-75 minute Complimentary Discovery Session.
Book your appointment!
First Come First Serve!
If you’d like hands-on support to prepare your novel for Nanowrimo (this July or October) with your peers and with experienced instructors — Beth and Ezra Barany, then join us for our course starting June 1st: 30-Day Writing Challenge to Preparing Your Novel.
All the details for the course here.
Or if you just want to take the self-paced version you can start right away here: http://school.bethbarany.com/courses/30daywc.
Follow our tips on Twitter with the hashtag: #30dayWC.
Kaos Reigns: A Whydunnit Serial
Novel Pitch
With the help of the goddesses of fear and her kin, ten-year-old Prophet Littlestar, one of the few highly telepathic members in his village, plots to overthrow the current non-shape shifting Yemoran government, and replace it with the unaccepted population of shifters and shiftlings. With the Power-takers taking power from the shifters, has to counterattack their strategies. If Prophet’s counterattack strategies aren’t successful, he won’t have proven his loyalty to the dark goddesses.
Novel Pitch:
Your family’s torn apart – your parents divorce, your brother commits suicide, and you haven’t talked to your dad in years – but you manage to make it to college because of your incredible intellect. The only way to support yourself under the weight of student loans, helping your mom pay her rent while paying your own is to start drug dealing. For a while, it works out great, but right before finals, the cops show up.
Your homeless and the only thing keeping you going is writing, and meeting a beautiful girl in an English class you dropped in on. She doesn’t know your homeless; a relationship ensues, but things built on fairy tales don’t last forever. Does she discover the truth? And when the teacher announces a national writing competition, you see the chance for an escape. The only problem is you’re not a student. So what do you do?
Thanks for entering Nicole and Joshua! Good luck!
Novel pitch:
Jeremiah Adams knows exactly how he’ll kill himself. But this isn’t suicide — it’s murder. And, if he gets away with it, it just might be the perfect crime.
Half way into a highly illegal human cloning experiment, Jeremiah can’t take another minute watching his clone destroy his life bit by miserable bit. After six months, his wife has left him, his career is in jeopardy, and now his teenage son may be dabbling in drugs. Even his dog doesn’t like him anymore. This isn’t worth the $10 million they’re giving him. He wants his life back.
But first he’ll need to escape the high-tech laboratory he’s imprisoned in and outsmart some very powerful people who’ve broken some very serious laws. Then, of course, there’s the matter of insurance. He’ll need proof if he hopes to slip back into his own life unscathed. He’s got to gain the upper hand. Or, at least, a couple of fingers.
My first novel, Two is a science fiction story, completed at about 50,000 words, that examines human cloning from a different angle – what happens to a person when he’s made to watch his life played out by an exact replica? In the case of Jeremiah Adams, it leads to a firm desire to change. But that’s not a bad thing, because, if he wants to get his life back, he can’t do it as the same timid man they cloned.
I’ve seen people suggesting that we should do these sort of summaries before we start the story, to keep our minds focused, but I’ve never actually got around to doing them before now, so thanks for putting up this competition. Here are some I’ve come up with.
Clear message:
I write fantasy and science fiction, usually leavened with humour. My audience is readers who want an enjoyable, light hearted read with plenty of ninjas, dragons, lasers, robots, and all the other favourite elements of genre. No Grimdark, no moralising, just the fun of an adventure against overbearing opponents. Fans must have a strong affinity for commas.
What if:
What if the medium you were sneering at really could do magic and made you pay for your slights?
High Concept Formula:
Swords and Cybery is Epic Fantasy fueled Cyberpunk. Forgotten Realms spliced with Neuromancer.
Elevator pitch:
After she arrests the son of a powerful Emir, Jessica Jaelani commits self-exile until she is able to find a baseborn outlander who comports himself as nobly as an Emir’s son should.
But the scriptures teach there can be no such thing, and there are many – from the emperor down – who are determined to stop the Sandcaster on her quest.
Thanks for entering, Jane and Dave! Good luck!
Title: The Chosen
Clear Message Pitch:
Hi, I’m Andrea. I write YA fantasy for middle and high-schoolers. I want my books to hook them from the beginning, and make them excited for the series. I also want to help them build confidence and believe in themselves and their dreams.
Title: The Chosen
High Concept Pitch:
My first book is The Chosen. It’s a mixture of adventure and fantasy, similar to Lord of the Rings.
Title: The Chosen (Could also work for Destiny)
What-If Pitch:
My book asks, “What if you suddenly found out you were part of a story you’ve loved since you were a child?”
Title: The Chosen
Elevator Pitch:
Learning she’s a part of a world she only read about in books, Halli must learn to be a Holy paladin in record timing. She and The Chosen must travel to the Darkness to defeat Prince Gastle. Will they make it in time, or will Prince Gastle destroy all of Phantasma?
Winners! Congratulations!!! I’ll be contacting you each individually.
1st Place: Jane Gilmartin, for her elevator pitch for TWO, her science fiction novel
Jeremiah Adams knows exactly how he’ll kill himself. But this isn’t suicide — it’s murder. And, if he gets away with it, it just might be the perfect crime.
Half way into a highly illegal human cloning experiment, Jeremiah can’t take another minute watching his clone destroy his life bit by miserable bit. After six months, his wife has left him, his career is in jeopardy, and now his teenage son may be dabbling in drugs. Even his dog doesn’t like him anymore. This isn’t worth the $10 million they’re giving him. He wants his life back.
But first he’ll need to escape the high-tech laboratory he’s imprisoned in and outsmart some very powerful people who’ve broken some very serious laws. Then, of course, there’s the matter of insurance. He’ll need proof if he hopes to slip back into his own life unscathed. He’s got to gain the upper hand. Or, at least, a couple of fingers.
My first novel, Two is a science fiction story, completed at about 50,000 words, that examines human cloning from a different angle – what happens to a person when he’s made to watch his life played out by an exact replica? In the case of Jeremiah Adams, it leads to a firm desire to change. But that’s not a bad thing, because, if he wants to get his life back, he can’t do it as the same timid man they cloned.
2nd: Dave James Ashton
for his What if pitch:
What if the medium you were sneering at really could do magic and made you pay for your slights?
3rd: Andrea Buginsky
Title: The Chosen
Elevator Pitch:
Learning she’s a part of a world she only read about in books, Halli must learn to be a Holy paladin in record timing. She and The Chosen must travel to the Darkness to defeat Prince Gastle. Will they make it in time, or will Prince Gastle destroy all of Phantasma?
***
I’ll be posting a new Hook Your Reader Contest, most likely in July.