Welcome to the first post in a new category for my blog — Writer’s Resources. Anyone who tries to write (and wants to do it well) knows you need to keep learning in order to improve and keep taking steps toward publication. Many writers have already helped me tremendously by sharing their knowledge, so I want to do the same for those of you who stop by for a visit. Some resources will be tips I write myself; others will be from various authors, editors, agents, or websites. And, of course, I’ll be sure to give credit where credit’s due.
One of the newest resources I’ve been fortunate enough to read is an e-book by agent Terry Burns of Hartline Literary. Terry taught ACFW‘s online class in April and shared more insights with us than I’ve had time to process. The class was called “Too Shy to Pitch and Promote” and covered topics such as:
- Creating a ‘writing/conference persona’ to help conquer your nerves
- Writing a successful 1-line elevator pitch and then extending it to a couple of sentences to introduce your pitch session with an editor or agent
- Pieces and parts of a one sheet
- Components of a book proposal (including details about what should go into each section)
The lessons in themselves were a gold mine but then Terry spent oodles of time responding personally to ideas we bounced around and any related questions that cropped up along the way. And here’s the best part — he compiled his lessons, some of our comments, and answers to a lot of our extra questions in an e-book! You can get it through his website as an e-book download (in PDF format) or on a CD. The e-book is $5 and the CD is $8.50 (which includes S/H) . It’s a steal of a deal, especially considering the wealth of information. Be sure to hop over to Terry’s website and check it out — click on the Bookstore link up top and you’ll see the info under the course’s new name, “Pitch and Promote Like a Pro.”
I’m a long way from officially pitching my novel, but know I’ll be much more prepared when that day comes, thanks to this class. I’ve not had the chance to meet Terry, but hope that might change someday. After listening to several CDs of classes he’s taught at Write to Publish or ACFW conferences and then seeing him in action with the online course, it’s easy to see that he knows the industry and does whatever he can to help clients succeed.
Thanks for a fantastic class, Terry, and for finding a way to help even more people benefit from your knowledge!
