You’re in an elevator, and you and an agent strike up a conversation. She asks you to describe the manuscript you recently finished. What do you say?
14 thoughts on “Reader Friday: You’re In An Elevator, And…”
The bastard daughter of an Irish mobster is trying to stay straight at the request of her brother but these darn dead bodies keep turning up and leading her astray.
The elevator doors would open, and she’d say, “sounds intriguing, please send me the full” and as she disappeared down the hall, the doors would close and then, and only then, would I realize I didn’t get her card.
*Hands today’s Internet trophy to Amanda*
Terri
Noooooooo!
Five-word pitch – Boys rescue sister from pirates.
The Stepford Wives meet Hotel California
Can a feisty security agent who hates taking orders and a covert ops specialist who has something to prove, put aside their own differences and their own agendas long enough to uncover the secrets of Windswept Heights?
Assuming the realistic scenario where I wouldn’t get my confidence up until the last few moments, I’d just say:
How do you find the murderer in a world full of trained killers?
In a warm voice, “I always thought that elevator pitches were for desperate salesmen hawking office machines. Don’t you ever get tired of them?”
Then smile and listen for the response. Either we have a conversation or we don’t. I’d rather make a human connection than lob a book at someone, hoping it hits them just so.
Paul–I like this a lot. Enough already with the elevator thing.
Considering the parameters of the game, the agent asked you about your book. Given your answer, I’m sure the agent would respond with something like . . .
0.o
Terri
Fair enough. Then I wish her/him a nice day and off we both go, and the best of luck to him/her.
I never was very good at fitting into all those square little boxes. On the other hand, I’ve had great success at actually interacting with people as people.
There’s almost always more than one way to play the game. Buying into other people is usually a good long-term strategy, especially if you actually like and care about other people.
I would start to speak then the elevator would malfunction and go straight to the basement. When the door opened a man named Colin would be about to be pummeled by a massive grey skinned troll who was shouting, “GIMME BACK DUH DOGGIE!!”
They’d both be started by the sudden audience.
Colin would toss over a pleading look for help.
The troll would throw a look that said, “You ain’t seen nuffin’ here mate!”.
The door would close.
The agent would slowly turn her shocked eyes to me.
And I would say, “Ummmm….that.”
Tis but a game. Let me see, this is one I will actually be presenting at an agent pitch session this July at the Midwest Writers Conference (You should all come, we can stuff everybody in my room, it is an all-star line-up.)
——————–
It’s all fun and games at the summer survivalist camp for high school students until an F5 tornado roars through and leaves a group isolated in the boonies. Communications are down, the adults are all dead, and it’s at least 20 miles back to town, if town still exists. At the next farm over they find the first bodies. Except these have bullet wounds in the head. It’s a long walk home when you are both alone and not alone. When disaster strikes, you are the first responder. Welcome to Prepper Camp.
—————————————————
Still rough, but coming along. Woven in with stories from the destruction of Greensburg, Kansas and the devastation of Joplin, Missouri. One of my friends survived the destruction of the Joplin Walmart and talked about how damn alone they felt as they scrambled over the piles of debris as the rain poured in through the roof that wasn’t there anymore. And the chaos of post-Katrina, post-Joplin, post-Greensburg, etc.
I’m also working on book 2 of the Juliana Martin series, but won’t be presenting it since I indie-pubbed book 1. Great topic!
Terri
I’d say, “It is a story I feared but most grateful to have written, because it has to do with loss and discoveries and an orphan searching for his family, and who then finds more than he has ever expected. It is inspired by the true story of my father, who was born shortly before World War II.”
During a hot July week in 2006, four people are severely marred, drained and displayed in rural Alexandria, NH. My protagonist believes this is the work of the man who attacked her three years ago, killing her unborn child, scarring her in unimaginable ways. And now, he has her twin.
You’re in an elevator, and you and an agent strike up a conversation. She asks you to describe the manuscript you recently finished. What do you say?
The bastard daughter of an Irish mobster is trying to stay straight at the request of her brother but these darn dead bodies keep turning up and leading her astray.
The elevator doors would open, and she’d say, “sounds intriguing, please send me the full” and as she disappeared down the hall, the doors would close and then, and only then, would I realize I didn’t get her card.
*Hands today’s Internet trophy to Amanda*
Terri
Noooooooo!
Five-word pitch – Boys rescue sister from pirates.
The Stepford Wives meet Hotel California
Can a feisty security agent who hates taking orders and a covert ops specialist who has something to prove, put aside their own differences and their own agendas long enough to uncover the secrets of Windswept Heights?
Assuming the realistic scenario where I wouldn’t get my confidence up until the last few moments, I’d just say:
How do you find the murderer in a world full of trained killers?
In a warm voice, “I always thought that elevator pitches were for desperate salesmen hawking office machines. Don’t you ever get tired of them?”
Then smile and listen for the response. Either we have a conversation or we don’t. I’d rather make a human connection than lob a book at someone, hoping it hits them just so.
Paul–I like this a lot. Enough already with the elevator thing.
Considering the parameters of the game, the agent asked you about your book. Given your answer, I’m sure the agent would respond with something like . . .
0.o
Terri
Fair enough. Then I wish her/him a nice day and off we both go, and the best of luck to him/her.
I never was very good at fitting into all those square little boxes. On the other hand, I’ve had great success at actually interacting with people as people.
There’s almost always more than one way to play the game. Buying into other people is usually a good long-term strategy, especially if you actually like and care about other people.
I would start to speak then the elevator would malfunction and go straight to the basement. When the door opened a man named Colin would be about to be pummeled by a massive grey skinned troll who was shouting, “GIMME BACK DUH DOGGIE!!”
They’d both be started by the sudden audience.
Colin would toss over a pleading look for help.
The troll would throw a look that said, “You ain’t seen nuffin’ here mate!”.
The door would close.
The agent would slowly turn her shocked eyes to me.
And I would say, “Ummmm….that.”
Tis but a game. Let me see, this is one I will actually be presenting at an agent pitch session this July at the Midwest Writers Conference (You should all come, we can stuff everybody in my room, it is an all-star line-up.)
——————–
It’s all fun and games at the summer survivalist camp for high school students until an F5 tornado roars through and leaves a group isolated in the boonies. Communications are down, the adults are all dead, and it’s at least 20 miles back to town, if town still exists. At the next farm over they find the first bodies. Except these have bullet wounds in the head. It’s a long walk home when you are both alone and not alone. When disaster strikes, you are the first responder. Welcome to Prepper Camp.
—————————————————
Still rough, but coming along. Woven in with stories from the destruction of Greensburg, Kansas and the devastation of Joplin, Missouri. One of my friends survived the destruction of the Joplin Walmart and talked about how damn alone they felt as they scrambled over the piles of debris as the rain poured in through the roof that wasn’t there anymore. And the chaos of post-Katrina, post-Joplin, post-Greensburg, etc.
I’m also working on book 2 of the Juliana Martin series, but won’t be presenting it since I indie-pubbed book 1. Great topic!
Terri
I’d say, “It is a story I feared but most grateful to have written, because it has to do with loss and discoveries and an orphan searching for his family, and who then finds more than he has ever expected. It is inspired by the true story of my father, who was born shortly before World War II.”
During a hot July week in 2006, four people are severely marred, drained and displayed in rural Alexandria, NH. My protagonist believes this is the work of the man who attacked her three years ago, killing her unborn child, scarring her in unimaginable ways. And now, he has her twin.