The High Concept Pitch

The most basic element of the pitch is the premise of the book. You answer the question: What is your book about? In the pitch, you identify who the hero and heroine are and what conflict keeps them apart.


So, let's say you pitch your book to an agent. You tell her it is a historical romance about a couple who pretend to be engaged because each want to avoid marriages arranged by their families. Only they never expect to fall in love. Certainly it's easy to understand the premise - a little too easy because it's been done to death. The agent peers at you and asks, "What makes your book different?" Suddenly you've got sweaty palms.


To avoid sweaty palm syndrome, you need a high concept premise. A high concept premise is unique, original, and easy to envision. Agents and editors not only immediately get it, they realize it is fresh. The high concept premise is short, averaging about 2 to 3 sentences. The point isn't the length, but rather to describe your original premise in a succinct manner.


Of course it helps if you come up with the high concept premise before you write the book, but you can always revise. Here are easy steps to turn a humdrum plot into a high concept plot.

1. First, identify the basic plot of your book. The following are some standard romance plots: Secret Baby, Reunion, Two Different Worlds, Marriage of Convenience, The Guardian, Beauty and the Beast, Reforming the Bad Boy, Secret Identity, Captivity, and The Matchmaker. Some books may have a combination of two basic plots.
   
   


2. Next, ask yourself how you can turn a tired old plot into something so original, so different that editors and agents will notice. What makes a plot so high concept, it grabs interest immediately? An unexpected or novel change in a standard plot.
   
   


3. Here is an example of an unexpected change in a standard romance plot. Consider the Secret Baby plot, the one many writers claim to hate. How many of those haters read and loved Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Nobody's Baby But Mine? SEP made this book unique. Here's my version of a high concept pitch for the book. A brainy physicist wants an ordinary baby. All she needs is a stupid guy to counteract her genious genes. But when the dopey jock she seduces and abandons demands his rights as a father, she soon realizes he's far smarter and more loveable than she ever dreamed. Note that SEP incorporates a marriage of convenience into the plot as well. Isn't that brilliant?
   
   


4. Now let's make up a high concept plot for a subgenre that's relatively saturated right now. Vampire novels are usually about a couple from two different worlds. The conflict is inherent in the plot. Often there is a beauty and the beast element as well. Generally the hero vampire despises his undead status. He is tortured, knowing he will spend eternity as a monster. His attraction to the human heroine reminds him of all the human experiences he will never have again. But what if we take this standard plot and flip it. Let's have a whirl at the high concept pitch. A reform-minded female chemist slips her elixar of life potion into a two hundred year-old viscount vampire's Bloody Harry. Horrified to find himself human, the hunky ex-vampire is determined to get bitten again so he can live undead forever. But his maker is equally determined to teach him that human life holds far greater rewards, and the chemistry is just too hard for him to resist.

Wasn't that easy? And fun?

Whistling like the Snow White Dwarfs. Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to High Concept Work we go.

My Daughter Has Big Plans for My Book

That gorgeous young lady in the photo to the left is my daughter Amber Rose. She's bubbly, funny, and sweet. I'm one lucky mom. Because Amber has major plans for my book How to Court a Duke.


On Friday night after we got home from the movies, Amber couldn't find anything on TV to watch. She wished for another book like Twilight to read. The romance between Edward and Bella really captivated her. So while I mused over which of the hundreds of romances on my keeper shelf to give her, she said, "Mom, can I read your book?"


I printed out 100 pages of How to Court a Duke, figuring she would stop reading long before she reached the last printed page. After all, she'd told me several times she didn't like historical settings. She's more of a Sophie Kinsella kind of girl. She started reading,and a bit later, she asked me to print out more. I blinked and said, "I'm out of paper."

She demanded I go get more paper.


By now, it was 10 PM, so I told her it was too late. That frustrated her. Finally, she decided to read it on the computer. Once again, I figured she'd abandon my manuscript for the lures of Facebook or texting her friends. Nope, she kept reading. At one point, she gasped. So we had a discussion about the plot point that surprised her. She kept reading and started laughing again. Naturally, I just had to know what she found so funny. At one point, she told me to be quiet because I was interrupting the love scene. I decided this was my cue to go to bed.


Late Saturday morning, she woke up and told me she'd cried while reading. So I explained about the black moment. Then she said she'd cried at the end when the hero, Tristan, proposed to Tessa. To my utter astonishment, I realized she'd read the entire book.

I confess I teared up a little bit.


Then came the Big Plan. Amber concocted the idea of writing to Oprah about my book. Amber is a bit like me. She has lots of ideas and a wild imagination. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: "Honey, Oprah doesn't buy books, and mine is in Submission Land."

Amber: "Yeah, but those editors will buy your book if you end up on Oprah."

Me: "Yes, but ..."

Amber: "I'm writing to her. I'm going to tell her all about how you're a single mom and went back to college and ..."

Me: "That's nice, dear, but remember I have a Great Agent."

Amber: "Can I play Tessa in the movie? Do I look like her?"

Me: "Sure. You could play her in this hypothetical movie."

Amber: "No, I'm serious. Does Tristan look like Rob Pattinson?"

Me: "No, he actually looks quite a bit like Henry Cavill." I find a photo of Henry online.

Amber (frowning): "No, I want Rob Pattinson. He's British, too."

Me: "Henry is British."

Amber: "No, it has to be Rob. He has blue eyes like Tristan."

Me: "Rob it is."


In the comment section, please vote: Henry or Rob ...

Hollywood, here we come. Right after a stop in Chicago.

I love you, Amber!

Funny Fridays

Announcing the First Weekly Funny Friday Blog. For your reading pleasure, I have TWO ticklers today.


The first funny is a photo I took in Bath - not the tub - the merry old city in England . I have developed a special fondness for this Roman hunk of burning love and hereforth present for your swooning pleasure ....


The World's First Male Underwear Model!!!!


I think Roman Dude needs a name ... Any suggestions?

Important News: see the update - Roman Dude has a name!

Roman Dude is now Times New!

Thanks to Pat Rosen!

Next on the agenda is an exciting remake of the classic George Lucas film. Many thanks to Lynette Curtis from the Yahoo Contest Alert loop for this link to an educational video. For a preview of FONT WARS! click on: http://tinyurl.com/57l6w3

May the Fonts be with you ...

TGIF!

Vicky