3 S.R. Johannes: Help me with my Short Pitch - A little Contest

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Help me with my Short Pitch - A little Contest

When subbing you novel, I've always heard you should include a comparison for books or movies in your pitch.

I have been trying to think of mine for Grace as I send it out into the agent querying world.

I want it to be commercial enough yet unique enough. I have good things to use but they don't seem known enough.

In a nutshell - Grace Under Fire is about a small-town teen who gets caught up in a big-time drama. After her ranger father goes missing, Grace is determined to uncover the truth, convinced someone is hunting on his animal santuary. She uses her self defense moves and wilderness training to uncover a local conspiracy that threatens her family, the nature of her beloved North Carolina Mountains, and her chance at first love. (you can see the longer pitch on the side.)

So what do you think? Here are a few I have been tossing around but are they too obsure?

Grace Under Fire is a Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things for teens.

Grace Under Fire is like James Hall's Gone Wild meets Nancy Drew.

Grace Under Fire is like James Hall's Gone Wild meets Veronica Mars.

Grace Under Fire is where Carl Hiassen meets Sammy Keyes.

Grace Under Fire is where Thoreau meets Sammy Keyes (is this too cheesy)

I think I need to relate it to wilderness/nature/environment but still bring out the teen love and mystery/suspense elements.

Thoughts?

Help!

If I pick yours, I will give you 1 free hour of marketing/brand brainstorming. I'll keep this up until my interview goes live on Monday!

Can any of you think of a nature sleuth for kids?

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Would it be to presumptious to say that GRace Under Fire is Nora Roberts for teens?

PurpleClover said...

Nancy Drew?

Unknown said...

I like "Thoreau meets Sammy Keyes"

Transcendentalism is so overlooked these days :)

Sounds like a great story!!!!!! : )

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Oh, goodness, I have never been good at this type of thing at all. I've been thinking about my own novels as well, and haven't been able to come up with anything.

I'm impressed with what you have written and your list of novels in the sidebar. Grace Under Fire sounds delightful!

I will give this some thought and hopefully be back with an entry for you. This stuff hurts my brain, LOL.

Lauren said...

Your WiP sounds great! I bet that kids would really like to read it. My favorite compariosn was "James Hall's Gone Wild meets Nancy Drew".

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

Beth - interesting - why do you say Nora roberts. is there a certain book? isnt she more romance than suspense - I have not read her.

Purple clover - You're right probably not nancy drew. Prbably more veronica mars or sammy keyes.

Lady Glamis - I know! Its so hard!

Lauren - thanks. The book is actually complet and out in the agent world. ;)

Klo - Transcendentalism - interesting. Why do you say that?

Robyn Campbell said...

Radine Nehring or Susan Sweet? Just throwing something out here. Hope you find one! :)

PurpleClover said...

i'm sorry Shelli, I missed that you already had Nancy Drew. I was actually suggesting Nancy Drew based on the pages I read on Amazon.

But I don't know the other characters. I don't read YA so I don't know many angsty teen girl characters.

I was going to say a contemporary nancy drew minus the sexist constraints. :)

lisa and laura said...

What about Free Willy meets the Hunger Games?

Or A Far Off Place meets the Hunger Games?

Only problem is that I'm not sure many people remember the movie A Far Off Place...it involves poachers right?

lisa and laura said...

Ooh, and just so you know I'm thinking Hunger Games just for the survival stuff, does that make sense?

Sherrie Petersen said...

When her ranger father goes missing, Grace uncovers a local conspiracy that threatens her family, the nature of her beloved North Carolina mountains, and her chance at first love. With the environmental sensibility of Carl Hiaasen and more style than Nancy Drew, Grace Under Fire is about finding love in a world of treachery, deception, and murder.

lotusgirl said...

I think this is an optional thing. I've read where some agents don't like the comparisons like that. Some do. The thing is, if it's not a marked comparison then you're better off not making it. IMHO. That said, I think The Hunger Games meets Deliverance. Hehe.

Jessie Oliveros said...

Or the Hunger Games meets Nancy Drew? I think that Nancy Drew is a winner because most of us read it growing up. And I think teens are familiar with it because it was recently made into a movie. So am I right in thinking Grace is a survival story? I love, love survival stories.

Wendy said...

Should have gone with "A modern day Nancy Drew hits the ecological trail" or some such tie-in of our most famous girl-sleuth with the environmental awareness of the mainstream today.

For silliness: "Modern day Nancy Drew takes environmental activism out of hippie hands." ;^)

A got a million... but I do better with a read of actual material . ;-p