Michael Hauge’s

Pitching Template for Romance Writers

When I coach writers on their pitches, I always begin by asking lots of questions about the story, so I have a real sense of where the idea came from, and where the client’s passion lies. What was it about the story that prompted my client to commit all their time to getting it onto the page or up on the screen?

You must follow the same process for yourself. Get a clear sense of why the story just has to be published or produced, and insert those qualities into the template below in a way that reflects your own voice, your own story, and your own passion.

I recommend leaving the title and log line for the END of the pitch, when the title will now mean something to the buyer, and the log line will show that the emotionally involving story you just pitched can be conveyed in a single sentence.

Always finish your pitch by asking the agent or editor if she has any questions. If you simply stop talking, a dreadfully awkward silence will follow, until finally you’re likely to blurt out, “And that’s all there is….” This sounds more like an apology than the fitting conclusion to powerful pitch you just gave.

The elements of the template can be rearranged or modified in whatever way suits your project. As long as it gets agents and editors emotionally involved, gives them a clear sense of what they’re going to read, convinces them of your project’s commercial potential, and conveys your passion, it’ll be great.

But I beg you; please use this template as a starting point. Don’t just plug in your story, print it out, and call that your pitch. A fill-in-the-blank approach won’t make the pitch your own. It’ll have none of your personality or passion, and it won’t allow for the changes you must make to convey the emotional power of your particular story.

Above all, don’t succumb to the biggest mistake authors make when pitching their novels: trying to tell the entire story. Your primary – your ONLY – goal is to get them to read your manuscript. Do that by highlighting the key elements of your story in LESS THAN TWO MINUTES.

The Template:

I’ve always been a huge fan of[your novel’s category], . . .

OR

I’ve always been a huge fan of[author’s of stories similar to your own in category, style and tone], . . .

THEN CONTINUE

. . . particulary stories where [describe a plot element your own novel shares with your favorites].

So I started thinking, “What if [describe the plot element that makes your own story DIFFERENT from the antecedents you just mentioned]?”

So my novel is about [name your heroine], a [identify your heroine’s job or basic situation at the beginning of the story] who[describe her everyday life in a way that establishes empathy through undeserved misfortune, jeopardy or likability].

When [describe the OPPORTUNITY – the first new event that happens to your heroine to get the story moving forward], she decides to [her reaction to the opportunity].

But when she meets [your novel’s hero], a [his everyday situation, along with the quality that immediately creates a huge conflict to their falling in love], she must now [her visible goal that emerges from the new situation] even though she is falling in love with [the hero], in spite of the fact that [the obstacles and conflict that prevent her from achieving her goal AND from achieving a lasting relationship with the hero].

Finally, when [a major setback or overwhelming obstacle that makes it seem like all is lost] she must either face her fear of [whatever emotional fear prevents her from committing fully to the hero] and [whatever risk she has to take to overcome that final obstacle], or lose her destiny – the love of her life – forever.

So my novel, [the title of your novel] is a [your novel’s category] romance about [a single sentence log line that summarizes the story you just pitched].

Do you have any questions about the story, or would you like me to send you a copy?

The Example:

[I have taken the liberty of using my friend Kristan Higgins’ terrific novel The Next Best Thing as an example of how one might use the template. I know it doesn’t begin to do justice to her book, but that’s not the goal of a pitch. The objective is only to provide the key elements of the story in a way that would make a potential agent or publisher want to read the full manuscript.

If you would like to hear my interview with Kristan about her book, please click here.]

I’ve always been a huge fan of contemporary romance fiction that combines humor with emotional pain,particularly stories wherethe heroine’s fear of reliving some wound from the past combines with her desire to please others to prevent her from surrendering to true love.

So I started thinking, “What if a young widow, afraid of ever again suffering a loss like the death of her husband, found herself falling for the one man who she could never commit to: her husband’s brother – with whom she’d been having emotionally “risk free” sex for more than a year?”

So my novel is about Lucy, a young, childless widow living a rather unfulfilled existence creating desserts for her family’s bakery.

When her younger sister has a baby, Lucy convinces herself she must find a new “safe” relationship – but one that will never subject herto the pain and loss she felt when her husband was killed.

But when Ethan, her dead husband’s brother (and her secret “sex buddy”), reveals his love for her, she must now admit she feels the same way towards him, in spite of the disapproval of their families, her fear of love and loss, and Ethan’s belief that his brother was always the favored one.

Finally, when Ethan is almost killed in an accident and Lucy ends their relationship, she must either face her fear, let go of her attachment to her dead husband’s memory, and try to win Ethan back, or play it safe and lose her destiny – the new love of her life – forever.

So my novel, The Next Best Thingis a contemporary romance about a young widow who must overcome her fear of loss and risk everything to win the love of her dead husband’s brother.

If you would like a lot more detail about the entire process of creating and delivering a pitch guaranteed to get people requesting your work, including an abundance of templates and examples, please see my book Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read.