Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds : The

Your career can be made in 60 seconds - if you make the right pitch! Master the Elevator Pitch, even when you've got less than 60 seconds. Get your screenplay or Novel read by the major power of Hollywood - guaranteed!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

xiii

INTRODUCTION

xvii

The 60-Second Pitch

xvii

The Cardinal Rule of Pitching

xix

The Primary Objective of All Story

xx

The 8 Steps to a Powerful Pitch

xxi

Caveats, Disclaimers, and Excuses

xxiii

PART I: PREPARATION

Chapter 1: THE 10 KEY COMPONENTS OF A COMMERCIAL STORY

1

(12)

Hero

1

(1)

Empathy

2

(2)

Setup

4

(1)

Opportunity

5

(1)

Outer Motivation

6

(2)

Conflict

8

(1)

Character Arc

8

(2)

Issues

10

(1)

Antecedents

10

(2)

Passion

12

(1)

Chapter 2: DESIGNING YOUR PITCH

13

(16)

Selecting Your Key Story Components

13

(2)

Opening Strong

15

(2)

Accolades

17

(1)

The Power of "What if...?"

18

(3)

Dropping In Antecedents

21

(1)

Adding Details

22

(1)

Pitching True Stories

23

(1)

Mistakes, Blunders, and Bad Advice

24

(5)

Chapter 3: PRACTICE

29

(4)

Trial Runs

29

(2)

A Shameless Plug

31

(2)

Chapter 4: TARGETING YOUR BUYERS

33

(18)

Contacts and Referrals

34

(1)

Interviews

34

(1)

Articles and Reviews

35

(1)

Screenwriting Directories

36

(2)

Publishing Directories

38

(1)

Video Dealers

39

(1)

Book Dealers

40

(1)

Pitch Fest Lists

40

(2)

The Internet

42

(4)

Fiction Writing Websites

46

(2)

Telephone Research

48

(3)

Chapter 5: PUTTING THE TOOLS TO WORK

51

(6)

Targeting the Right Executive

51

(1)

Pitch Fest Research

52

(1)

The 10 Steps to a Powerful Hit List

53

(4)

Chapter 6: SECURING OPPORTUNITIES TO PITCH

57

(22)

An Editorial Comment...

57

(1)

But Wait, I Have One More Rant...

58

(1)

Referrals

59

(1)

Pitch Festivals

60

(4)

Conferences and Book Fairs

64

(2)

Query Letters

66

(4)

Emails

70

(1)

Phone Calls

71

(2)

Elevators

73

(1)

Two More Opportunities

73

(6)

PART II: PRESENTATION

Chapter 7: GEARING UP

79

(10)

Protection

79

(1)

Clothing

80

(1)

Props

81

(1)

Business Cards

81

(1)

On-the-Spot Submissions

82

(1)

Leave-Behinds

82

(2)

Anathemas

84

(1)

Unnecessary Worries

84

(5)

Chapter 8: ESTABLISHING RAPPORT

89

(6)

Common Experience

89

(2)

Acknowledgment

91

(4)

Chapter 9: REVELATION, REQUEST, AND RESPONSE

95

(10)

Awkward Segue #1

95

(1)

Awkward Segue #2

96

(1)

The Win-Win Question

97

(1)

If the Buyer Says YES

98

(1)

If the Buyer Says NO

99

(2)

If the Buyer Has Questions

101

(4)

Chapter 10: BEYOND THE 60-SECOND PITCH

105

(16)

The 10-Second Pitch

105

(3)

Pitch Meetings

108

(2)

Pitching Episodic Television

110

(3)

Pitching Everything Else

113

(2)

Marketing Other People's Stories

115

(1)

Pitching to Your Boss

116

(5)

PART III: EXTRA STUFF

Chapter 11: THE PITCHING TEMPLATES

121

(8)

The Genre Film Template

122

(1)

The Personal Experience/Fictional Story Template

123

(1)

The Combined Personal Experience/Fictional Story and Genre Template

123

(1)

The Real Situation/Fictional Story Template

124

(1)

The Love Story Template

124

(1)

The True Story Template

125

(1)

Two Sample Template Pitches

125

(4)

Chapter 12: "The Best Pitch I Ever Heard": EXECUTIVES ON PITCHING

129

(40)

Chapter 13: THE BEST PITCH YOU'LL EVER GIVE

169

(4)

INDEX

173

(10)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

183

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Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds : The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read

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Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials