✎ pitch 'n' submit

Every time I read a query, the opening paragraph ends with a list of big, overarching themes. And I want to convince you, nay, challenge you, to lead with intrigue instead.

The theme sentence is usually some variation of:

• A memoir of the complications of love.


• A generational saga of love, loss, and life at sea. (Okay, life at sea is intriguing.)


• A

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Remember that your idea may evolve.

As I did my reporting, I realized that the story was going to be less about harmful character chatbots and more about how teenagers are using AI for mental health support and eating disorder recovery — and how clinicians are responding. I still included the report that I had initially framed my pitch around, but... See more

These days, it’s hard to get a book deal for a literary memoir if you’re not famous and don’t have a big platform. You have a better chance of getting a book deal if you pursue what the publishing industry is increasingly referring to as “memoir plus” — memoir plus reportage, for instance, or memoir plus a social history of a topic, or memoir plus... See more

How to Write a Strong, Compelling Book Hook