It's punchy. It's tropey ✨ We tell you why Dr. Sarah B's nonfiction book title is SO DANG GOOD and how to write your own
Plus Rachel Somerstein on writing a book while juggling teaching, parenting and LIFE, how to join our very first Read Like a Writer Book Club, and how to get bookbound this week 🧡
We’ve heard that you’re loving our pitch reviews, so instead of burying the lede, we’re placing this fave section up front.
And if you’re looking for unbiased, actionable feedback on YOUR book idea, we’d love to hear from you for an upcoming newsletter.
Pitch Review 🧐
In this week’s Pitch Review session, we hear from Dr. Sarah B. in New Rochelle, NY. Let’s dive in!
Working title: Kids Who Don’t Fit: How to Drop the Scripts, Tricks and Hacks, and Find What Works for Your Sensitive Kid
In 150 words or less, what is your book's synopsis or pitch?
In this age of constant digital parenting information, parents are desperately sifting through the scripts, rules, and well-intentioned strategies only to find that they just don’t work for their sensitive and explosive kids. The fact is, most parenting strategies — even the good ones — are designed for the kids in the middle of the bell curve, and the kids who don’t “fit” are labeled as problematic, difficult, defiant, oppositional, and worse, leaving them, and their parents feeling helpless, defeated, and alone. This book is intended to be a ray of hope and a dose of practical and evidenced-based guidance for parents of kids who don’t fit. In it, you will learn the critical modifications of the usual parenting playbooks, so you can create a Personal Parenting Framework that works for your child, for you, and for your family.
Our Thoughts👇
Wow! We’re in love with this title, subtitle, and pitch. We’ll break it down for you below, but first, we want to say well done to Sarah on coming in just under the pitch word count at 137. Learning to be concise in a pitch will not only please agents and editors who ask for something short, but it’s also a great exercise for sharpening your idea.
Ok, so why are we in love?
The main title, Kids Who Don’t Fit, is fantastic for at least two reasons.
1: It’s punchy. What do we mean by that? The words are all strong, one-syllable words that add up to one very clear message that will certainly jump out to Sarah’s muse, the person who needs this book. In other words, it’s a IYKYK kind of thing; if you have a kid who “doesn’t fit,” you’re all over this book.
2: It’s tropey. In other words, we love this title because of the way it’s playing with the trope of “fitting in,” which is, of course, what we all—kids and parents—want. And when our kids don’t fit we parents often feel like we don’t either! This is a powerful trope that gets deep into a human need to belong and a fear of what happens when we don’t.
While the title invites us into a little taste of the darkness of not fitting in (but by the book’s very existence, we know we’re not alone), the subtitle shows us the way into the light. What a relief! How to Drop the Scripts, Tricks and Hacks, and Find What Works for Your Sensitive Kid is such a hopeful, accessible, and VERY clear value proposition, showing us exactly what we will find in the book. Without even reading a pitch or any jacket copy, potential readers know that this book will show us how to drop all the advice we’re probably following, the “scripts, tricks, and hacks” that we’re drowning in because our kid doesn’t fit—and find “what works” for our “sensitive” kid.
This title does a great job of capturing the desperation of a certain kind of parent and offering relief at the very same time. We’ve already gone on a journey, and we haven’t even opened up the book. Whenever you can add some action to your title, do it.
(We also have to say that the fact that the author has a Dr. in front of her name (and/or a Ph.D or MD at the end) will shore up our hopefulness that she can deliver on this book’s promise.)
In terms of the pitch itself, we love the way Sarah walks us through the journey from “desperate” to a “ray of hope.”
A word on the opening sentence: Sarah writes, “In this age of constant digital parenting information, parents are desperately sifting through the scripts, rules, and well-intentioned strategies only to find that they just don’t work for their sensitive and explosive kids.” We love that she is letting us know right out of the gate that this is for “well-intentioned” parents of “sensitive and explosive kids.” The actual opener, however, could use some sharpening. “In this age” and other phrases such as “These days” are what we call throat-clearers. You never want to open with anything less than your most specific, juiciest detail! Likewise with the phrase, “constant digital parenting information,” which refers to a vibe, sure, but we’d prefer something sharp and active like: “middle of the night scrolling” to show instead of tell us what this book is about.
We would also like to caution Sarah against falling into jargon such as, “You will learn the critical modifications of the usual parenting playbooks,” and instead, just be direct. What is a critical modification of the usual parenting playbooks? Does this mean parents will learn how to make expert advice work for them? Always choose clear over clever.
With all of that said, this is an excellent pitch that is perfectly aligned with the title. Bravo!
Can you think of two to five "comps" for your book? These are successful titles that prove an interest in books like yours—and maybe also that there's a gap in the market.
The 5 Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans by Aliza Pressman, PhD (Simon & Schuster, 2024)
Tiny Humans, Big Emotions: How to Navigate Tantrums, Meltdowns, and Defiance to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Children by Alyssa Blask Campbell, M.Ed. and Lauren Stauble, MS (Harvest, 2023)
The Parenting Map: Step-By-Step Solutions to Consciously Create the Ultimate Parent-Child Relationship by Shefali Tsabary (HarperOne, 2023)
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy (Harper Wave, 2022)
Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood by Minha Dubin (Seal Press, 2023)
A Few More: Life in the Womb; The Prenatal Shadow; Spirit into Form; Strange Situation; It's Never Too Late; Prenatal Development and Parent's Lived Experience
Our Thoughts👇
These are excellent comps that tell the story of modern parenting in books, which is just what we look for in a comps section. Sarah points to bestselling and buzzy books that were published in the last two years to show her “proof of concept.” Perfect! We also appreciate the nod to Bethany’s book Strange Situation :) When Sarah writes her actual comps section in her proposal, she will, of course, want to share the entire title, author, and publication information, but we understand she was just adding a few more here. Also, as your resident nit-pickers, we want to point out that she misspelled Minna Dubin’s name. Finally, a proposal’s comps section will include a short essay giving the context for these books that also point to what’s missing and how there is “white space” where Kids Who Don’t Fit belongs. And we’re betting there’s plenty of room on the shelf for this important book.
Who do you think is your book's "muse" or your ideal reader, the person whose life will change after reading your book?
This book is for the mom who has read all the books, tried all the hacks, listened to the podcasts, read the parenting articles, but still finds that no matter what she tries, nothing seems to work for her sensitive, challenging kid. She’s exhausted from constantly either walking on eggshells or putting out fires. School is calling, play dates are a nightmare. She dreads going to the playground because she knows there will be an explosion on the way home. It feels like she working 10 times harder than the parents around her, and she’s burning out. She is constantly battling waves of frustration with herself and anger at her kid, followed by terrible shame that makes her feel like the worst parent in the world and terrified that something is really broken, and it just might be her or her kid.
Our Thoughts👇
This muse is so powerful, we feel like we know her! Our guess is that you’ve based this on a person you know, which is exactly what we suggest people do when they get started. Instead of trying to find readers after you’ve written your book, we encourage writers to find one muse—a real person with a name, maybe even past-you, and write to her. All the details Sarah included, for instance, “school is calling, play dates are a nightmare. She dreads going to the playground because she knows there will be an explosion on the way home,” will help Sarah write directly to her and ultimately, provide the relief she promises in the title.
Sarah, we hope you write a full proposal if you haven’t already. This is a hot time in the parenting space, and this book will make an important contribution.
And we can’t wait to read the book!
*****
Just a reminder: If you’re looking for low-stakes, high-value feedback for YOUR book idea, you’re in luck! We’re accepting submissions for an upcoming pitch review.
We know how hard it is to get the attention of an agent or editor in today’s super crowded book market, but we have decades of experience helping people just like you pitch, sell, and publish their books—to Big Five Houses and indie presses. Plus, we’re authors ourselves. So we get it.
Just fill out this form telling us about your book, and we’ll let you know if and when our free feedback on your book idea will appear in our newsletter. Our subscriber base is full of publishing professionals looking for the next big (or quiet) thing for their list, so this is a wonderful, easy way to skip the gatekeeping and get right in front of your audience.
We’re on a mission to make publishing clear and kind, and we’re soooo looking forward to being part of your bookbound journey!
Did you hear the news? 🥳
We were shocked and delighted to see that our brand new love letter to nonfiction writers and their books—that’s YOU!—was been named a Featured Publication by Substack! We’d love to tell you how we did it, but we have no idea ✨ We can only guess that it’s because this is a world that truly honors writers and their craft. In any case, THANK YOU to Substack for the recognition! We would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new subscribers (we’re over 2,500!) and promise to pay it forward by continuing our mission to make publishing clear and kind 🧡
Podcast Highlight ✨🎙️✨
Ever feel like you’re missing the secret ingredient that published authors seem to have?
Are you struggling with time management, juggling multiple roles, or feel like your platform isn't strong enough?
We had the pleasure of sitting down with
, a remarkable writer and professor who shares her transformative journey to publishing her book, Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Caesarean Section.Can you relate to the challenges of writing a book while juggling multiple roles—like teaching and parenting? Find yourself nodding? Then Rachel’s story is exactly what you need to hear today.
You’ll want to listen in if you’re curious about:
🌟 How to define your platform beyond social media metrics
🌟 The importance of prioritizing what truly matters in your writing journey
🌟 The power of finding an agent who believes in your vision and helps refine it
You can listen to the podcast here. 🎧
“I thought I didn’t have a platform, but I was wrong. I wish I’d understood that better.”
— Rachel Somerstein
Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section is available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, and pretty much anywhere books are sold. 📚 And check out Rachel’s substack
.Resources💡
Join us for our first-ever Read Like a Writer Book Club! From January to July, we’ll be studying books featured on our podcast to highlight what these authors have done masterfully and how you can replicate it. The price is only $175, so sign up today!
Melisse Gelula, co-founder of Well+Good, shares incredible insights on the memoir-writing process through her
and Instagram.We love the How Books Work podcast with
and Alice Robb. Check out this episode: Navigating the Nonfiction Landscape with Literary Agent and Former Executive Editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Susan Canavan.Manuscript Academy is offering a 3-day workshop (10/22 - 10/24), Be Your Own Best Marketer: Overcome Self-Doubt, Position Your Book for Success, and Craft a Winning Hook.
Don’t forget to submit YOUR nonfiction book idea here to be considered for a Pitch Review in a future installment of this very newsletter!
Books On Our Radar 📚
Sharing some nonfiction titles hitting shelves over the next month that have us counting down the days. 🤓
Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown & Company, 10/1/24
From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough, Random House, 10/8/24
Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, Doubleday, 10/15/24
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!) by Bethany Joy Lenz, S&S, 10/28/24
Bethany Saltman and Fran Hauser live and breathe the art and business of nonfiction books. They’re both critically acclaimed authors, bestselling book coaches, and co-hosts of BOOKBOUND the podcast. Because they know first-hand how tough this book biz can be, they’re on a mission to make it clear and kind.