Private Consultation with Hollis Gillespie

Here’s a secret, you don’t need to have a finished manuscript to get a book deal. All you need is an amazing idea and as little as 10 pages. (But finished manuscripts are good, too.) To get the benefits of The Shocking Real-Life Book-Pitch Package, here’s what to expect after enrolling in this service using the link below:

1. Send me your completely confidential book idea, synopsis and no more than 30 pages. (The pages are even optional.)
2. We’ll schedule three 1-hour one-on-one conferences (via iChat, Skype or just just plain telephone if you want). In addition to this, there will be 2-3 additional hours of time on my part as I treat your pages, research my cadre of agents and their latest acquisitions, and write a draft of your pitch letter:

• Conference 1 will focus on your material and devise a plan to format it so it’s immediately surmountable for an agent to consider. This is important because you will be submitting cold and you need to distinguish yourself from the slush pile.
  
• Conference 2 we will discuss the right agent(s) for your material, the 10 pages you will submit to the agent and how exactly to write the pitch letter.
  
• Conference 3 we will make sure your entire pitch package is completely clean before you email it to the agent (it can be a process, believe me), then — most important and, for some reason, often the hardest part — the pressing of “SEND.”

This purpose of this package is to focus your idea and material into a lean, to-the-point pitch that will intrigue an agent, who will then sell your book to a publisher so you can commence your new life as a published author.

This package is not for people who simply want to sit around bloviating about how hard it is to get a book deal. There are plenty of local coffee houses packed with people perpetuating that myth. Don’t be one of them. This package is proven effective, not just by me, but by the dozens of people I’ve helped acquire literary agent representation because of it. This is your opportunity to get your book deal.

“Just a quick note of thanks for the one-on-one this evening. It was absolutely wonderful and more helpful and encouraging and grounding than I think you can possibly imagine.  I know you are probably used to this (given the ease and natural way with which you handled the conversation), but it really did shed SO much light on so many aspects of this process for me — both external and internal elements of this crazy endeavor, and I am so grateful. I KNEW you’d be the right person to work with! I loved how direct and not ‘trying to be overly professional’ you were – I mean that in the most flattering way, because some people, when they don’t have the substance or experience or depth, try and cloak everything in rigid professionalism. Anyway, I am totally excited to go forward.  I think we TOTALLY stumbled upon something that a) is absolutely perfect for the hook we were talking about and b) hugely enormous for my life in general.” Allison Gustavson

 

Need more convincing? Just check out the progress of these recent clients:

Corinne Humphrey‘s landed a book deal with Chronicle Books and now her SECOND book, Shoot for the Moon; Lessons on Life from a Dog Named Rudy, is out on the shelves and doing great. Here Corinne is on TV.

Kevin Hazzard was recently the subject of a bidding war between two New York super agents based on the pitch letter for his manuscript, A Thousand Naked Strangers, a memoir on his years as a demoralized paramedic based on his hilarious and poignant blog. And so far Kevin had made two trips to Hollywood to discuss the film rights.

Julie Benz‘s pitch letter recently landed the interest of this New York super agent in regards to her side-splitting manuscript, Julie versus Vegetables; One Woman’s Battle to Make Beets Her Bitch, a memoir that is based on her blog.

Christal Presley just landed a book deal for her manuscript Thirty Days with My Father, a harrowing memoir on having been raised in a household saturated with post trauma. Her publishing company is the same that pumps out the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Heather Abraham‘s memoir, The Bookie’s Daughter, was published by SagisBooks.

Tom Wood, landed the interest of this new York super agent for his riveting manuscript, Trading Steel for Stone: Tales of a Rustbelt Redneck Turned Rocky Mountain Rescuer. Here is the response he got from his query letter:

Hi Tom,
Thanks for your query. I enjoyed these opening pages, and would be happy to see the rest of the manuscript. At your convenience, could you send it along? Electronic attachment would be great. Thanks. I look forward to reading it. In the meantime, if you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to ask.
best, Andrea

Another Shocking Real-Life Alumni Becomes a Best Seller!

Rachael Brownell, author of Mommy Doesn’t Drink Here Anymore, became a best-selling author after taking this Shocking Real-Life “Develop and Sell Your Memoir” workshop. Her book, a series of funny and touching anecdotes about early motherhood and recovery, came out in August ’09 and she’s since been on the Today Show, Good Morning America and NPR. Visit her website and see for yourself. Brownell was also a contributor to a popular department of Blabber.com called Strollerderby, which served as a great platform for her book. (Click HERE to see how to make YOUR blog a platform for your upcoming book).

Rachael Brownell’s testimonial:

“I wanted to THANK YOU, Hollis, for your workshop. It played a crucial role in being able to complete and submit a successful book proposal.”