Write your Pitch Paragraph
A hands-on, half-day workshop to find your story's hook and draft the paragraph that sells it.
Thursday 3 December 2026, 2–5pm UK
Live on Zoom
Who is this for?
Every agent and editor is looking for that compelling hook. But what is a hook? And how do you write one for your book? This workshop is primarily for novelists and memoirists who are getting ready to query agents, or preparing submission materials, and need a compelling pitch sentence and paragraph to do it.
You don't have to be at that stage to get something from this – thinking about your pitch early can bring real clarity to your writing, wherever you are in the process – but the workshop itself is built with querying writers in mind.
This session focuses specifically on your pitch sentence and paragraph. We won't be covering the full query letter – your bio, publication credits, or comp titles – though some of that will likely come up in discussion.
(This one isn't designed for subject- or argument-led non-fiction, self-help, business books, popular science, how-tos etc. We will not cover non-fiction book proposals. If that's your book, get in touch and I'll point you somewhere more useful.)
Does this sound like you?
Someone asks, ‘what's your book about?’ and you don't know what to say. You ramble, or fluff an answer, and watch their eyes glaze over.
You can't boil your book down to one or two clear sentences. Every time you try, it sounds vague, or like a description of three different books at once.
Writing something explicitly designed to sell your book makes you cringe. It feels completely at odds with the language and tone of your writing.
You’ve heard your book needs a hook, but you're not sure what a hook actually is, or how it's different from your book's concept.
Your pitch doesn't match your opening pages. Someone reads the pitch, expects one book, and gets another.
Your pitch could describe half a dozen other books in your genre. Nothing about it stands out or communicates what makes your book yours.
Wherever you're starting from, you'll leave this session with a draft pitch paragraph for your book.
You'll leave with...
A draft pitch sentence for your book – the one-line answer to 'what's it about?'
A working first draft of your pitch paragraph, ready to refine.
A clear grip on the difference between your book's concept and its hook, and how to use both to make your pitch distinctive.
But this isn't just a webinar with theory to take away and apply on your own. You'll do the work in the room, on your own project.
What we'll cover...
I'll show you the crucial difference between your book's concept and its hook – a distinction that's easy to confuse, but understanding it is the key to writing a pitch that sells your story, not just describes it.
We'll work through:
The difference between your book's concept and its hook and why mixing them up is one of the most common pitching mistakes.
Finding your pitch sentence: the one-line answer to ‘what's your book about?’ so you can talk about your book with confidence.
The anatomy of a pitch paragraph, and two or three different ways to approach yours.
Real examples, from my own novels and others, showing concept, hook, and pitch paragraph in action.
Small-group sharing: get feedback and meet other writers.
Live feedback and Q&A with me
A quick reminder: this session covers your pitch sentence and paragraph specifically, not the full query letter.
What you need
A work in progress – partial or complete – where you already know (or think you know) how it ends. You don't need a finished manuscript, and you don't need polished prose. What you do need is a clear sense of your story, even if it's not written yet.
If you've already got a rough sense of your book's concept or hook, bring that too, but don't worry if you haven't – we'll work on finding it together.
About your host
I'm a novelist with four books published, including The Coffin Path, an Amazon bestseller and HWA Gold Crown nominee. I'm a Fulbright Fellow, a Royal Literary Fund Fellow, and a qualified writing coach. I've spent well over a decade teaching and coaching writers through all stages of the book-building process. Helping writers find and refine their stories is 100% my thing.
'Having had a few agent rejections my faith in my writing ability had taken a knock and Katherine restored that faith and gave me the push I needed to get back on the horse!'
Sophie Meeks, Writer
'At each session, Katherine offered specific advice, subtly prompting me to think further about ideas and structures, but also about the process of writing. She offered kind but honest feedback on areas I was stuck with, and more importantly, ways to progress.' Graham Elsdon, Writer
This workshop is part of a series
Write your Pitch Paragraph is the third of three linked workshops running this autumn.
Each stands alone, but together they take you from clarifying your story shape, through drafting a working synopsis, to writing a pitch paragraph to help you talk about – and sell – your book with confidence.
1. Structure Your Story — Thursday 8 October 2026
2. Write Your Synopsis — Saturday 7 November 2026
3. Write Your Pitch Paragraph — Thursday 3 December 2026
Pricing
£65 per workshop (£195 for all three)
Inkwell members save 33% on any number of workshops — access your discount code via email.
Simply enter the code at checkout.
With Inkwell discount:
1 workshop: £43
2 workshops: £86
3 workshops: £129 (pay for two, get the third free)
The Inkwell is my newsletter and online writers' community, hosted on Substack. It costs £80 a year to join (or £8 a month). We gather weekly for Coffee & Co-writing sessions, and regularly for group workshops covering common challenges for writers, such as dealing with rejection, or breaking through creative blocks. The Inkwell Podcast gives members the chance to have writing questions answered directly by me.
Join The Inkwell to unlock your discount. You'll get your discount code in your welcome email.
FAQ
What if I can't make it live?
The session will be recorded, and you'll get access to the replay.
Will I get feedback on my own work?
You'll share and get feedback from other writers in small groups (if you want), and I'll be giving live feedback and answering questions during the session too, though with a live group this size, I can't promise individual feedback on everyone's project. The value is in doing the work live, with support, so you leave with real progress.
I'm already an Inkwell member – how do I get my discount?
Current members will find your code in emails sent about this workshop, and relevant posts on The Inkwell website. Simply enter your code at checkout. If you can’t find your code, get in touch.
I want to join The Inkwell and get the discount – how do I do that?
Subscribe to The Inkwell here. Choose an monthly or annual paid membership. If you don't have a Substack account you may be asked to create a free account and enter your card details. (All payments for The Inkwell go through Substack.) You'll get a welcome email, which will include your discount code and the link to book your spot. Simply enter the code at checkout to get 33% off. If you don't get your welcome email, please check your spam/junk folders, and your Promotions tab if you use Gmail. If you still can't find it, contact me here: https://katherineclements.co.uk/contact
I don't have a finished draft yet – is this for me?
If you have a work-in-progress, a main character and a sense of their story, this will work for you. You don't need to know all the details and you don't need a finished draft. Considering your pitch can be a useful exercise to clarify the heartbeat of your story.
I'm writing a memoir, not a novel – is this still for me?
Yes. The principles apply whether your protagonist is invented or is you.
What's your cancellation & refund policy?
Cancellation Policy for Workshop Bookings
1. Bookings for online workshops may be cancelled up to 7 days before the date of the workshop. Cancellation requests must be made directly to me by email, by the person named on the booking. A refund will be issued to the original payment card, minus a £5 admin fee to cover transaction fees.
2. Cancellation requests received after the deadline will not be eligible for a refund.
3. Refunds are not available for participants who do not attend the event.
4. I reserve the right to cancel any workshop due to low enrolment or other circumstances that would make the event unviable. In such a case, participants will receive a full refund.
Are you in?
3 hours. Come with your story, your ideas, and an open mind.
Leave with a draft pitch paragraph for your book.
