Do you have an elevator pitch? Have you memorized it? Can you confidently deliver it when somebody asks, “What is your book about?”
You may be thinking, of course, I know what my book is about. I wrote it. But that question isn’t as simple as it sounds. At a recent St. Louis Publisher’s Association meeting, the president asked for anyone new to stand up, introduce themselves, and show their published book to the audience. One author stood and held up her book. She announced her title but had trouble explaining the book’s premise. Many new authors have the same problem. They may not know exactly what an elevator pitch is or how to write one. Perhaps they haven’t committed it to memory. So, it’s no surprise that they can’t describe their book quickly and confidently.
An elevator pitch is a brief encapsulation of your book description; it is the essence of your book. Besides a great cover and title, your book description is one of the most important elements of publishing.
Just ask the experts.
Best Page Forward (a company that creates custom book description packages for authors): “A book description tailored to your book’s genre and audience, highlights its unique selling points and entices readers to explore further.”
Publish Drive (a self-publishing platform to help authors sell books on multiple sites), “Adescription summarizes a book’s content to give readers a glimpse into what the book is about. Some authors place the description on the back of the book cover, but you’ll find it mostly on retailer websites.”
IngramSpark (a self-publishing book company that helps authors print, distribute, and manage their print and ebooks): “A good book description is a detailed, descriptive copy that is good for public display, used for your book marketing, book discovery, and for sales purposes. It helps potential buyers find and understand your book. It’s your pitch. Your chance to get people interested.”
Writer’s Digest (a magazine in which writers have been helping writers for more than 100 years): “Whether you’re trying to write an incredible query letter or deliver an engaging pitch at a writer’s conference, one of the most important elements is an impeccable hook for your book. Sometimes called an elevator pitch, because it can be delivered during a short ride in the elevator, a great book hook helps agents, editors, and ultimately readers understand the basic concept of your book while also enticing them to learn more.”
Author media (a website that offers innovative book promotion for writers): “It’s usually one sentence with a maximum of 26 words. You can’t describe multiple characters or plot points. You must pare it all down to one high-concept sentence.” (BTW, this is a great article!)
OK, now that you know how important your book description is, the question is how do you write one? The secret of writing a great book description is this: step away from your book and become an observer. Describe what you see in third person, as if you are not the author. For a nonfiction book, you should answer these two questions: what is the book’s purpose, and what is the benefit to the reader? For a novel, you should describe the problem facing the main character and hint at how they may solve it.
Then, boil all that down to one sentence. that sentence is your elevator pitch. it is the essence of your book.
Practice your elevator pitch
Coming up with your elevator pitch is only half the job. The other half is committing it to memory and practicing it until it is second nature. I met the Jewish Book Festival’s co-chair last week. She said interviewing authors for the festival is like speed dating. The author has 2½ minutes to pitch their book to the festival’s chairs. What do you say and how you say it in that 2 ½ minutes is the difference between being invited to be part of the festival and being politely rejected.
Your homework
Write, practice, and memorize your pitch. First impressions are lasting impressions. Be prepared, confident, and enthusiastic when someone asks you, “What is your book about?”
