by Steve Laube
Can you present your book idea in one sentence?
Can you present that idea in such a way that the reader is compelled to buy your book?
What motivates someone to spend money on a book? It is the promise that there is something of benefit to me, the reader.
Books are generally purchased for one of three reasons:
- Entertainment
- Information
- Inspiration
If your book idea can make me want to read it, whether it is for entertainment, information, or inspiration, then you are well on your way to making a sale.
This isn’t just about your title (which was ably covered by Karen Ball in a three part series here, here, and here) it is about your pitch. That 25 words or less soundbite that instantly conveys your message.
Create something that makes me, a cynical curmudgeon, say, “Now that is interesting.” (Which by the way will help sway the cynical curmudgeon in the marketing department at a publishing company.)
Your pitch becomes your editor’s pitch,
which becomes your publisher’s pitch,
which becomes your retailer’s pitch…
which becomes the word-of-mouth pitch.
Did the picture above get your attention? Did it make you smile? Did it make you want a Taco? If so, it was the perfect pitch.
And for more on the topic of the 25 word pitch read Nicola Morgan’s post.
Very true. The vast majority of the time, I decide whether I want to read a book or not based on that one sentence description. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked through a list of books thinking that I would reject them all because they were all just more of the same, but then the description of one of them gave me a thirst to know how the characters handled the situation. And I don’t use the word “thirst” lightly. Such a thirst, as with a actual thirst, can bring you to the point at which other things that would normally be important become of no concern. A man who is thirsty enough will drink from a muddy stream. A reader who is thirsty enough will ignore the pinkness of the cover and put aside concerns about how the author has marketed the book. A great one sentence description can convince a reader to forgive a multitude of sins.
I don’t normally eat tacos for breakfast, so I an not currently craving one, but it certainly made me smile.
Steve, thanks for another great post. I hope many writers will take your encouragement to heart and work on their one sentence pitch for their book. It will take some effort but is well worth it from the increased interest and response of agents and editors. Terry
It also makes the book easier to write.
Thanks for the post, Steve. I think the most difficult part about the one-sentence pitch for me is knowing which parts of my story to focus on and pull out.
I’d love some examples of some great one-line pitches you’ve encountered.
Thanks again!
Not to discourage Steve from giving examples, but the best descriptions come from the second quarter of the story. For example, it can be said that Where the Red Fern Grows is about a boy who trains two dogs to hunt, but only in the second quarter of that book is he actively involved in training the dogs.
Thanks for the challenge. Putting my book into one well thought out concise sentence is not easy for me. I tend to be a bit wordy, which I know, is a problem.
Obviously, if there wasn’t a place for being wordy you wouldn’t be able to write a book, but when you find yourself being wordy in the way you describe the story, it is a warning sign that you don’t really know what your story is about. Or worse, it is so convoluted that no one else will understand it.
Must. Eat. Tacos.
(And later when I’m no longer stuffed, I’ll tackle my one-sentences.)
I agree, the one-sentence challenge is formidable, but trimming my story down to that single focus gave such clarity.
The temptation and satisfaction of desire, the heart of the most challenging commandment, is the goal of all a art. Thanks for the encouragement and challenge
Great job on this Steve. Such an important topic and concisely written. I posted it on the Writing Platform Facebook page.