Writing an Elevator Pitch
A challenge but here’s what you need to know about it
What is an elevator pitch?
An elevator pitch is a short, persuasive speech that you use to sell your book to potential readers, booksellers, and publishers. You should be able to deliver your elevator pitch in the time it takes to ride an elevator, hence the name.
In my honest opinion, you should have your elevator pitch before you write your book. Publishers and agents like to see this because it shows you have a firm grasp of your story and you aren’t lost in the weeds of your work.
Your elevator pitch should be clear, concise, and interesting. It should give listeners a taste of what your book is about without giving too much away. You want listeners to be intrigued enough to want to read more.
When crafting your elevator pitch, start by thinking about what makes your book unique. What will readers get out of reading it? How will it improve their lives? Once you have a good understanding of what sets your book apart, you can begin writing your pitch. Remember to keep it short and sweet.
Here is my elevator pitch for Queen of Swords & Silence.
A man-eating monster learns how to make friends and find love while not getting blamed for the world ending and fixing the leak in her house.
Need another? Sure, let’s look at my Dressed Up story under Faye Black.
Aurora would rather read her romance novels and long for her crush, Nia, from afar than disclose her profession of making custom erotic apparel to Nia even after she asks to see her workshop and be educated on the intricacies of BDSM.
Those read easily enough, but how do you go about making one for yourself?
The Basics:
What to include in your elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is a quick way to get your book noticed. Here are the basics of what to include:
The hook. This is the most important part of your pitch and should be one sentence that grabs attention and makes people want to read more.
A brief summary of the book. Include the genre, main characters, and conflict.
Why is this book different or unique? What sets it apart from other books in the same genre?
The target audience for your book. Who will enjoy reading it?
A short sentence about you, the author.
This is optional, but you should make sure that your author's elevator pitch is also set. For example, I always say Carrow Brown is a prior military veteran that enjoys crafting witty stories and hunting for the perfect taco.
The call to action or ask. What do you want readers to do after hearing your pitch? Buy the book, contact you for more information, etc.
The close or final statement.
Tips for an Effective Elevator Pitch
If you're a novelist, you know that elevator pitches are important. They're often the first thing you say when someone asks you about your book. But how can you make sure your elevator pitch is effective?
Notice in the two examples I gave you that the genre of the words was clear in both. One was modern-day fantasy with a touch of humor in it while the other one was geared toward the romance I write under Faye Black. You don’t want to be shy about giving a hint of those things in your pitch.
Here are some tips:
First, make sure your pitch is clear and concise. You want to be able to explain your book in a few sentences without getting too bogged down in the details. A good elevator pitch is a brief summary of your book that you can use to generate interest in your novel. The key to an effective elevator pitch is to focus on the essential elements of your story and to avoid getting too bogged down in the details.
Second, focus on what makes your book unique. What will readers love about it? Why should they pick up your book instead of someone else's?
You need to write a pitch that will convince an agent or editor to take a chance at your book.
Focus on why your book is unique, and that's what will make readers love it. Why there's no other book like it, and why readers should pick it up instead of someone else's. What's special in your book, and why will people love it?
Third, practice, practice, practice! The more you rehearse your pitch, the more confident you'll feel when it comes time to deliver it.
If you're hoping to score a publishing deal for your book, you'll need to perfect your elevator pitch. The key to delivering a successful elevator pitch is confidence. The more you rehearse your pitch, the more confident you'll feel when it comes time to deliver it.
With these tips in mind, you can be sure that your next elevator pitch will be more effective than ever before!
How to Practice your Elevator Pitch
A good elevator pitch is short, sweet, and to the point. It should give the reader just enough information to pique their interest and make them want to learn more. Here are some tips on how to craft the perfect elevator pitch for your book:
Keep it brief. An elevator pitch should only be a few sentences long. You don't want to bore or overwhelm the listener with too much information.
Start with a hook. A hook is a sentence that grabs the reader's attention and makes them want to keep reading. It should be intriguing and pique their interest.
Make it personal. Your elevator pitch should focus on your book, but you should incorporate who you are as an author into your pitch as well. This will help the listener relate to you and your book.
Include a positive benefit or promise. A positive benefit is a sentence that tells the reader what they can get out of reading your book, while a promise is a sentence that tells them what they can expect to gain by reading it.
Include the genre. If you are writing a book that fits into a certain genre, this should be mentioned in your elevator pitch. However, it shouldn't feel like an advertisement for your book.
Conclusion
If you're like most people, you hate the idea of elevator pitches. You think they're cheesy, manipulative, and insincere. But the truth is, if you want to sell your book, you need to be able to pitch it in a way that makes people want to read it. Whether you’re writing a book or a novel, you can follow the abovementioned tips to make sure you score a good publisher for your book!