Why should a reader buy your book?
It's a simple question, but one that stumps a lot of authors.
When people ask, "What is your book about?" I think they are also, and maybe more importantly, asking, "Why should I read your book?"
"Because it's good," "Because it's cool," and "Because I spent a long time writing it" are not compelling answers.
"Because it's about how Chris/Mary overcomes the struggles of being a teenager" or "Because it's a great history of how New York City was founded" are better, but still not that compelling.
Your quick pitch
I recommend developing an "elevator pitch" for your book, but because the business world uses elevator pitch, I just like to call it a "Quick Pitch."
It's a short, catchy, compelling sentence that describes what your book is about, but also delivers on why that person should read it or buy it.
I recommend spending a lot of time asking people, ideally people who roughly fit your target persona, why they are reading books. (If they're not reading books, you need to ask more people!) Ask people online through your social media network why they bought the last book they bought. Not what it was and what they liked about it, but why they bought it in the first place.
Many people will say because a friend recommended it, or they read an article about it, but that's just a starting point. That trust in an authoritative recommendation is certainly powerful. But even if a friend recommended a book about laundry washing machines to me, I probably wouldn't read it. Unless my friend said, "This book about washing machines actually proves that they make marriages better." It's a specific, strong reason why I might be interested in reading that book.
Author Tim Ferriss has a stellar book trailer and quick pitch for his book The 4 Hour Chef. His quick pitch is, "The simple path to cooking like a pro, learning anything, and living the good life." Pretty good, right? For a non-fiction book the hook is often what you get from the book, whether that be knowledge or a skill.
For a fiction book, the good hook is about story and characters. Here is a great post by LearnToWriteFiction.com about the process of creating an elevator pitch for a fiction book.
The similarity between all good quick pitches for books is a concise, compelling emotional appeal to the right target audience.
Workshop opportunity
Are any of you working on a "quick pitch" about an upcoming book? If so, I'd love to workshop one in the comments.
Here's an example of one I'm working on for my own upcoming poetry collection:
Potential reader: "What is your next book about?"
Me: "It's a collection of poems that will change your life."
"Beer-length poems that are happy hour for your brain."
"Happy hour poems that give you a break from reality."
"Happy hour poems and stories that give you a 10 minute break from a long day."
What do you think? Corny? Close? Scrap it and try something new?
Image courtesy of .sarahwynne via flickr
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