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One of those things every author needs to larn to do at some point or other is give what's called an "elevator pitch." This pitch is so named, because should you exist in an elevator with someone yous'd like to read your book, in that location wouldn't be any time for a 10-minute synopsis. You would need to pitch your thought to them in a matter of seconds, catching their interest while you still had them trapped in a small space, forced to hear y'all out.

About lift pitches aren't really given in elevators. They're given at networking events, in bookstores, to friends and family, and basically whenever anybody asks "then what is your book almost?" Ordinarily the person you're speaking to won't exist waiting for the doors to open so they can escape, just the power to quickly spark someone'due south involvement in your story is invaluable.

Your "elevator pitch" should easily reply the explicit question: "so what is your book about?" and the implicit question: "and why should I desire to read it?"

A skilful elevator pitch has 2 elements: the one-judgement description and a few comparable titles. These should work together to tell interested parties exactly what they need to know in every bit little time as possible.

The One-Sentence Description

The goal of the i-sentence clarification is to lay out a clear premise that's able to pique a perspective reader's involvement. Which is actually two goals. Yous need a clear, simple premise that more or less describes your entire book. And yous need to make that simple premise engaging.

Some communication on crafting your sentence:

• Start by identifying yourprotagonist
  
• Follow but one story thread
  
• Limit information technology to 25 words max
  
• Focus on the protagonist'scentral conflict
  

At present this judgement probably isn't going to describe your book to a T. It shouldn't describe your book to a T. Just your book should have some fundamental idea that you tin can distill all of the intricacies of the plot downwardly to.

To be engaging, your sentence must (1) show what is specific/original almost your premise and (two) comprise an inherent question.This ways that your sentence can't be "an eleven-year-erstwhile boy tries to relieve the world." While this may describe your general story, it describes it far too generally. This tin can exist whatsoever of hundreds of books. How does he try to save the world? Which world is he trying to salve? Who or what is he trying to salvage it from?

"An eleven-year-sometime boy tries to salvage the world from his brother's evil goldfish," only answers one of these questions, but it's a muchmore than engaging sentence. Information technology draws out what is probably the most interesting, original element of this hypothetical volume's premise to draw a potential reader in.

As for the inherent question, this volition come from your cardinal conflict. Unremarkably this is: 'does this person succeed?' Sometimes it'south: 'do they get together?' Information technology may exist: 'but is he actually the murderer?' If a reader tin can't inquire a question at the sentence's cease, your summary hasn't properly engaged them (and you lot haven't properly identified the primal conflict.)

Examples:

• A boy wizard begins training and must boxing for his life with the Dark Lord who murdered his parents. (Source)
  

• A immature English nurse searches for the way back home after time-traveling from 1945 to 1743 Scotland. (Source)
  

• A young human learns that destroying his magic ring is the central to saving his world from the Dark Lord. (Source)

Multiple One Sentence Descriptions

Sometimes you don't accept to pitch THE high concept idea of your novel. Sometimes you'll want to tailor your pitch to a particular reader.

War and Peace is a slow-burn down dearest story between Natasha and Pierre. State of war and Peace is about the effect of the Napoleonic wars on Russian high guild. War and Peace is almost the search for a life of meaning and purpose set up in 18th c. Russia.

A war historian won't similar State of war and Peace for the same reasons equally a reader interested in romance, and a reader interested in romance won't similar War and Peace for the same reasons as a philosopher, merely they will all similar the same book.

When pitching, it's important to pitch your story to a specific audience. Draw out certain elements of a story according to certain reader's tastes (if yous know them). Take a few one-sentence descriptions that emphasise dissimilar elements of your story for every type of reader y'all come beyond.

When pitching your book in 25 words, you'll need to aim the pointer straight at the heart.

The Comparisons

The dreaded "X Meets Y" pitch. Once you lot've neatly summarised your story, information technology'southward time to compare it to something. You don't necessarily need to follow the "10 meets Y" format to a T, but yous practice need to mention a few comparable titles.

Your comparisons can exist a short-hand for style, tone, and all the sorts of things that can't possibly exist described in a judgement, no matter how long. They also serve to show your volume'due south potential place in the market, suggesting the sort of readers who might be interested in your book. This means you'll typically want to use comps that are in the same age range and genre. Try to selection books that aren't the near popular books in their genre, but that the person yous're pitching to should be familiar with.

Some formats yous can use instead of "X Meets Y":

• In the vein of X and Y
  
• Would appeal to fans of X and Y
  
• Like Ten but [concept]

The Combination

Combining your one sentence description and your comp titles will give you your completed elevator pitch.

The elevator pitch for my WIP is:

A girl inherits a book of spells and tries to set up the issues of her small town with its magic. [Title] will appeal to fans of Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service and Neil Gaiman'southThe Graveyard Book.

If I go along these two sentences in my back pocket, I have everything I need to take hold of a likely reader's attention.

Even if they're only going from Floor 1 to Flooring two.

Sources:

• The Art of Writing Copy
• PubCrawl Podcast "X Meets Y" Pitches
• How to Pitch Your Novel
• Twitter Pitching Like a Pro
• Nail Your Pitch
• One Sentence Summary Clinic
• Writing a 1 Sentence Summary
• One Simple Style to Sharpen Your Pitch
• Pitch Tips
• On Good and Bad Book Pitches
  

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