My family and I took a day at the beach recently, and I ran into a woman from San Diego. She mentioned she was looking for some good books to read, and I took the opportunity to give her my "elevator pitch." She said she liked what she heard, and now I have another customer to add to my distro list.
The elevator pitch is something every writer needs to have ready to go at a moment's notice. This should be a 20-30 second spiel on your novel that you can recite and, hopefully, interest others in your work. It needs to be concise, yet not so concise that it doesn't leave the intended audience yearning for more. Your pitch should make the person want to find out more.
Of course, you have to be judicious about when to whip it out. Everybody knows that author - or inventor, or vacuum cleaner salesman, or artist - that tells everyone all the time about his or her novel. Those folks get shut out at parties, and, eventually, stop getting invited altogether. So don't be that person.
However, you need to be ready for when someone does show interest in your stories. Be coy but not shy. And practice your pitch so that you have it down. After all, if you can't sell your book to yourself, how are you going to do it for others?
The elevator pitch is something every writer needs to have ready to go at a moment's notice. This should be a 20-30 second spiel on your novel that you can recite and, hopefully, interest others in your work. It needs to be concise, yet not so concise that it doesn't leave the intended audience yearning for more. Your pitch should make the person want to find out more.
Of course, you have to be judicious about when to whip it out. Everybody knows that author - or inventor, or vacuum cleaner salesman, or artist - that tells everyone all the time about his or her novel. Those folks get shut out at parties, and, eventually, stop getting invited altogether. So don't be that person.
However, you need to be ready for when someone does show interest in your stories. Be coy but not shy. And practice your pitch so that you have it down. After all, if you can't sell your book to yourself, how are you going to do it for others?
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