A wise mentor gave me good advice when I published my first book, and that was to practice talking about my book as often as I could muster the patience. He said that to do your book justice, to honor all of your hard work, you owe it to yourself to be able to speak effectively about your subject, your inspiration, and any number of other things people might ask you. You know your material better than anyone else. You're the resident expert on your book, and often you will have to talk about it in the most unlikely of situations.
I have found this to be absolutely true. Because inevitably you will find yourself at a book group, a party, standing in line to pick up your children at camp, or answering an unexpected call from a newspaper or a magazine editor—and he or she will ask that question, "So what is your book about?"
You have exactly 30 seconds to sum up a 365-page novel.
I remember spending weeks working on my pitch for my first book The Language of Trees. It is a natural conundrum because, of course, our books are not just about one thing.
Preparation is key. Practicing your pitches by varying lengths and in varying amounts of detail can help you immensely. Use Photo Booth on your Mac. Record your pitches into a mic. Whittle them down until they're second nature and effortless. Friends and family can be enthusiastic audiences so ask them to listen (yes, you will owe them). Ask for feedback and promise not to take it personally.
Speaking naturally about your book will come with practice. It helps to have a few key phrases in your arsenal to use as jumping off points that will lead to longer conversations. Here are 5 different types of pitches and their purposes for my new book THE SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER:
Warmly,
Ilie
Ilie Ruby is the author of The Salt God's Daughter (forthcoming from Counterpoint/Soft Skull 9-4-12) and The Language of Trees (HarperCollins 2010). She has written for the New York Times and CNN and teaches writing in Boston. You can connect with Ilie on Facebook and Twitter, or on her website: www.ilieruby.com.
Comment
Comment by Maya Davis on August 2, 2012 at 9:40am Working on my pitch, I've run the gamut from conferences to websites to books, but they've all provided different snippets of approach (and used different books to support those snippets). Seeing your one book broken down five ways is a great help. Thank you.
Comment by Nancy Miller on August 2, 2012 at 7:58am My book is being released on October 2nd and this has been so helpful in terms of preparing to speak about it. My co-author and I, Armen Bacon, are also presenting at the Central California Women's Conference in September, so we'll get good practice in there as well as we'll be discussing the theme of the book. Thank you, Ilie.
Comment by Ilie Ruby on July 31, 2012 at 9:47am Catherine, that is so exciting! I'm so glad it helped and very grateful that you let me know! Carol, I agree with Teresa. It's a sinking thing to have done all this work on a book, to be so passionate about it, and then to struggle for words when given the opportunity to talk about it. For me, writing it out (only for my eyes) beforehand with a few key phrases is invaluable.That way, you can enjoy the exchange in the conversation and not worry.
Comment by Teresa K. Thorne on July 31, 2012 at 9:05am Carol, I think of a blurb as something written (for back of book, press release, website, etc.) while a pitch is usually verbal. When trying to give my blurb as a verbal pitch, it sounds unnatural, so a pitch usually needs to be tweaked in order not to sound like you are reading it. A big part of creating excitement about your work has to do with your own passion about it, and that is much easier to convey verbally. Also, you want to watch for what part of your pitch piques interest. For example, I find I sometimes emphasize the historical setting and research of my novel and sometimes the fact that my central character has Asperger's Syndrome. A lot has to do with reading the person I am speaking to. But then, I have to wait until the morning and see how I feel to decide what to wear; someone who picks their clothes the night (or week) before might be happier with a more set "plan."
I struggle to differentiate between 'pitch' and 'blurb'. The one tends to segue seamlessly into the other. So am digesting this carefully.Thanks.
Comment by Catherine McNamara on July 31, 2012 at 6:38am Thanks! I used your tips when I spoke at a literary festival last week - the spin for the interviewer, the spin for readers, the spin for festival organisers. Great stuff and very valuable!
Comment by Ilie Ruby on July 26, 2012 at 11:30am Congratulations, Lily! Judith, I agree, the synopsis is always a sticking point. Carrie, you're welcome. I'm so glad this is helpful. Truly.
Comment by Carrie on July 26, 2012 at 10:25am Thank you for sharing this Illie, this really helps me to start thinking of a pitch for the story I am writing. I have already been asked the question and haven't been able to answer it several times by family and friends. This gives me a great guide and example on how to effectvely pitch my story. Thank you.
Other than the query letter and dreaded synopsis, the pitch is the hardest thing to write. Thanks for the help.
Judith Marshall
Author of "Husbands May Come and go but Friends are Forever," optioned for the big screen
Comment by Lily Iona MacKenzie on July 26, 2012 at 9:40am Since my first novel will be published later this year, I'm grateful for these suggestions. Thanks for passing them on!
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