Test & Revise Your Elevator Pitch

Over the last few years, many writer’s conferences have been cancelled, postponed or gone to virtual meetings. The good news is live events are returning. I’ve done a number of one-on-one appointments on zoom, but I believe they are more effective in person.

Often writers’ conferences include back-to-back 10-to-15-minute sessions where writers pitch their book or book proposal to editors or literary agents. Writers who are successful in pitching their books have honed what is called an elevator pitch.

Imagine getting in an elevator and going to the 10^th floor. You get on the elevator with me and as the door closes I ask you to tell me about your book. Go. Can you explain your book in a few gripping sentences before we reach the 10^th floor? Every writer needs to develop this elevator pitch.

The creation of an effective elevator pitch involves several key elements. First, you must know your target audience (their likes and dislikes). For example, at Morgan James we have a 100,000 word limit for our fiction and our book buyers are telling us the readers prefer a certain size book and retail price. Second, you have to understand how your book is different from other books in your category. Finally you have to tell me why you are the best person to write this book and how you can reach your readers (with an email list or social media or what means). The combination of these facts is your concise elevator pitch. Write it down, rehearse it and make it captivating and memorable. It will take some practice but is an important part of pitching your book to agents and editors. 

I understand going to a writer’s conference is a big commitment of time and expense. If you can’t make it to an event because of any number of reasons, I encourage you to still work on your elevator pitch and turn that into a query letter which you submit to agents and editors. Take these action steps and put them into practice for your writing life.  You have to be pitching and submitting to find the right place for your work to be published. Submitting and pitching is a key part of the publishing business. I’m going to several events over the next few months and hope our paths will cross. You can follow this link to see my current schedule.  Or you can pitch to me directly using this link and my contact information on the bottom of the second page.

Whether we meet in person or through email, I hope you are testing and working on the elevator pitch for your book.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief at Midwest Book Review wrote, “If you only have time to read one ‘how to’ guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, “Book Proposals That Sell” is that one DIY instructional book.” At the book website, get a free book proposal checklist. Get his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.