I was at a book event a while back, and as often happens when you get a bunch of authors together, the same question was asked repeatedly: So what’s your book about?

Seems simple enough. But as I listened to a few of my peers rattle on and on about their books, I wanted to gently point out that the fewer words they use in what is called an “elevator pitch” the better. An elevator pitch, is a brief description of one’s current writing project, one that might pass between the author and the president of a huge publishing house on the occasion that they find themselves in an elevator for 30 seconds or so. Obviously, this pitch is short. Very short.

Writers know that it is much easier to fill five pages than a 30-word paragraph. The latter is extremely difficult as every word must count. Though the above elevator scenario is unlikely to happen, the ability to define your work in a few sentences is important to you and any agents, editors, publicists, or media people who might be interested in your book. So the elevator pitch is a tool that every author needs to have ready.

The pitch should be maybe 20-40 words. It should identify the main idea and what the protagonists are seeking. For example. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: “Two sisters, Anne and Mary, are driven to advance their family’s power by courting the affections of the King of England and a ruthless rivalry develops between them.”

Here are a couple more, like the one above courtesy of Reedsy.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: “When her secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her five crushes, Lara Jean finds her quiet high school existence turned upside down.”

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: “A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.”

The point of course is to make your book unique and compelling and to get that CEO—or whomever your trying to pitch—to say, “Tell me more!”

Developing an elevator pitch that makes someone’s eyes light up and request additional information is the goal. Your handful of words needs to be striking and memorable. So, be clear: Who is your protagonist? What do they yearn for? How do they plan to get what they want? What is standing in their way? Make sure not to include spoilers. Memorize your pitch and be prepared to deliver it in a conversational way. Smile and sound confident

It is ironic that of the tens of thousands of words authors put into their books, the few in an elevator pitch are perhaps the most important.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to a Graves Registration Company, where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?

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Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

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