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The Elevator Pitch: Sell Your Book in 60 Seconds or Less
Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content , with 750K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.
An online devotional for writers
A Word From The Word
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. (Joshua 1:1, NLT)
A Word For Writers
Why do you need an elevator pitch for your book?
Because you’re selling a solution … not a book.
Use your elevator pitch when people ask, “What’s your book about?” You need to answer that question in less than a minute – in the amount of time it takes you to take a ride in an elevator with an agent or and editor, in case you’re looking for a publisher. And you can use the same pitch with potential readers.
Since the average person speaks about 100-150 words a minute, you need to keep your elevator pitch to that length. You need to include:
- A hook
- The problem your book addresses
- A solution to the problem
- Your target reader
Joshua 1:1-5 is a good example of an elevator pitch. And it clocks in at 142 words!
- Hook: “the Lord spoke to Joshua.” When you consider a story that can capture attention, a heavenly conversation clearly qualifies. (Joshua 1:1)
- Problem: Moses has died. Joshua is designated to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. (Joshua 1:2)
- Solution: God promises Joshua success (Joshua 1:3-5)
- Target reader: the people of Israel (Joshua 1:2)
Joshua wrote the history of the conquest of Canaan. But he had a perfect elevator pitch in the first five verses of his book.
A Wise Word
Your book’s elevator pitch should take a minute or less to deliver.
A Word To Pray
Gracious Father,
Thank you for giving me an idea for a book. Show me how to distill my book’s message into a short elevator pitch that I can deliver in a minute.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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