Authors
– and some book publicists – often have trouble distilling a 260-page book into
a press release, an email pitch, a phone pitch, or an elevator pitch. It can be challenging to take a book that
might be based on your career, personal story or an important issue, and turn it
into a marketable property with the use of just a few hundred words. But the process is similar to crafting your
social media profile or your resume.
Somehow, some way, you must boil down years of writing and events into a
packaged presentation that successfully moves someone to take an action step.
So
what’s the process for this?
First,
think of your objectives. A press
release should appeal to the news media and convince them to take a look at
your book or website or to speak to you. The length of a press release can be
between 400-750 words. It should include a headline, sub-header, a quote or two
from the author and five-six bullet points that highlight the most interesting
and alluring messages that invite the media to want to explore.
An
email pitch is much shorter than a press release, and it should be customized
to the recipient. Take into
consideration if you have a timely newsy topic.
Think of the outlet’s medium – you pitch TV differently than a blogger.
Your
phone pitch is verbalized. Think 100-150
words and about 15-20 seconds is what you have to make an impression before the
person you talk to starts to draw conclusions on his – or her interest in the
story being offered.
The elevator
pitch is similar in length to the media phone pitch but the audience is
different. Your elevator speech is for
the non-media-bookstores, libraries, consumers, and anyone else you hope to
market to.
The
elements of these four things share commonality – you need to summarize what’s
in the book, the authors key credentials, and it all needs to get tied into
something that’s relevant to the individual you are communicating with.
Start
the process of crafting those four items by compiling a list of ideas and facts
– first about the book, then about yourself. Eliminate the least important
stuff. Try to combine things.
For instance, if you wrote a health book and your credentials include 12 years at a hospital, 16 years in private practice, five years in policy or administration etc, just total it up and say the book’s based on your professional experiences of 30 + years as a practicing internist hospital administrator and policy consultant.
If your book tackles 12-15 issues, narrow it to four or five ones that have the biggest appeal. Don’t get caught up in details and specifics. First lead people to want to hear more, then back it up with stories, examples, stats, facts, and the like.
For instance, if you wrote a health book and your credentials include 12 years at a hospital, 16 years in private practice, five years in policy or administration etc, just total it up and say the book’s based on your professional experiences of 30 + years as a practicing internist hospital administrator and policy consultant.
If your book tackles 12-15 issues, narrow it to four or five ones that have the biggest appeal. Don’t get caught up in details and specifics. First lead people to want to hear more, then back it up with stories, examples, stats, facts, and the like.
You
can do it. Your 60,000–word masterpiece
can be summed up in 600 fewer words.
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