Writers, Have Your Elevator Speech Ready

I remember attending my first trade show to represent a company and its products. My supervisor asked me, “Do you have your elevator speech ready?”

“My what?” I replied.

An elevator speech is your content condensed into the amount of time you spend in an elevator. In other words, it’s your small window of opportunity – most likely a minute or less – to interest your prospective customer in your product.

The concept of having an elevator speech for my book didn’t dawn on me until I was preparing for my first book signing.

I asked myself the question, “What will I say when someone asks me what my book is about?”

The answer may not be as obvious as it seems. As an author, you know your book better than anyone else. There’s the pro. The challenge is distancing yourself from everything you know and finding a way to summarize your 200+ page novel into two or three short sentences.  

So what should an author’s elevator speech include? Here's what I suggest.

Genre

What category or categories does your book fall into? Is it fiction or non-fiction? If it’s fiction, is it a mystery, romance, fantasy, or other? If it’s non-fiction, is it a biography, informational book, or devotional? There are dozens of genres, so be specific in identifying which ones apply to your book.

Audience

For whom did you write the book? Identifying your target audience will help anyone you’re conversing with decide if the book is right for them or someone they know.

Hook

What is so interesting about your book that would make people want to read it? This is your chance to share just enough information about your story to arouse curiosity. Don’t try to summarize your entire plot; you’ll lose your audience, and find yourself floundering to finish your sentences.  

Then, take these elements, and combine them in a way that is conversational. Here’s an example for my newly released book:

Secrets Beyond Lake Winona’s Shore is a Christian fiction mystery that young adults and families will enjoy. Abigail "Abby" Grant, my heroine from book one, stumbles upon a mystery in the lakes region of New Hampshire and must uncover forgotten Cold War secrets in time to save a man’s life. The plot explores right and wrong ways to respond to situational dilemmas while underscoring the value of forgiveness.

A related exercise would be to take your elevator speech and condense it into one sentence. For a formula, check our Rachelle Gardner’s blog on Writing a One-Sentence Summary.

The takeaway from all this is to be prepared. Don’t be caught off guard when someone says, “Hey, congrats on the new book. So what’s it about?”

Be ready to answer.

Marketing Gone Bananas

I like to watch for clever new marketing techniques, and this week, I spotted one in the fruit bowl in my kitchen.

One of the bananas had a sticker that read: I Heart Lunch Boxes. I doubt that sticker would influence anyone's buying decision, but what it does create is memorability. It's not something I expected to see, and therefore it grabbed my attention. I think marketers call that generating visibility for your brand.

Think of a commercial that's stuck in your head. Why did you remember it? Usually, it has a catching tune or something that makes you laugh - oftentimes unrelated to what the commercial is trying to sell.

Have you seen the Pampers "Beautiful Mornings" commercial? I would never have thought it possible to make a diaper commercial attractive or cute, and yet, I think Pampers has succeeded with this one - combining adorable babies with the song "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story.

And then there's the holiday season that puts on a dazzling display of marketing techniques - targeting audiences of all ages.

What lessons can self-published authors learn from all this? I think the short answer is to get creative with how you promote your book and maybe focus less on thrusting your book in front of readers and more with raising visibility and awareness for your message.

What are some "outside the box" methods you've used to market your book? Did they work and why?

Kristen Hogrefe Presents a New Christian Fiction Mystery the Whole Family Will Enjoy

The press release for my second book is now available on free-press-release.com.

Summary: This second installment in the Wings of the Dawn Series offers teens and families a fresh, page-turning mystery just in time for the holiday season.

For the full press release, please follow the hyperlink below.

Kristen Hogrefe Presents a New Christian Fiction Mystery the Whole Family Will Enjoy - Christian Fiction,young adult fiction,adventure books

New Release: Wings of the Dawn, Book 2

I'm thrilled to announce the second book in my Wings of the Dawn Series, Secrets Beyond Lake Winona's Shore.

It's immediately available through CreateSpace on my page. Look for it on Amazon in the next few days. I'll share a press release with more information in the near future.

I don't believe in resting on laurels, but I'd like to reflect for just a moment. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says:

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

One of my professors in college used to challenge us as students to "finish well." After all, anyone can start strong, but finishing takes perseverence and hard work.

"...and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

To be patient is to endure in spite of weariness, to press on in spite of setbacks. Yes, I am proud of my book, but not vain (or at least, I hope not). Actually, I can rather relate to Anne Bradstreet in her poem "The Author to Her Book," which begins this way:

"Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain..."

And yet, it is my desire that God take my writing, even if it is but the "ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain," and use it in such a way that would bring glory to Him and enjoyment to those who read it.

 

Stick to Your Goals: Don't Let Go!

A couple weeks ago, I was driving to church Sunday morning when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something on my side mirror.

I glanced to the left to see a tree frog holding on for dear life. His flattened body was suctioned to the glass. Every time he tried to move, his tiny legs would flap in the wind; he quickly learned that if he wanted to survive, he couldn’t let go.

Unfortunately for me (and my irrational fear of tree frogs), he didn’t let go – even after I had parked my car. Instead, he hopped from my side mirror onto my window and refused to budge. Likely, he was too exhausted to hop off my car and decided that my side window was an inviting place to rest. However, in my mind, his position implied that the minute I opened my door, he was coming inside. So, I resorted to crawling out the passenger side to avoid him. I know... You’re probably thinking, "That’s ridiculous." Laugh if you like.

Despite my dislike – and apparent distrust – of tree frogs, this one demonstrated a quality that all of us would do well to imitate: perseverance. How many of us want to “let go” and give up when hurdles and challenges stand between us and our goals?

The temptation to throw in the towel can grow stronger when roadblocks arise, but we have to resist the urge to quit. Do you want to be an author? Don’t give up if no one seems interested in what you have to say. Reevaluate and accept constructive criticism, but don’t toss your dream aside in frustration.

Do you want to self-publish? Don’t let the process overwhelm you. Yes, you will probably encounter set-backs. Right now, I’m working through what I hope to be the last typesetting and formatting issues with the interior of my second book. The waiting and constant need to check and double check edits can be frustrating, but I know the end is in sight. I just have to hold tight, do the next right thing, and keep sight of the finish line.

Whatever your goals are, don’t let go of them. Stick to them, and one day, you will reap the rewards and satisfaction of reaching your destination.

Self-Publishing: A Growing Trend

I follow Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers' Marketplace blog, which recently posted about triple-digit growth in self-publishing since 2007.

Check out the full article here.

Two initial thoughts crossed my mind as I saw the statistics.

Go Self-Publishing!

Cleary, more people are breaking away from traditional publishing options and doing it themselves. (Interestingly, CreateSpace claimed the top spot for self-published print media at 58,412 titles in 2011.)

I found these statistics encouraging. More and more, I am becoming a fan of people brave enough to break away from “the way we’ve always done things” into being more independent and personally responsible for pursuing their dreams. Traditional publishing houses have made themselves virtually inaccessible to upstarting authors, using screening services to find book proposals they find interesting.

Granted, these services, such as Christian Manuscript Submissions and the Writer’s Edge, can be helpful in providing advice and exposure to aspiring authors (and a select few do have their books discovered through these services). Before self-publishing my first book, I submitted a proposal to Writer’s Edge and did not find the exercise a waste of my time.

However, that’s not my point. My point is that statistics like these show people have discovered that they can get published on their own – instead of waiting and hoping that the traditional publishing community will take notice of their work.

More Competition

I believe competition is healthy and necessary in any field. It helps screen out the poor performers and forces thought-leaders to work harder to stand out from the crowd.

Therein also lies the challenge of self-publishing. You may have something brilliant to say, but how do you differentiate yourself when hundreds, if not thousands, of people are shouting to get noticed?

I don’t pretend to have the answer to that question, but I think Chris Guillebeau (The Art of Non-Conformity) is right when he says that you must first clearly identify your cause and your intended audience – and then give them a reason to care and a reward for caring.

How we accomplish that is for each one of us to decide.

Amazon's CreateSpace: A Flexible Self-Publishing Solution

When I self-published Wings of the Dawn Book 1, I worked with Xulon Press, a Christian Self-Publishing Company. If you're considering self-publishing for the first time, I would recommend including Xulon in your list of publishing options. Xulon provides clearly defined services (based on your budget and expectations) and structures the process for you from beginning to end.

As I finalized my second book, I considered publishing with Xulon again but decided to try something different. With the experience of my first book in my back pocket, I wanted to see if I could self-publish at a reduced cost and with greater flexibility.

By flexibility, I mean more control – and ultimately, more responsibility – for my interior and cover design. With Xulon, I purchased their plan, shared some design ideas, and their graphic artists created my cover for me. Granted, I've received some great feedback on my first cover but knew that my second was going to require a great deal more customization.

A friend of mine is a graphic artist, and the two of us worked together to make my cover vision a reality. Yes, there is a story behind my second book’s cover, which I’ll share with you another time.

I heard about Amazon’s CreateSpace publishing services through a Facebook friend and started researching it in detail after she shared her positive experience.  CreateSpace offers a variety of self-publishing options (which at first can seem overwhelming but ultimately lets you pick and choose exactly what you want).

For example, CreateSpace offers the following options for self-publishing books. (Note that they also have resources for musicians and other artists as well.)

·         Publishing Solutions (packaged plans)

·         Editing (if you need professional proofreading services)

·         Layout & Design (for interior and cover services)

·         Marketing

The Layout & Design option essentially lets you create your own custom plan, which is what I wanted. For my interior, I selected the Author’s Advantage Book Interior, which involved uploading my manuscript and selecting basic formatting preferences. Then, with the help of my graphic artist, I submitted my cover PDF.

Last weekend, I uploaded some edits and as of today, am waiting to receive my second hard copy proof in the mail. Once approved, Wings of the Dawn Book 2, Secrets Beyond Lake Winona’s Shore will become available on Amazon.com (likely later this month or next).

What about you? Have you self-published in the past, and if so, what programs have you used? Or, if you’re looking to self-publish for the first time, what is most important to you as you look for the right program?