Once you’re done with the process of writing and editing your book, it’s time for you to share it with the world. One of the most common requests you will get as you go into either a query process or down the path of independent publishing is, “What’s your book about?” 

Having a strong, compelling hook can make the difference in getting a second look or being passed over, and it can be one of the trickiest things to write. It’s hard to distill months (years!) of hard work into a bite-sized set of sentences. However, truly nailing your hook can set you and your work apart in a way that gets it out in front of many more eyeballs. 

A great hook is the same as a great elevator pitch. You need to be able to succinctly pitch your book in the time it takes you to go up in an elevator, ideally 30-60 seconds at most. That means you really need to stick to a high concept, easy to understand summary. You want the person on the other end of your hook to be excited and intrigued about your concept enough to want to read more. 

Focus on what makes your book most unique. The market for available books is wide, and there are more books than any reader could ever hope to read in one lifetime. Understanding the reader who would best resonate with your work and tailoring your hook to them is a great way to ensure you’re targeting the right audience. 

Many editors, myself included, offer help with crafting strong hooks. Oftentimes, the person closest to your manuscript besides yourself if your editor. It can be hard when you’re so emotionally close to the material to be objective enough to trim it down to it’s most high concept overview. An editor who knows the work back and front can help with ensuring that your hook is magnetic and will draw readers, agents, and publishers to want to read it.

I’ve shared some examples of hooks of popular books from the New York Times Bestseller list in this post. As you can see, these are incredibly brief and focus on just one or two key elements of these books to sell them at the highest level.

Based on just the hooks (ignore cover/author), which of these NYT Bestsellers would you be most likely to pick up?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one! Feel free to comment or shoot me an email to discuss!

Until next time!

XOXO,

Sam Speed Edits