Can You Pitch a Book in One Sentence?

It's an author's most dreaded question, "what's your book about?" A million thoughts race through your head as you try to capture the heart of your novel in just a few simple sentences. What if you could avoid this panicked moment by instead writing a killer synopsis of your novel in just one sentence? You might think it too good to be true, but the purpose of loglines is exactly that— to pitch your novel in short form. 

Condensing your story idea into one-line is daunting even for the most experienced of writers. However, it's important that you are able to do so. Writing a novel can often take writers down the whims of their imagination. The threat of writing a one sentence description can often help keep you on track with where your story is headed by focusing on the global story.

Writing pitches is a skill. No one starts out good at writing a logline. Consider this your permission to practice using some of your favorite novels. I've included some of mine at the end of this blog post for reference. 

DESCRIBE YOUR BOOK IN A SINGLE SENTENCE

A good pitch centers around knowing your story at its very core. Though it might make you nervous to distill your story down to one sentence, agents and editors are familiar with this style of pitching a project. To prepare for this endeavor, you'll want to gather some keep pieces of information. Here are some items to collect:

• Who is your story about?

• What is the central conflict?

• What will happen if your protagonist does not achieve their goal?

Once you have these, take a stab at writing a summary that is just one paragraph long. This in itself can seem daunting, but it's a good idea to ease yourself into the daunting task of breaking your book down to just one sentence. 

After you resolve to take your whole manuscript down to just one paragraph, take a look at your final product. Is your core story present in your product? Are your overarching sources of conflict mentioned? If not, head back to the drawing board until these big plot elements are present. Through multiple iterations, you will develop a big-picture synopsis of your novel. 

Now, it's time to break it down even further. 

THE ART OF THE ONE SENTENCE LOGLINE

The one sentence pitch is an age old art form. The goal is to take your writing and sum it up into your protagonist, overarching plot and what's at stake. A pitch needs to capture the central question of the story to give those that pick up your book a sense of what it's about.

One might argue that if you are struggling to summarize your book in just one sentence, then there might be something within your story that is throwing off your ability to do so. Every word counts in a one sentence pitch. One cannot elaborate further on the nuance of plot points. Therefore, the bones of your story must stand on their own. Consider taking the time to write several versions of your pitch. 

Your pitch should include details about your protagonist, your central conflict, and the stakes should your protagonist fail. These details are the key to making your reader fall in love with your story, hence why they are so important to include in your pitch. Your story's core idea can help you craft a great logline, but you need to figure out what that core is first. It's not easy to summarize a novel in just one sentence, but doing so could make or break your ability to convince people to pick up your book. 

In the world of short attention spans, catching someone's interest seems like a moving target. It's the heart of your story that will captivate your audience. Without it, your book's chances of landing in the hands of readers who will love it diminishes. 

PITCH YOUR NOVEL IN A QUERY LETTER

Right next to the elevator pitch, the query letter holds second place in making writers dread summarizing their novels. Rather than condense your plot to a single sentence, here you have a couple of paragraphs to summarize your entire book. However, these summaries shouldn't be more than 300 words. The goal is to convince agents and editors to read your book by describing the high concept plot points. Sounds line a one-sentence pitch, right? 

While this is. not a guide to writing a query letter, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the logline's potential in assisting you in querying agents. Query letters are just one way a manuscript makes it in front of an agent. There are also pitch contests on social media, pitching agents at a conference, and the slightly less than 0% chance you are stuck in an elevator with your dream agent (hey! it could happen...). 

This is just another example of how boiling your story down to a sentence can benefit your author journey. You will also need things like comparable titles and short bio to help agents get an idea of who you are as a writer.  However, these are not nearly as important as being clear on the truth buried within your manuscript. It is this core of your story that will convince agents that your book can hook readers. 

DO I NEED AN ELEVATOR PITCH IF I DON’T WANT A LITERARY AGENT?

If you've made it this far in my blog post, you won't be surprised by this answer. Yes, you do need to perfect the one-sentence pitch even if you are not querying. Why? Well, agents aren't the only person that you need to convince to read your book. The logline is a tool for hooking readers as well. Whether your set up at a convention, chatting with someone in line getting groceries when they ask what you do for work, or sitting down with prospective readers, pitching your work is a key skill. 

In addition, if you can't summarize your book in one-sentence, it might mean there is something wrong in your manuscript. Either there isn't a consistent plot problem that spans the narrative from beginning to end or it's not clear what the theme of your novel is. Perhaps there are no stakes or your protagonist isn't well-defined enough to act as the vehicle for your reader to transit the story. Whatever the case may be, the absence of an ability to elevator pitch is definitely grounds for running diagnostics on your story. If you find yourself stuck, consider reaching out to a trusted friend, beta reader, or editor to assist you. 

Next, let’s take a look at some examples of good loglines.

Spoilers Ahead for the following novels: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

EXAMPLES:

Here are some examples of a good pitch that includes the protagonist, opening conflict and stakes of the story. 

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

A skittish young thief discovers her magical abilities, joins a revolutionary group planning a heist on an oppressive tyrant, and attempts to kill a so-called god. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In a deadly annual trial, a resourceful girl who volunteers for her sister learns reliance on others and becomes a symbol for a revolution. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A human woman, prejudiced against the Fae, is forcibly brought to their land; however, her time there challenges her beliefs, leading her to sacrifice herself for them.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab 

To escape a forced marriage, a young French woman makes a pact with a dark entity, gaining immortality but losing everyone's memory of her, until she encounters a man who remembers her. 

Note how each of these gives just enough information to catch your interest? These one-sentence pitches don’t dive into the nuance and details of each of these novels. Instead, they stay on the surface and talk about the global story.

Your pitch for your your novel is as unique as your story. The combination of character, plot and stakes creates a complex narrative as your manuscript progresses. However, your ability to pick out the big picture story, or the “so what?” of your novel, is the key to distilling your book down to just one line. If you’re struggling to do this, there might be something structurally wrong with your story.

The one-sentence pitch can seem daunting to new and experienced writers alike. It forces a writer to get crystal clear on the true heart of their story in order to hook readers, agents, and publishers. While it might feel impossible, mastering the logline is a key step to taking your book from first draft to finished novel.

That’s all for now! For more writing tips and tricks, feel free to reach out to me or learn more on my Instagram below: