Publishing is about marketing. It is about making sure that someone wants your book bad enough to invest in it, and, we aren't just talking about editors and agents. This also includes the book readers out there.
I think, however, that far too many authors seem to believe their story will sell itself. I don't know how many times I have received a submission or even a reply after I have passed on a project, when an author says something such as "If you would just read my book, you would love it." Unfortunately, that is not how the real world works.
If we want people to "invest" in our book, then we have to do something to draw that person in. The premise of the story needs to be something that stands out. That blurb and that pitch you make needs to be memorable and not sound like everything else out there. You have to give us enough but not too much!
Consider this. When you watch a preview for a movie, what draws you in? There is something in the action, the voice, the scene. The narration might give you a sense of "Wow, this is something that is a must see." But there has to be something there! Would you go to a movie without having any idea what the movie is about? Would you spend that ticket price, buy the popcorn, Whoppers and large coke for an unknown movie? Probably not!
The same is for editors, agents and certainly the book buyers out there.
When I go through Amazon or Barnes and Nobel to find books to add to my "To Read" stack, I pass over anything that I have no idea what it is about. If the description is vague, if the premise is not something to draw me in, I will not buy your book!
And, as an agent, I do the same thing. There are a lot of submissions that I pass on simply because there is nothing to draw me in.
Remember, this is about marketing. It is about convincing someone to invest in you.
Are you doing that?
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