If you want readers to buy your book, you must convince them your book is better than all the other books in your genre that they could buy. You even need to persuade them that your book will be more entertaining than their favorite streaming show. And if you want them to recommend your book, they need to want to read it right away.  A strong pitch will make readers want to buy and read your book ASAP. And if your pitch is clear and easy to repeat, readers will use your wording to recommend your book to their friends.  But many authors are afraid to talk about their books. They don’t know what to say or worry about sounding like a used car salesman. More often, authors ramble about their books, using long paragraphs to describe them rather than short, compelling sentences.  How do you pitch your book? How do you talk about it in a way that makes people want to buy it?  Charles Harris has worked with hundreds of authors and screenwriters to help them perfect their pitches. He is a director of the UK Society of Authors and has used his pitching method to become a best-selling author and an international award-winning writer-director. Why is crafting a pitch so hard for authors? Thomas: Many authors find that crafting a pitch is some of the hardest writing they do. Why is writing a paragraph harder than writing an entire book? Charles: Distilling 70,000 words into a sentence or two is hard. It’s tough, but it’s important. Pitching: The Great Accelerator A good pitch accelerates all parts of your career. It accelerates your ability to sell to readers, publishers, agents, and movie or TV companies. But creating a good pitch also helps you develop the idea in the first place. The better your pitch is at the beginning of your writing process, the better you’ll be able to develop the fundamental idea you are writing about. A strong pitch will also accelerate your ability to work with cover designers, marketing professionals, or PR people. No matter who you talk to, you’ll always be using a pitch. When should you write a pitch for your book? Thomas: You’re talking about creating the pitch for the book before writing the book. That requires a mindset shift. Many authors write their books and then try to create a pitch. But writing the pitch first allows you to get feedback on whether the book is worth writing in the first place. It may also help you tweak your idea and make the book better. I occasionally offer an online pitch practice in conjunction with a writers conference. Before the conference, writers will practice their pitches on me, and I’ll provide feedback. In almost every instance, at least a few authors realize they need to rewrite their books. Sometimes their protagonist isn’t active enough. Other times, the antagonist doesn’t have a clear motivation. Some books have a major structural problem. When authors perfect the pitch before they write the book, they find it easier to write a book that delivers on the promise of the pitch. Charles: I run workshops in pitching for writers, authors, and screenwriters, and I always begin by saying, “Probably 90% of you will leave this workshop with a well-developed pitch and will rewrite your manuscript or screenplay.” In fact, that’s a lie because 100% of the participants will. I’ve never found anyone who doesn’t. I do it myself for my own books.