Thinking Again About “The Pitch”

Your book may sit on a shelf in a book store or be presented to the world in print or electronic media. You may be face to face with potential readers who require some convincing to buy it. Either way, you have from seconds to a few short minutes to make an impression.
What if your book is about more than just “one thing?”  The book cover can suggest only so much. The back-cover copy, and comments of praise just inside, says more, but this assumes the potential customer spends the time for a thoughtful examination.
Even the infamous and so-called “elevator pitch,” the brief, face to face, three-minute opportunity to convince the skeptical, still relies on that first sentence to convince the listener that you have something to say.
I’ve made it difficult for myself by writing a book that is a complex mix of people and stories. The cover screams basketball and sports betting, and it is about that. But it’s more. It’s a deep dive into the lives of diverse characters who struggle with the consequences—and the meaning—of winning and losing.
Make it even more complicated by featuring complex women as some of the lead characters. Can a man actually write convincingly about women? (I did grow up with three sisters who all still speak to me. And I’ve had three wives, the last of whom appears to be keeping me.)
Finally, the book has no sex or romance, and virtually no violence. How can that work?
I am undeterred. Connect virtually with me tomorrow, December 12th at 3PM. Here’s the link https://www.crowdcast.io/e/billion-dollar-bracket/register