Written by: Jennifer Sharp, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Does your book have THE hook? THE hook that shouts out “pick me?”
With over a million books hitting the shelves and in the online space each year, it has become blatantly clear, now more than ever, that you need to have that “more than great” hook if you want your book to stand out from the crowd.
The hook, like the cover, must have that “AHA” factor if you want it picked up and read. All the PR and marketing in the world won’t turn it into a book to be talked about, especially in business and leadership.
So, what’s in a hook?
Firstly, a hook isn’t what your book is about. If your book is about being a great leader, that is the subject matter. There are loads of books that address leadership, and there is always room for more, but it's not the topic or content that makes it stand out on the shelf. Saying your book is about leadership is not going to make potential readers choose your book over others.
Keeping with the leadership theme, let's take your book about this subject and give it a hook. We all know the words Why and How. Two little words that do grab a reader’s attention. Why and How to indicate that you as the reader are going to be shown something – How to do it, Why you’re doing it and so forth – Why great leaders… How great leaders… Using Why and How is the reader’s call to action to pick your book up while the others sit on the shelf. I’d be more inclined to pick up a book that I feel I’m going to learn something from rather than a book that starts with “What.” What is a telling word and not a very encouraging one.
How Do You Find a Hook?
Begin by researching books written with the same topic as yours. You will need to consider:
how other writers approach the same topic and be aware of all those that are alike.
From this make a list of all the “alikeness” and turn it around. Determine why potential readers should read your book and not the one beside it.
This will then allow you to pinpoint exactly how you’re going to write a book that is truly magical to you and your reader in a unique way.
At the heart of the matter, the hook revolves around finding that one thing that you can offer — whether it’s a process, a manifesto, or a new perspective, that no one else appears to have.
If you had to explain the “hook” of your book in a single sentence, what would it be?
We all know what that elevator pitch is, right? Your book needs one too. Can you explain what your book is about in one sentence? Two at the most? Then you haven’t got your hook right. Begin by looking at Why and How again. Keep refining and refining your “book hook.” It’s your pitch.
It’s far from easy – finding that attention-grabbing hook, that tagline that says it all, is really hard – but it’s worth it. Put in the work to find it and watch the magic happen. Magic happens because it will position you to stand out as a leader, in the marketplace, in the online space. You will get the reader’s attention. You will be seen as an authority in your field of work, authentic with credibility. So, take the time. Do the research. Put in the effort. And find that hook for your book.
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Jennifer Sharp, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jennifer Sharp is a leader in the publishing industry, having founded an award-winning publishing press. She has assisted many with telling their success stories globally, whether it be in business or life. She has created coaching and mentoring programs that develop the writer's confidence in themselves and strategies that help them stay confident within themselves in all areas of their lives authentically. She is the founder of Daisy Lane Publishing and Mindset Magic – Confidence Coaching. Jennifer is on a mission to support as many as she can with living their life fully with positive intentions and to assist them with publishing their story along the way. Jennifer is also passionate about children's picture books and poetry, bringing to life stories that deal with trauma, displacement, homelessness, separation, domestic violence, and language learning.
