Elevator Pitch or High Concept?
You may have heard about the need for an “elevator pitch” for your book. It’s a brief (usually one or two sentences) summary of your book–the main essence of it–short enough that it could be given during a chance 30-second elevator ride with the agent of your dreams. (Also useful when people find out you’re a novelist and ask what your story’s about.)
This is also sometimes described as the “high concept”, a term that originated in Hollywood to describe a movie idea, though an elevator pitch and a high concept have different nuances.
The elevator pitch is a short plot synopsis that intrigues the listener enough to want to know more. Character-driven stories do well as an elevator pitch.
The high concept is more of a big commercial plot (hence the reason that Hollywood uses it) that gives the listener an instant grasp of the “hook” in the idea. The stakes are usually higher (end of the world, city will blow up, plague will kill everyone) with more of an emphasis on plot events and action.
High concepts for movies usually use other movies as a reference because they’re so easily grasped, like “Pretty Woman (love story between businessman and hooker) meets Die Hard (cop must defeat terrorists who’ve taken over an office building at Christmas)”.
Example of an elevator pitch – A no-nonsense businessman hires a hooker to be his date for a week and then falls in love with her, but has to give up his heartless business practices to win her. (Pretty Woman)
Example of a high concept – Pretty Woman meets Die Hard on a cruise ship. (I think I’d like to read that book.)
Which Do You Use?
Which do you use for your novel? Start with the elevator pitch. Craft a good 30-second summary of your story. As you work on that, consider the stakes involved for the characters. Is an an end-of-the-world type of story? Or is there something amiss that will affect more than just the protagonist? You might have a high-concept story, if there is.
Identify the unique elements that take your story from beyond ordinary to amazing and see if you can craft a high concept from them. For help in creating an elevator pitch or a high concept, check out these links.
How to Create an Elevator Pitch
Going Up! Honing the Elevator Pitch
The Importance of an Elevator Pitch
How to Create a High Concept
High-Concept Novels: Turn the Ordinary Into Extraordinary
Recipe for Success? High Concept
And for fun, check out these ultra-condensed plot summaries of some classic novels, Book-a-Minute Classics.
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2 comments
Conda V. Douglas (9 comments.) on December 26, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Useful post, especially for me, especially right now as I am doing the last “tweak” before my finished w.i.p. gets shopped.
Cheryl Corbin (4 comments.) on December 30, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Congratulations on getting your WIP finished! I'm glad the post was helpful.