What’s your HOOK?

Writers, you’re marketing yourself. You’re the brand.

You’ve heard that before. So here’s the real question: how do you do it?

You look for a hook, something in your own story that will draw others in. It’s time to sit down and brainstorm a list of potential hooks. Use these to intrigue  others and draw them to you and your books.

Ask yourself some questions: What has been the greatest struggle in your life? What do you struggle with now? What have been the obstacles in your life? How did you respond?  How did the Lord push you into becoming a believer? Where is the great story in your life that you can tell to others, the story with plenty of conflict, struggle, and victory at the end?

Is there a way to summarize who you are right now in a few phrases? Look for contrasts, and the biggest obstacles you’ve faced. For me: Mother of four, mother of triplets, mother of two with Asperger’s, homeschooling veteran. Writer and engineer. Living in St. Louis, Missouri, since 1980.

What are you an expert at that others would find appealing?

Use these ideas to draft a paragraph (or many separate paragraphs) about yourself to make into letters or press releases to send to media or to others who might interview you or invite you to speak. Be succinct and intriguing. Tell it as a story, setting up the characters and action, showing the conflict, and hinting at the way it ends. A story can be told in three sentences, believe it or not. You might want to take a few more.

Why a story? Because people are wired for stories, and they can’t get enough of them. The news folks know that.