How to answer the dreaded "What's your book about?" question

Talking about your work is an opportunity to serve people!

Image by Christian Bodhi from Pixabay (This is how I feel when people ask me The Question.)

I do not like talking about my writing.

The other day I was talking to some strangers who visited our church. I had a 30-minute conversation with them without the topic of my writing ever coming up.

Just as it was almost time to leave, one of the elders came and said, “Has Amy told you that she is a renowned author?”

Of course, “renowned” was a slight exaggeration. I wanted to run away and hide!

But I couldn't.

So I told them about my books.

That same day, they ordered copies of both books from my website. They're currently doing a long trip around Australia and were very excited to have something to read as they travel.

This experience was yet another confirmation of the truth that I’ve come to realise over the years: if I want to serve people with my written words, I have to be willing to speak to them about what I do.

Developing confidence in talking about your writing is a vital part of serving people effectively with your work.

We writers get asked a lot of tricky questions, but perhaps the most common one (and the one that’s the hardest to answer) is the dreaded: “What’s your book about?”

This question is one of my least favourite questions to answer. As I’ve interacted with other writers, I’ve discovered that I’m not alone in this!

As it’s been nearly two years since my first book came out, I have had some practice with this. I’ve developed an approach that not only answers the question, but doesn’t make me feel like I’m trying to “sell myself” in a sleazy way.

A common piece of advice for authors struggling to talk about their work is to memorise their books’ blurbs so well that they’re able to recite them in a way that feels like natural conversation.

There’s a problem with this.

When people ask “What’s it about?” they’re actually asking (usually subconsciously) “What’s in it for me? Is this the type of book I will enjoy?”

Especially in the context of an in-person conversation, people don’t really have the time or the brain space for a summary of your book’s content. Nor do they have the book cover in front of them to tell them what genre your book is.

Usually, they’re not really even that interested in your work. They may just have asked the question for the sake of keeping the conversation going.

Your job is to help them see the value of your work by communicating clearly how it will benefit them.

If you asked me about my books, I could say, “It’s a series about a brother and sister whose father is suddenly murdered. An uncle they didn’t know they had turns up and persuades the brother to betray his countrymen and join the Vikings. His sister is left all alone and tries to rescue her brother. Things get complicated, especially when King Alfred disappears.”

Did I lose you? I’m not surprised. I tried this type of explanation on a few people and I lost their interest too.

Rather than something like the above, I have a simpler answer that I tailor to whoever I’m speaking to.

(By the way, this works whether your book is in progress or published.)

The basic structure of my answer is:

• State the genre.

• Give the listener a rough idea of what the book contains. This should give them a feel for what age the book is appropriate for and give them an idea of the type of content. (Is it a quiet romance, an intense swash-buckling adventure or a dark mystery?)

• Give the listener a reason to care about the story.

If you can, tailor your answer to your listener.

For example, if I’m speaking to homeschooling parents, I will say something like: “It’s a historical fiction adventure series set during reign of Alfred the Great. Through the journey of a brother and sister, I introduce young people to the life and world of Alfred the Great and show how his work laid the foundation for the West as we know it.”

Or if I’m talking to Christians, I’ll say, “It’s a historical fiction series set during the reign of Alfred the Great who was a Christian king who relied heavily on the Bible. Because of his biblical worldview, he made innovations in culture, education and politics that changed the course of history. I’ve written a fun adventure to help young people discover the wonder of the period.”

If I’m talking to someone whose background I’m not sure of, I’ll say something like, “It’s a historical fiction series set during the time of the Vikings. It follows the journey of a brother and sister as they navigate the turmoil of their era and try to serve the king who established a legal and military system that our country still uses today.”

None of these above descriptions are perfect, but they do communicate the heart of my work clearly. Potential readers will immediately be able to identify whether it’s their type of book or not.

Now, a quick disclaimer here: I’m still learning! Also, I’ve only had experience in explaining about one genre - historical fiction. So if you use my recommended pattern, don’t be afraid to adjust it!

The most important think to remember is that when crafting an answer to the “What’s it about” question, your audience should always be your #1 consideration.

The better you know your readers, the easier it’ll be to answer their questions!

Some final takeaways:

• Embrace the fact that talking about your work is a way to serve people.

• Practice talking about it whenever you get a chance and analyse your listener’s responses to different explanations.

• Tailor your answer to your audience. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s not even about your book. It’s about serving them.

• Finally, don’t be discouraged if people don’t seem interested. The purpose of telling people about your work isn’t to persuade them to buy it. It’s to show them whether or not your work is the type of thing that they will enjoy. If it isn’t, that’s okay! You will find people who are a better fit for your work.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about approaching the “What’s it about?” question!

Does that question intimidate you? Have you developed an approach to answering it?

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I’m speaking at a FREE writing summit in June! I’ll be talking about the secret ingredient of stories that stay with readers forever. Find out more here!

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