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How to Write a Strong, Compelling Book Hook

Timeliness matters. Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Tax Day, Arbor Day, they’re all valid pegs. If your subject spikes in search, conversation, or even just vibes during a particular month, say so. Evergreen stories are great, but evergreen-with-a-calendar-hook helps get pieces greenlit.

These days, it’s hard to get a book deal for a literary memoir if you’re not famous and don’t have a big platform. You have a better chance of getting a book deal if you pursue what the publishing industry is increasingly referring to as “memoir plus” — memoir plus reportage, for instance, or memoir plus a social history of a topic, or memoir plus ... See more