Yesterday at Thrillerfest, the conference of the International Thriller Writers organization that’s in New York through tomorrow, aspiring authors gathered for a pre-pitch warm up session with fellow authors before meeting with agents and editors to pitch and get feedback on their work.

The idea of trying out your pitch is great for any novelist — whether self-publishing or considering the traditional route — because being able to quickly and confidently describe why a potential reader should pick up your novel takes practice. Trying to condense your characters, plot twists, thrilling dialogue and so much more into a couple sentences? No easy feat.

To make that pitch practice a little easier, here are three essentials for developing a compelling description:

1. Set the stage by choosing a genre:  While many books cross genres, your listener needs a starting point. A pitch can always start with one genre and add on, or use existing subgenres such as Romantic Suspense that the listener can easily identify with.

2. Introduce your main character: In a work of fiction, who will the reader be following and why? A former FBI agent down on her luck? A single mother juggling her new life? A man who has it all…or does he? What’s unique or different about this character?

3. Share the plot basics–but don’t overshare: Something happens that makes the protagonist face a change in his/her life or a challenge. In fact, lots of events probably happen to your character, but don’t tell your listener all of them! Share just enough to get them interested.

Layer in more detail:

• Setting (New York, London, The Pacific Northwest)
• Pacing (Fast-paced thriller)
• Utilize sub-genres (A sweet romance, or cozy mystery)
• Any personal connection to an aspect of the book can make a pitch more memorable