How to Find the Hook in Your Book

How to Find the Hook in Your Book: A Practical Guide to Pitching and Promoting Your Book with Help from AI

Whether you’re an author, publicist or small publisher trying to get media attention for a book, it all starts with one thing: the hook.

Let’s be honest: not every book is going to get a feature in Good Weekend or land a primetime radio interview. Media outlets aren’t hanging around waiting for your press release to drop. They’re looking for stories—and not just any stories, but ones that hit a nerve, tap into the cultural mood, offer a surprising insight, or speak to a news moment already on the boil.

So how do you make sure your pitch doesn’t fall flat? And how do you find the hook in your book—the one that makes a journalist pause and say, “Hmm, there’s something here”?

Let’s talk about developing a great pitch, making your book matter, and using tools like ChatGPT to help you dig into the angles that media actually want.

Why Your Pitch Might Be Failing (Don’t Take It Personally)
First, the truth: most book pitches to media fail. Not because the book is bad, but because:

• The hook’s not strong enough
• The pitch doesn’t connect to current conversations
• It sounds like an ad, not a story
• It’s too generic, too niche, or just not timely

The good news? All of this is fixable. But only if you stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a journalist.

What Is a Hook Anyway?
The hook is not your book’s topic. It’s the angle that makes it interesting now. It’s what makes your story part of a bigger conversation or controversy.

It’s “Women over 50 quitting corporate life to start again” — not “memoir about leaving my job.”
It’s “how Aussie men are learning to talk about grief” — not “book about losing my dad.”
It’s “what burnout really means for high-functioning execs” — not “leadership and wellbeing tips.”
The hook gets you in the door. Your book can come later.

Types of Hooks That Work (Especially in Australia)
Journalists and producers want ideas that plug into bigger issues, including:

• Timely news links (economic downturns, climate anxiety, cultural moments)
• Social issues (mental health, gender equity, multicultural identity, housing)
• Personal stories that reflect wider challenges
• First-person insight or expertise on something topical
• Contrarian takes (“Why remote work is making us miserable” etc.)
• Visual, quirky or unusual stories for TV or digital
• Seasonal or event tie-ins (Christmas lists, school holidays, awareness weeks)

If your book touches on any of these, there’s your door.

Using ChatGPT to Find Your Angle
Let’s say you’re stuck. You know your book has something valuable to say, but you’re not sure how to shape it into a story that media will care about.

Here are three ChatGPT prompts to help:

Prompt 1:
“Act like an Australian journalist. What are five current media angles or headlines that could be inspired by this book: [insert short book description here]?”
→ This gives you potential hooks based on current media trends.

Prompt 2:
“What are some talking points from this book that link to current issues in Australian society?”
→ Great for tying your book to newsworthy themes.

Prompt 3:
“I’m pitching a non-fiction book to ABC Radio. Give me five segment ideas or interview titles that would make a compelling on-air discussion.”
→ This can help you shape your pitch their way, not yours.
You can also ask ChatGPT to roleplay a hostile producer and see where your pitch falls flat. It’s confronting—but helpful.

Developing Talking Points that Stick
Once you’ve got your hook, it’s time to nail your talking points. These aren’t summaries of your book. They’re short, sharp, quotable insights that show:

• Why this topic
• Why now
• Why you

If you’ve written a memoir, pull out the wider social commentary. If you’ve written about leadership, say what’s changing right now for leaders. If your novel reflects real-world trauma, connect it to something we’re seeing in the news.

And please, don’t just say “this book is for everyone.” It’s not. Be specific.

What Media Actually Want
Producers and editors aren’t doing you a favour. They need good stories that speak to their audience. You’re there to help them do their job. Respect that.

Your job is to:

• Pitch them a story
• Show why their audience will care
• Be ready with clear messaging, interview skills, and supporting content
• Follow up once, then leave it alone (they are under-resourced and drowning in emails)

The Hook is Your Key. Don’t Pitch Without It.
If you haven’t found the hook, don’t send the pitch yet. You’ll burn the contact and waste your shot. Use AI to help you dig deeper. Ask colleagues. Ask a friend who listens to the ABC religiously.

And yes, ask AI. It's a godsend for these sort of tasks. And even as a highly experienced marketer, ChatGPT and I are BFFs when it comes to this sort of stuff. Don't be afraid of it. Utilise it and embrace it.

Struggling to Pitch Fiction, Poetry or Children’s Books?
Still having problems with it? That’s okay.

Not every book lends itself easily to a media hook—particularly fiction, poetry, or children's books. The news angle might be light, the themes subtle, or the author unknown. In those cases, you might need to pivot the pitch: focus on a personal story, a unique setting, a writing journey, or even the book’s visual appeal. Sometimes, the best you can do is make it charming, brief, and well-timed.

For example, a children’s book on kindness might connect to World Kindness Day or school wellbeing programs. A novel set in a fictional coastal town could draw on the author’s regional ties or inspire a travel feature.

And yes, there are times when publicists will pitch without a strong hook—because the author is Elizabeth Gilbert, or Sarah J. Maas has just breathed in a different direction and the fandom’s in meltdown. In those cases, media want the story before you even send the email.

But for the rest of us, it pays to do the work—especially for non-fiction.

The hook still matters. Even when it’s not obvious.

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