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Book Proposals
Tips on Writing Book ProposalsObviously, write the best proposal you can. Then let your critique group read it and give suggestions on how to make it better. Take your sample chapters and give them to several people to read. Ask whether it holds their attention and grabs them. Writing book proposals can be learned through any of the
many books written on this challenging subject. Do not buy one
book and think you know everything there is to know about
writing these important parts of the publishing process. Read
at least two, and be sure they have samples for the type of
writing you do, i.e., nonfiction, fiction, etc. Susan Osborn,
the Director of the Christian Communicator Manuscript
Critique Service, has a good article that covers to basics
of writing a book proposal: Fine-tune your proposal by doing your homework and studying other proposals. Then share your proposal with a writing friend for feedback. Before sending any book proposal, check the publisher's guidelines to be sure you are sending exactly what they want. “A great proposal makes you feel like a book is crying out to be written.” - Michaela Hamilton, editor-in-chief of Citadel Press, Writer's Digest, October 2006 Tips on Making Your Proposal Great“One of the most common errors is a lack of understanding the market and the audience for their writing. It's not simply a matter of producing a good story. It's a matter of producing excellent material for a particular publication and a particular audience.” - W. Terry Whalin, author of Book Proposal That Sell. Parts of a Book Proposal“A good rule of thumb is to never submit to a house if you haven't read at least one of their books.” - Patrick Walsh, Editor, Macadam/Cage Publishing, Writer's Digest, June 2005 Don't submit a proposal on a genre the house doesn't publish. Submit only a well-crafted manuscript-not your first draft. Everyone knows they have to sell their book to a publisher. You also have to sell yourself-your energy and enthusiasm about your book and how you will get behind it to make it a success. The best way to do this is to be as proactive as possible and let them know through your proposal how you will make this happen. The SynopsisConsider your synopsis a sales pitch to convince an editor or agent that your manuscript is worth reading. “A one-page synopsis is often the best. It's a chance to show how tight your writing is; it's won't put them to sleep; and the shorter the synopsis, the easier it is to prevent mistakes. The better you get at mastering this challenging format, the more success you're likely you have selling your novel.” - Blythe Camenson and Marshal J. Cook, Writer's Digest, October 2005 The CompetitionIt is important to know your book's competition. Your book must compete with others already on the market and must therefore have a competitive advantage. Resist the feeling that your book is unique and without competition. Bookstore buyers use their sales database plus judgment when estimating the sales potential of your titles. To be effective, everything from your book proposal to every piece of marketing and promotional material must show how your book is better than other titles in the same category. Remember, your book's content has to connect with the reader in terms of benefits. Benefits tap emotions. They answer the question, "What's in it for me?" Benefits add to the perceived value of your book. The higher the perceived value, the greater chance you have for making a sale to an agent, a publisher, and eventually, to a reader. EndorsementsTry for an endorsement from a top professional in your book's field, one from a satisfied reader, one from a celebrity who cares for your subject, and one from a famous media person. When asking for endorsements, send two or three possible quotes, tell them you know how busy they are, and suggest, "Here's a starting point but feel free to edit it to reflect your own style and what you really want to say." Sample Chapters“When I ask for just sample chapters… It's because the success of the story for me will lie in the writing, and I can usually judge whether or not the writing works for me by just a few chapters.” - agent Kathleen Anderson Making a Marketing PlanThis Web site has dedicated a whole page to developing a marketing plan for a book proposal. Often, it is a high-quality, well thought out marketing plan that will set your proposal apart from a similar proposal. Click here to go to the Marketing Plan page. Your BioYour bio needs to catch the eye of an editor or agent and convince her that you are just as marketable as your book is. It needs to highlight features and experiences that will hook readers' interest. Consider listing a few of the larger writers conferences you have attended. Consider these questions:
Start your bio with your name. Write in the third person. Do not use “I” statements. Be factual. Avoid superlatives. Start your bio with the most important information, most recent accomplishments, or most impressive credentials. Then work backwards to the less important material. If you are writing a longer bio for in back of a book or a book proposal, let the first paragraph state you most important accomplishment and/or credentials. The second paragraph can highlight your training, affiliations, and other back ground important to the book's subject. The third paragraph can give a glimpse into your personal side. Proposal How-To'sLeslie Wilson has A Crash Course in Writing a Non-Fiction
Book Proposal Sample Book ProposalsOxygen, a novel
proposal Formatting Your Book ProposalYour book proposal can be single spaced, printed on one side of the paper, and not stapled. Your sample chapters should be double-spaced. Number all pages in sequence-from the proposal through the sample chapters (except the title page). Use white paper and avoid fancy fonts. Start each chapter on its own page, one-third of the way down the page. Do not justify or align the right margin. Don't put copyright information on the manuscript. Use a slug line in the top left corner of each page. For the proposal the slug line should be: Proposal: [your book's title]. For a manuscript, the slug line should be: [Your last name]: [your book's title]. Les Stobbe, a literary agent, insists on a proposal in his format before deciding if he will represent an author. He suggests assembling the proposal elements and three sample chapters into one document that can be attached to an e-mail which makes it easier to read. Here's what he wants a proposal to contains:
Book Proposal Resources on the Web
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Recommended Books
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Pikes Peak Writers Conference April 29 - May 1, 2011 Faculty for suspense, mystery, horror, thriller, romance, western, inspirational,, Christian, childrens, YA, literary fiction, and more |