If there is not a publisher on board, the chapter by chapter plan produced during this process can be used as
part of a book proposal to approach publishers.
Slightly different from the Title Page
section of the book proposal, this is where alternative titles and subtitles can be proposed in a list format.
Other
elements of your book proposal might include testimonials for you, articles you have written on the topic, etc. but the above list will serve you well as a solid book proposal.
I've read
hundreds of book proposals as an acquisitions editor for a traditional publisher and helped many authors write them, too.
My advance was paid at 1/3 on signing the contract, 1/3 on
acceptance of the book proposal (3 chapters and synopsis), and 1/3 on acceptance of the completed manuscript.
How would you rate your book descriptions in agent query letters, the first
paragraphs of book proposals, press releases, and on your website?
-- Sally E. Stuart, author, The Christian Writer's Market Guide If every proposal I received followed the
rules of Book Proposals That Sell, my job would be a lot easier!
Friday's Upcoming Events Calendar for Authors Attend my free teleclass, An Author Guide to Proofing Book Proposals, and learn what to do before sending
copies of your book proposal to prospective literary agents and publishers.
If you wish to try for a traditional publisher, I can help with proofreading, editing, and critique of your query / cover letter, synopsis or summary, and other
facets of a book proposal.
He's also the
creator of Book Proposal Academy, an online course that helps nonfiction writers craft winning book proposals.
The WriteABookProposal Membership site will use my current experience in the
area of book proposal creation.
Intermingled throughout the series will be lessons on step - by - step instruction to guide you to create each
aspect of your book proposal with thoroughness and excellence.
She helped me with the manuscript, made me write multiple
drafts of a book proposal and query letters, and in three months I had better book, a great proposal and an agent.
I can't come up with the right idea for you, but I can teach you what publishers are looking for in both an idea and an author, how to find the best possible agents for your project, how to pitch yourself to them, how to create the
kind of book proposal that the major publishers look for, what will happen during the pitch process, what to look out for in the publishing agreement, and how to make sure your book is successfully published once you do land a publisher.
Even if you've already purchased a book on proposal writing, it's always useful to review the basics, especially when they're provided for you, free of charge, by an individual who, on a daily basis, sees both the best and the
worst of book proposals.
Analyzing the New York Times examples will also help you write that all - important first
sentence of your book proposal — the sentence that must instantly engage a publisher's acquisition interest and compel them to read on.
Through the
pages of Book Proposals That $ ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success, Whalin reveals the insider information that will help you avoid the pitfalls of sending a less - than - stellar proposal.
It was
part of a book proposal that I worked on for a year, before turning my attention to the one that was bought by a bona fide publisher.
The reason there's so much misinformation out there, is that most publishing professionals (for some strange reason that I still haven't figured out yet), don't think of the query letter as a miniature (or shorter)
version of the book proposal.
Other editors may review
hundreds of book proposals and have a goal of acquiring more or fewer books, but at least in trade publishing I doubt the math I've laid out here changes much from house to house or editor to editor.
Attend my free teleclass, An Author Guide to Proofing Book Proposals, and learn what to do before sending
copies of your book proposal to prospective literary agents and publishers.
In step 3, I encouraged you to look at other books and think about how your book will be different and in step 4, I asked you to put on your marketing hat and write out some of the
elements of a book proposal, including who will read your book.
Some of my 1 - on - 1 author coaching clients have found it helpful to think of their query letter as an «Executive Summary»
of their book proposal.
These are the core elements that make up the Marketing & Publicity section
of a book proposal, and they're the very things that light up editors with excitement and lead to big book deals.
There are many tips on what should be part
of a book proposal but I believe authors would benefit from learning what should not be included in a proposal.
Chris Webb is an Associate Publisher at John Wiley and — since 1998 — he's seen the best, and the worst,
of book proposals.