Taming The Book Proposal
We would like to take this moment to thank Jill Nagle for contributing this article: Taming The Book Proposal. Anyone that contributes is a welcome addition to WritingAndYou101.com!Oh, that most maddening of documents! For so many of us eager to move forward with our nonfiction projects, it looms large like a guard at the queen's castle, blocking the path to publication. Its perfection eludes us yet it stands there teasing, "Complete me, or your manuscript will never see the light of day, mwahahahaha!"In truth, that's a lie. Every author has the option of self-publishing. However, there are advantages to writing a book proposal instead of a whole book. One advantage is that it usually takes less time than writing a whole book.
Two, it creates the possibility of getting paid to write your book, perhaps just a few thousand dollars, perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands. Three, it forces you to get clear about what you're doing with your book, on a number of levels. Even if you want to self-publish, a book proposal serves as a sort of business plan for your book. The time and energy spent on research, evaluation and comparison of your ideas at the outset pays off down the line many times over. After all, wouldn't you rather find out now that someone else has said similar things more eloquently and have a chance to amend your manuscript, than publish the darn thing only to read terrible—or worse—no reviews?The process of polishing your book proposal is also an exercise in discipline and focus.
It brings the purpose of your book, its scope, depth and message into sharp relief. It will get your thinking muscles into the best shape ever to produce the most marketable book of which you are capable. However, you must dedicate the necessary time and energy to educate yourself, move through multiple drafts and polish this behemoth of a document to perfection, or else hire someone who knows how to do just that. Here are some answers to questions you may be asking right now:What is a book proposal?A book proposal is a document intended to sell a publishing staff on publishing a particular nonfiction book. It is the way most nonfiction books get published by major publishers.
It reads very much like a business plan about the book proposed. It can be anywhere from 10-100 double-spaced, 12-point 8 1/2 X 11 pages—most are 20-60 pages, including sample chapters. It generally uses a very specific format and specialized language to make its case.What does the book proposal do?It answers a series of typical questions that different departments of book publishing companies need answered when deciding which tiny handful of proposals, out of hundreds, to take a chance on. It acts on your and your book's behalf to answer questions like, Why this book over all the others in its class? Why now? Why this author?Who sees my book proposal first, an agent or a publisher?It depends on whether you choose to have an agent represent you, or go directly to publishers. Many publishers will not accept unagented material, so make sure you check a given publisher's guidelines first.What does the book proposal contain?Generally, a book proposal contains a cover sheet, table of contents, along with the following sections: overview, author bio, author's marketing plan, market analysis of buyers, comparative and/or competing books, outline, sample chapters.The overview contains a hook, or means of enticement, draws the editor in, and gives a general summary of the book's purpose.
It's sort of like an article about the book. It should make you want to read the whole thing!The author bio puts any and all of your experience related to writing the book, in its best light. It's different from a resume or CV. It looks a lot like the "about the author" blurbs you see in the back of published books, below the author's photo.The author's marketing plan, or "what the author will do to promote the book," shows the publisher that you know what it takes to sell your book, and details how you plan to do it. These days, ironically, publishers don't put much money into publicity, unless you're already famous.
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You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided the following is included at the end or beginning:Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.Jill@getpublished.com
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