Lots of writers
like to talk about writing books. You hear very few talking about writing book
proposals. Maybe that's why it's easy to forget that a strong book proposal is
the first step to getting a great deal for your non-fiction book. It's where
you make the big pitch and tell the editor everything that's going to make him
or her want to buy.
A book proposal is also a great time saver for you
because you'll find in the course of researching your book proposal whether or
not your idea is viable, or whether your category is already crowded with
similar books. Here are the parts that make up a book proposal, and a few tips
on how to make it really stand out to a potential publisher.
Title
Page This is the first page of the book proposal. Your title should be
centered and printed about two-thirds of the way down the page. In the bottom
left hand corner you'll type in your name, address, phone number, email address
and the name and contact information for your agent.
Overview
You'll want to have two to three pages explaining the overall premise of
your book. You'll also want to include a Table of Contents that shows what
points will be covered in each chapter.
Bio/Credentials
This isn't just your usual resume stuff, this is a big opportunity to sell
yourself as THE person to write the book. Write it in the third person starting
with your education and credentials. You'll want to point out any experience
that specifically relates to the subject matter of the book. Have you written
articles or previous books on the topic? Note those as well. List any public
speaking that you have done and will do in the future, including television and
radio interviews. Include a really nice photo. It doesn't have to be a glamour
shot, but you do want to look interesting and engaging. A 5"x7" is fine.
Competition The publisher will want to know if there are books
similar to yours already out there. It will help them to see that there is a
market for such books. At the same time, you'll want to point out how your book
will be different, or better, than what's already out there. Do not trash
someone else's work. It's bad form. It's enough to say a competitor's book left
something out, or doesn't cover a certain aspect. If you don't know what
competing books exist, you can look them up in Books in Print. Most libraries
have it in the reference section.
Outline This will be your
chapter-by-chapter outline showing what you will cover, point-by-point, in each
chapter. You can plan on allotting about half a page per chapter.
Sample Chapters This is where you get to show that you really
can write! You should submit at least three chapters of content. It doesn't
have to be the first three chapters, but if you haven't written anything yet
those may be the easiest to do. Then again, some writers like to start in the
middle of a book! The main key here is to be good--no typos, no misspellings
and no factual errors.
Marketing The marketing section of
your book proposal is so important that many publishers will often read it
first. So make sure you spend the time to make this the best it can be. Lay out
your whole marketing plan here. Explain who your target audience is, how big it
is and why they will buy this book. How do you plan on reaching them? Are you
buying your own advertising? If so, in what publications and what is their
combined circulation? Will you be reaching out to book clubs, corporations or
college classes where you book could be taught? How can you make your book
stand out against the ones that are already out there? You want to make the
case that there is a ready made audience out there and all the publisher has to
do is reach out and grab them by signing you.
Promotion
Remember, a publisher wants to acquire you and your connections, so
this is another important section of the proposal. How will you put yourself
out there for your book? You'll want to explain if you'll be doing public
speaking, or maybe you have a huge list you communicate with via newsletter
every month. How many are on your list? If you plan to hire your own publicist,
put that fact in as well. Do you have famous connections that will help you get
great blurbs? Do you have a budget? If so, how much? Yes, they do want to know
if you plan on spending some of your own money!
Publishing
Details Here you'll detail the length you propose for the book (in
words) and whether the book will have any illustrations or photos. You'll also
want to give an estimate for the time you'll need to turn in the finished
manuscript.
And that's it. When your proposal is done you might want
to hire an editor or a book consultant to go over it and give you some strong
feedback. That way you'll know you have it in the best shape possible and you
can feel confident when you're sending it out.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR© 2005 Sophfronia Scott
Author and Writing Coach
Sophfronia Scott is "The Book Sistah" TM. Get her FREE REPORT, "The 5 Big
Mistakes Most Writers Make When Trying to Get Published" and her FREE online
writing and publishing tips at
http://www.TheBookSistah.com 
