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Viewing Do you Know How to Write a Book Proposal? Find Out HereDo you Know How to Write a Book Proposal? Find Out Here
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The agent said 'yes' to the query letter! Finding out how to write a book proposal is your next step. What sections should your proposal contain? Do you include a resume? Is any research necessary? This article provides the answers to your questions. By Dee Power The agent said 'yes' to the query letter! Finding out how to write a book proposal is your next step. The agent will let you know what he or she wants to see. Even with an affirmative response, an agent does not always ask for a full manuscript. A nonfiction book has not been written yet in most cases, so there is no manuscript to send. What publishers and agents will ask for is a proposal for your nonfiction book. A Nonfiction Book Proposal Concept: This is a brief, no more than one-page description, about why your book is unique. Market: Who will buy your book and why? Include the demographics and number of your potential readers. If you can, quote statistics, such as 'baseball is the most often viewed sport on TV with x million people watching', or 'x number of people attend arts and crafts shows a year', or '$xxx dollars of revenue are generated by customers buying garden tools'. Use whatever is relevant to your book's topic. Competition: Note similar books that have been published in the last year or that will be coming out soon. You can get an idea of soon-to-be published books by going to amazon.com, and searching under key words. When you get a listing of books that you think are similar to yours, rank them by publication date. Include the title, author, ISBN, and a brief description. Then state why your book is better or what your book addresses that the competition does not. Go to the library and read currently available books you feel are competitive to yours. Again, include the title, author, ISBN, and a brief description. Then state why your book is better or what your book addresses that the competition does not. All books have competitors. Promotion: What you will do for promotion? How will you market your book? Be specific. If you are willing to give seminars or speak at events, try to line up a few. Publishers want authors that actively market their own books. This does not mean that you have to spend money, but it does mean you have to expend effort. About The Author: This section is self-explanatory. What makes you the best author to write this book? This is not a resume; include what is relevant to the topic of the book. If you have previous books published, list them, with a short description. Media Placement: Mention any newspaper or magazine articles in which you have been featured. Include articles that you have written and published. Offline, hard copy publications are better than online. Online is better than nothing. Plan ahead, and in the months while you are working on your book proposal, see if you can get a few articles placed. If you have just a few, include clippings. If you have more than a few, list the publication, date, and title of each article. Writing a book makes you an expert in the eyes of the media, but you have to let them know you are available. Endorsements: If you can get a well-known authority figure, expert, celebrity, or author to give you an endorsement, or to commit to an endorsement, it puts you ahead in the game. Chapter Outline or Synopsis: This should be two to four pages. Each chapter is listed along with the subheadings, a brief description, and a paragraph or two explaining what will be included in the chapter. Sample Chapter: It does not have to be the first chapter. Pick the chapter you are most excited to write, or that you are the most knowledgeable about. The editor will judge the quality of your writing by this chapter. The proposal, not including the sample chapter, can run from 10 to 20 pages. Resources: Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, 2nd Edition, Jeff Herman, Deborah Levine Herman. Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write: How to Get a Contract and Advance before Writing Your Book, Elizabeth Lyon, Natasha Kern Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction - and Get It Published, Susan Rabiner, Alfred Fortunato Book Proposals That Sell, 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success About the Author: Discover how you can achieve your dream and get your book published. Get a sneak peek of Dee Power's new book, The Publishing Primer. Get your free chapter. Find out how books get in bookstores; how bookstores select titles; how the bestseller lists work; what boosts a book to the top of the bestseller list; and frequently-asked questions about publishing. Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com |
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