If you’re planning to trek through the non-fiction realm of authorship as a traditional author, you’re going to have to write a book proposal. Unlike in fiction, where a completed manuscript is necessary when sending out query letters, many non-fiction authors seal their contract using a book proposal before their book is even written.
What exactly is a book proposal? It’s the outline of your planned novel, and it covers questions such as:
“What is this book about?”
“Who will buy it?”
“How can this book be promoted?”
“Why can this author write this book?”
“Which books will be competition?”
It’s basically a play-by-play of why the content of your book is superb, why it will be a major hit, and why you’ll be a successful author. And nailing down this skill is crucial in pitching your book to publishers and agents (this and the art of the elevator pitch).
So what makes up a solid book proposal? It’s important to keep in mind that while a proposal needs to be compelling and informative, it also needs to be succinct (one to two pages). You want to leave the publisher with the simultaneous sensation of knowing that they must publish this book and insatiable urge to know more.
This can be a daunting task, especially for a first-time author, but once you have the format down, the task becomes more manageable.
To really be effective, a book proposal needs six specific sections.
1.) First things first: the book overview. This includes the introduction, brief summary, and hook of your book. Think about what you would like to see written on the back cover of your book—this should be very similar to that content. Take the most enticing bits of your book idea and work them into the reasons why the publisher should want to take on your manuscript. Your book overview is incredibly important—if the publisher isn’t seduced from the start, your proposal will get tossed.
2.) The next two sections go hand-in-hand: the market of you book and the promotion of your book. You need to establish that there is a target market for your book and you need to have a plan for how that audience can be reached. Talk first about your market; get specific, but be generous—potential publishers want to hear that millions of people will be interested in your book. Do you have multiple markets covering a broad range of demographics? Say so! Just be sure to include why those markets are being targeted. Really put some thought into who will want to read your book.
3.) Next, go into the promotion scheme. Authors really can’t expect to just sit back and let their publishers do all the work for them. Publishers are expecting you to become the figurehead of your novel—they want to hear that you’re going to self-promote like mad and that you have specific promotional platforms where you know you’ll rock it out. Are you a really talented public speaker? Do you dream of traveling the country for book signings? Are you a social media superstar? Include all of this. You aren’t only selling your book idea; you’re selling yourself.
4.) Following closely on the heels of your promotional info, include the books with which your book will be competing. How will you out-market these books? What are the distinguishing factors of your book? How will those factors give your book a leg up? Similarly, you can include the common elements that make your book strong. Are there parallels between your book and the latest million-copies-sold-YA-hit? That’s relevant.
5.) In order to show the general setup of your book (not to mention prove that you have an organized story ready to be written), you should include a table of contents with individual chapter summaries. These summaries can be very short—one or two sentences—but they need to show that you’ve thought through the content of your book-to-be.
6.) And now the dreaded “About the Author” section. We know, we know, you hate writing about yourself. Everyone does. It’s uncomfortable to talk yourself up, you feel braggy, you can’t think of anything good to say. But you have to. Because, as previously mentioned, you’re selling yourself here, as well. If you want a trick of the trade to make this easier, write about yourself in the third-person. It can help to think of yourself as a character. And don’t worry if you don’t have any previous publishing credentials—talk up your education, personal writing, passion, etc. Anything that showcases how you are an asset to your book.
What do you think, readers—was this helpful? Do you have any lingering questions? Keep watch for next week’s posting on how to write a successful query letter!
This is really more a description of a query–no editor or agent wants to see a one to two page proposal!