There’s no shortage of people who want to write a book. Perhaps more accurately, there is no shortage of people who want to have written a book. If you’re looking for inspiration to start, there is plenty of advice all over the Internet (including here at Writing Routines!) about how to get started writing, overcoming writer’s block, finding time to write, hitting the various bestseller lists, and more. What is less discussed but most important in the book writing process is what comes first — the book proposal.
To put it mildly, if you want to write a good book, you need a good book proposal.
Even if you plan to self-publish your book, you need to start with a proposal. A book proposal is your business plan. It’s a clear outline of what the idea for the book is and why people will read it (i.e. buy it). Questions that must be answered prior to spending significant time on drafts.
What is a Book Proposal?
A book proposal is a sales pitch. It’s the document used to sell a manuscript to a publishing house. Think of the publishing houses as potential investors and the book proposal as the business plan. The book proposal, simply, gathers all the information that proves to a publishing house that your idea is a worthwhile investment of their money, time, and resources. We would like to imagine, or we can be fooled into the perception, that books find the shelf with ease – someone has a great idea, they mull over it a little while until assured it is indeed a great idea for a book, then they sit down at the computer, spending their evenings and weekends hard at work writing, and words become pages become chapters become a polished manuscript, which they email to a found-through-Google editor, who is thrilled to magically receive an obvious and unmistakable New York Times bestseller. The book sells millions of copies. The author is making barrels of money in their sleep.
If only. But it doesn’t work that way. Not in real life, at least not nowadays when the publishing and media industries are undergoing remarkably vast changes. Like anything else, book publishing is a business, a competitive business. If you fail to make a compelling case for why your book needs to be on a shelf in Barnes & Noble and the homepage of Amazon, your manuscript will fade into oblivion as just another saved file on your computer.
We don’t want anyone to have their great idea become a dust-collecting manuscript, so below, we’ll unveil why writing a book proposal is a prerequisite to writing a book.
Book Proposal Basics
“Proposals can contain an outline, sample chapters, endorsements from relevant tastemakers, and anything else that may attract the attention of an editor at a publishing house, with the goal usually being to secure as high of an advance as possible. A publisher essentially buys the rights to publish a future book by you, based on your book proposal.” – Ryan Holiday, bestselling author and advisor to prominent bestselling authors
So what exactly do you need to cover inside your book proposal? You will need to include an overview, a detailed table of contents, an author biography that describes why you are the right person to write this book, a marketing plan, an analysis of your target audience, information on the competition and other titles in the genre, and how your book will offer something different. Narrative works should include sample chapters. All this can quickly become 50 pages or more when completed and take weeks, if not months, to properly package.
Securing the publisher’s interest aside, writing a proposal will help you outline your book properly, figure out who your audience is, and how you will reach them. People tend to not think in business-like terms when writing books, but things like “target audience” and “competitive title analysis,” are crucial considerations of the publishing house you have your eye on. They want evidence that they will make back the money invested in publishing your book.
For a typical non-fiction book, a proposal will include the following elements:
[*] Title page
[*] Summary/Synopsis
[*] Outline of Book
[*] About the Author
[*] Sample Chapter(s)
[*] Marketing Plan
[*] Platform, Reach, Media Mentions
[*] Comparative Title Analysis
[*] Endorsements/Testimonials
Book Proposals for Non-Fiction
“Writing is marketing, you need to realize. Too many books fail because it was written in a vacuum, without ever considering anything beyond your own immediate tastes and needs.” – Ryan Holiday
Book proposals are absolutely essential for selling non-fiction to a publisher. When writing non-fiction, the writing itself matters, but of equal, if not greater importance: the book’s market potential. Who is going to buy this book? You’re writing a book because you care deeply about the topic, therefore it’s easy to assume others will too. Don’t make that fatal assumption. Writing is marketing. Non-fiction requires clear communication and credible information useful and worthwhile for a wide readership. This is often forgotten in the midst of the wordsmithing.
The more competitive the genre (“self-help” for instance), the more the marketability of the book will determine whether a publisher buys the rights to publish it. You want to convey that an audience exists. Clear and specific is good. But if too niche a target market, a publishing house may have concerns it won’t be able to sell enough copies to recoup its investment and decline to publish it.
Okay, you’ve proven the book has an audience. Now, Why are you the perfect person to write it? Expertise is a factor. You wouldn’t take financial advice from someone with no money, medical advice from someone without formal education, or tennis advice from someone who’s never swung a racket. Credentials matter. Remember, publishers want to know why you should be the one to write this book. Tell them.
Whether you have a proven track record or not, you garner substantial interest by having an already established following. Do you have an email newsletter with 100,000 subscribers? A blog with a million monthly unique visitors? That tells the publisher you have a personal community you can tap into when it comes time to sell copies. The internet may have democratized information, but it’s also allowed anyone to build a platform and following. Having an existing, sizable following is one of the most important things you can do to prove to a publishing house that your book is marketable and a target audience awaits. You’re able to show them that people care about what you say, which makes them more comfortable advancing money.
Many people pitching books to traditional publishing houses already have followers in the tens of thousands; if presented with two similar book proposals, is a publisher going to pick the writer with a following waiting eagerly for a book, or the writer who would begin marketing from zero? If you’re closer to the latter, Cal Newport offers some interesting advice for first-time non-fiction writers:
“If you’re not famous or an established journalist, then your idea must satisfy the following:
[*] It is something that a large audience will feel like they have to buy.
[*] You are uniquely suited to write about it….
…Interesting ideas need to be really well-written to succeed, therefore publishers will allow only established writers to tackle them. Your idea needs to be more than interesting, it needs to be something that people need to have — regardless of whether or not the writing sparkles.
Similarly, if your idea is a must-buy, but has little to do with your unique skills, then you’re violating rule #2. The publisher will look past you to someone who is a better fit.”
Famous or not, first book or seventh, without an explicit and convincing product market fit, the book will not succeed. Take the time. Serious market research is not an encouragement, but a requirement. Do not neglect anything pertinent to the prospective readership, their needs, your distinct abilities, message, goals and how to link all those things.
The gravity of marketing can’t be overstated, but we should also address the obvious: your book must offer a unique take. You must have something to say, of course, but it also must be different than the catalog of titles already out there. If you can’t pinpoint specifically why your book will be different (and better) than books that are already available in the existing genre or niche, publishers will keep looking. Without nailing this down, you likely don’t have a book worth your writing or their publishing.
So keep these questions in mind when writing your book proposal:
[*] Who is going to buy your book? Why do they need it?
[*] Why are you the only person who can write this book?
[*] What does your book say that can’t be found in any other book?
Book Proposals and Query Letters for Memoirs & Fiction
For fiction, query letters are standard practice. This will be a few pages describing yourself and your novel/memoir; their purpose is to get the recipient to request a partial or full manuscript — for this reason, your manuscript should be finished, in case the agent or publisher immediately wants a finished copy.
The competition for query letters is stiff. Many query letters are referrals, or from people who are already famous and/or published. Most query letters are rejected, so crafting one that stands out and receives a positive response is not an undertaking to be taken lightly.
Publishing houses have varying requirements for fiction book proposals, and some don’t require proposals at all. For those that do, your proposal should include your book’s elevator pitch, author info (including credibility, connections, social media stats), a synopsis, some sort of marketing plan (including but not limited to an analysis of your target market, an analysis of titles, and your book’s competitive advantages), and one to three sample chapters.
A quick word on memoirs: most people’s first books aren’t memoirs; when people’s first book is a memoir, they’re probably already famous, or already have a large following. Either way, they’re outliers.
To make matters even more difficult for the would-be memoir writer, publishing houses often receive pitches for stories which aren’t particularly unique or manuscripts that are poorly written. While your story is unique to you, there are many memoirs out there about overcoming cancer or financial ruin. If your story is not unique in some compelling way, a publisher is unlikely to take it on. Furthermore, since memoirs are often so intensely personal, they can be difficult for writers to edit and turn into a product with market value, which is essential for a book to get published.
Example Proposal
Even with the above information at the ready, turning a book proposal from an abstract idea into a concrete reality can still seem a daunting undertaking. Sometimes, it’s slightly less daunting when you can call on a sample of the real thing. If that’s your preference, Michael Hyatt offers an excellent template for a standard non-fiction book proposal in The Thomas Nelson Guide to Writing a Winning Book Proposal:
HELPING YOUR CHILDREN BECOME FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
What Every Parent Should Know
Frank B. Salyer
I. THE CONTENT
A. Premise: Most children will leave their home upon graduation from high school with little—if any— training in money management. As a result, they are likely to experience many years of struggle and frustration. The purpose of this book is to equip parents to teach their children the attitudes, principles, and skills they need in order to enjoy a life free of financial hassle and heartache.
B. Unique Selling Proposition: If consumers in the target market purchase and read Helping Your Children Become Financially Responsible, then they will:
[*] Understand what’s at stake in the financial training of their children. !
[*] Be able to pass on the most important attitudes, principles, and skills children must acquire before they can gain mastery over money.
[*] Learn Effective ways of communicating to children about money—with examples and metaphors children can understand.
Because the book will:
[*] Provide specific examples of parents who have succeeded.
[*] Outline a simple but effective technique for money management.
[*] Build parents’ confidence in their ability to teach their own children.
C. Overview: The manuscript will be divided into five distinct parts:
Part I. The Road to Frustration and Misery. Many adults suffer significant financial problems and heartache. Much of the pain is the direct result of never having been taught the simple principles of money management. Parents have within their power the ability to alleviate this pain. To do so, they must teach their children the right attitudes, principles, and skills.
Part II: Five Attitudes Your Children Must Acquire. If children are to experience success in money management later in life, they must first acquire the proper attitudes. Five of these provide a solid foundation for lasting financial peace: diligence, thrift, faithfulness, patience, and generosity. A chapter will be devoted to each attitude.
Part III: Five Principles Your Children Must Learn. The principles of money management are quite simple. There are five. ! God owns it all. ! You are His steward, responsible to Him. ! Spend less than you make. ! Pay God first, yourself second, and everyone else last. ! Debt is dumb. A chapter will be devoted to each principle.
Part IV: Three Skills Your Children Must Master. In addition to nurturing the proper attitudes and teaching the correct principles, a parent must also train children in three essential skills: a) Developing a budget b) Managing a checkbook c) Making wise financial decisions Again, a chapter will be devoted to each skill.
Part V: The Envelope System of Cash Management. One of the most simple, easy-to-administer financial tools is the envelope system of cash management. Parents will be encouraged to adopt this system in managing their own finances and they will then be given a scaled-down version of it for their own children. A complete chapter-by-chapter synopsis is attached, giving a more detailed overview of the manuscript.
A complete chapter-by-chapter synopsis is attached, giving a more detailed overview of the manuscript.
D. Manuscript:
II. THE MARKET
A. Characteristics
The audience for this book will be middle to upper middle class Christian parents with at least a high school education who have children ages five through fifteen.
B. Motivations
The audience for this book is made up of parents who have experienced frustration in their own lives as it relates to money management and, because they love their children, would like to spare them the same grief.
C. Affinity Groups
D. Competition
I have not found a single book on this topic from either a secular or Christian perspective.
III. The Author
A. Background
I have a B.A. in accounting from Michigan State University (1978) and an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt in Nashville. When I graduated from Vanderbilt in 1980, I went to work for Arthur Anderson where I worked for ten years. In 1990 I started my own financial planning business. I presently have thirty-five employees and 250 clients.
B. Previous Writing
I have begun publishing a monthly newsletter as a result of interest expressed at my seminars (copies available upon request). I have also had one article published in Christian Parenting magazine. I’ve never written a book, but I think I would work well with an editor.
C. Personal Marketing
I have developed a seminar with the same title as the proposed book. I have taught it in eleven churches and am willing to teach two seminars per month as a means of promoting the book. I will aggressively promote the book in my newsletter. I currently mail it to 4,500 people, and the list is growing at the rate of about 500 per month. In addition, the Morning Show on Channel 5 television here in Nashville did an interview with me and a feature on my seminar. I received numerous positive comments following my appearance and also received seventy-five letters.
CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
HELPING YOUR CHILDREN BECOME FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
What Every Parent Should Know
Frank B. Salyer
PART ONE: THE ROAD TO FRUSTRATION AND MISERY
Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening – This chapter will open with the story of Bill, a young Christian and recent college graduate who finds himself in deep trouble because of his inability to manage his own money. Bill is not alone. According to a recent USA Today poll, most Americans find themselves in the same boat. The inability to manage money leads to all kinds of suffering and frustration. In fact, most Americans are broke by age sixty-five and dependent on the generosity of their own families or the resources of the federal government.
Chapter 2: Dropping the Baton – This chapter will open with the true story of an Olympic relay race–the team would have won, but the baton was dropped in the pass to the last runner. God gives parents the responsibility to teach and train their children. This responsibility is comprehensive; parents are to equip their children for life (see Deut. 6:4-9 and Prov. 22:6) and this includes the management of money.
Chapter 3: Back to the Drawing Board – This chapter will open with the story of Don and Martha, two parents who did things right. They taught their own children how to manage money and. . .
Hopefully that gives you a clear visual to help you start gathering and formatting the ingredients of your book proposal. You are almost ready to get writing!
What To Do To Make Your Proposal Stand Out
You have worked day and night on your book proposal. You communicate without question who your book is for, why they need it, and why you are the writer for the job. Still, that does not guarantee a runaway success. Editors and publishers receive an increasingly high-volume of book proposals every day, the bulk of which go by the wayside. To help your book proposal really stand out from the rest of the stack, you would be wise to include some of these:
[*] A captivating title and subtitle
[*] A unique story angle
[*] Testimonials
[*] A sales hook
[*] A competitive book analysis
[*] Samples of your best work
Conclusion
“The iterative phase of the book idea doesn’t necessarily stop once the book proposal sells. Authors frequently (maybe even usually) deliver a book that is substantially different than the book that was laid out in the original proposal. I usually tell authors that the proposal is for the publisher — the book is for themselves” – Ryan Holiday
The book proposal is the first step of the writing process. It does not guarantee anything but without it, you can guarantee your book will not be published.
One final note: if you’re going to try to publish traditionally, it would be well worth your money to pay someone to have it designed and formatted nicely. When asking a publishing house to invest tens of thousands of dollars into your project, you need to put your best foot forward, and that step needs to be better than a long Word document.
Remembering that your book is, at the end of the day, a product that a publishing house will need to market and sell. Having a book proposal is the most important thing you can do to make sure that your name actually does end up in print.
Sign up to get a brand new writing routine in your inbox every week.
Get in touch today:
