Putting marketing info in nonfic book query?

Yes, this is one of most important parts of the query, because it shows HOW your book is going to sell. I asked the same question, because I thought this was an exercise in fluff. Instead I learned that most of the book sales would be self-generated (EEK). I got my butt in gear after that.

Marketing is the place to include how you're an expert in your field and that you've done X number of workshops so you'll be able to bring your book to workshops and sell them. This is where you say you've got contacts in the media for print and TV areas or that you have a website with a large following about the topic of your book. If you're a professor, you'll say that the book will be on the required reading list for X number of students. It's showing how your platform is going to make money for the agent and the publisher.

Just google non fiction book proposal examples and you should find lots of links.

I apologize-- I misread the post. I did not include marketing in my query letter and I've gotten pretty good responses asking for partials and fulls. I would not include marketing in the query. Queries aren't supposed to be more than 250 words- you'd never be able to talk about the book and the marketing in the same letter.

Caroline said:

Thanks, Amy. But I'm still a little confused...



I did that, and found lots of links to stuff about proposals, but not so much about nonfic query letters. So just to be clear, I should include marketing in both the query AND the proposal?

Click to expand...

I think it is a good idea to be aware of your market (and that info would be in your proposal) but for a query letter I would leave that information out unless it is asked for in the submission guidelines.

Query: leave it out.
Proposal: parade it.

If you've got a good idea and the agent / publisher likes it, the next question is the market - not the first.

The usual general advice may or may not apply to your specific project, so I would go with a heavy dose of common sense on it.
A nonfiction book editor/agent's priority is a book that can make lots of money. Therefore, if there's something favorable about the size of your potential market that he/she is likely to not know, by all means I'd slip it into the query, preferably where it's one of the first things read. Good luck.

P.S. A-Vee, your first proposal example beautifully fits my book and situation. It seems more simplified and not so much like they are assuming the writer is an expert on a specific topic who has a large following. I know this is the wrong thread, but I think you just answered my big issue, so thanks very much for that!