Whats that dance?

I think they're saying they'd like to see more but that they might not be able to sell it.

It looks encouraging from where I stand

She's given you great feedback. Take her advice, revise the proposal and be prepared to write the whole book in far, far fewer than 18 months (which is a really long time--if you need that long, get started now and pitch it when you have at least half of it done).
Your other option is to rethink the project altogether and start fresh with another idea.

Congratulations! To me this seems like very good news (assuming this is a solid agent you'd be happy to work with.)

"Dance" is a very good word for this initial process--kind of like a courtship ritual! But what I like about this agent's letter is that he/she is not simply expressing cautious interest in a new writer and saying "show me more" but is being upfront about the difficulties in this particicular genre and the need to develop a clearer focus.

Also note that he/she has not done what other agents might: dismiss a book that might have an uphill climb and not be a big moneymaker, or tell you to resubmit once you are nearer completion or have made changes.

As for what "seeing more" means, I think you will just have to ask. I had a similar experience, by the way, with my agent, who wanted to see more after the proposal, before making a decision. Since my book (a version of it, anyway) was close to done, I was able to send the first hundred pages.

Seems like your agent is wanting to work with you to help develop the book. The question may be how much of this is a trial run before representation is offered, how much comes after.

Keep us posted!

Susan

I think that's a good response. The agent is telling you it's a book she likes, but it's too early to take it on.

Why are you 18 months out, as she says?

I would have expected you'd essentially finish the book, then seek to sell it. I agree with her - if you are 18 months out, you are not ready to offer it to publishers.

So move fast and keep her apprised of milestones.

If your agent sells the book, then you should get an advance (usually 1/3 on signing the contract and more later) and you can use that money to travel to book-related places.

ruralwriter said:

I have also always read that a nonfiction book did not have to be written before you propose it. I thought that was how it was done. So I really thought I was ahead of the game by having so much of it written.

Im so grateful for the help I get here. Thanks all.

Click to expand...

You're right--usually nf books are sold on proposal, and Tish's advice is right on: you can use advance money for the travel. It may be a better idea not to pinpoint a completion date at all in your proposal. Sell the idea first, and then figure out the timeline for completion. Not all publishers need to know in the first look at the proposal how long you'll need to complete it; in fact, many publishers will come back and say, "okay, can you get this done in 6 months, 3 months, half now and half in 6 months, etc." Let them get psyched about the concept and then you and they can work out the timing together.
Good luck!

As an aside, if you sell the book to a publisher and are going to do book-related traveling, it is probably worth your money to consult an accountant or tax professional before you travel about what expenses you can write off as work-related. The tax savings can be substantial and if you or your spouse have income from other jobs, you can usually offset some of that income against a schedule C (business) loss. This is just general information. Bite the bullet and pay for a professional consultation (also tax deductible) if you are going to have significant expenses related to your book.