How to Write the Nonfiction Book Proposal.

It's been a while since this topic was covered in a specific thread, so in response to a couple of recent inquiries, I thought I'd create a new discussion on the art of writing book proposals.

Used mainly for nonfiction, the book proposal is a tool that sells a project usually before the book is written. Usually is an important word here. You are by no means obligated to submit a proposal first before writing the book, but it can save you months, maybe years of work writing a book that may never sell.

Agents and publishers expect to see the same basic format in all book proposals they receive, so if you want to be taken seriously, then you should plan to write a proposal the usual way. I'm not saying that an "out-of-the-box" approach won't work. If you sell a project based on some other method, then that's awesome! Until then, though, you should use the established format.

Always query first. Writing query letters is covered throughly in AW's Share Your Work forum in Query Letter Hell (password: vista). Query letters are their own unique beast, and it can take days, even weeks to write, rewrite, and polish a query into something that will catch the attention of an agent and make him want to see more. We all hate writing queries, but if we want to be published, it's what we have to do.

On a side note, sometimes it's possible to catch the attention of an agent or publisher without a formal query. For an earlier project idea I had once, I emailed the agent representing the author of a book series I enjoyed and told her I had a proposal for a book similar to this author's series. It was a very informal email, and she responded almost right away and asked for the proposal. She emailed later and rejected it, saying it was possibly too narrow a subject for a whole book.

More recently, lacking any specific contact information for an acquistions editor at a publisher I wanted to submit to, I simply called the publisher and asked for Editorial. I then spoke with an editor, told him I had a proposal I wanted to submit, and he asked what it was about. I gave him my "elevator pitch," and he asked me to submit the proposal. No query needed in this case!

Some authors have been successful without writing a query. They simply submitted the proposal, and the agent responded. So, different approaches can work given the situation and subject matter.


Entire books are written about proposals, and Jeff Herman's Guide to Literary Agents has an excellent section on them, plus a sample proposal that led to a contract. Also, countless websites offer tips and examples, but here's the breakdown for those at AW:


Overview

About the Author

Similar Titles

Target Audience

Chapter Outline

Sample Chapter(s)


The proposal can run between a few pages to ten or twenty, based on the material. I personally think it's best to keep it as succinct as possible, that is, avoid verbal diarrhea if possible. However, the proposal should also be detailed enough to include the information you want to include, and you shouldn't leave anything out for the sake of brevity. It's your call.

Here's a breakdown of each point in the proposal.

Overview. This a summary of the project and should contain enough of a "hook" at the beginning that will urge the reader to continue. It tells what the book is about, who would buy it, and a little about who the author is. Make it detailed! It should pretty much cover the entire scope of the book.


About the Author. Your biography, emphasizing your platform and experience in the topic, including all professional writing experience (professional=paid). Mention your blog and webpage, as these can be used as marketing tools later on. If you have no platform, i.e., years of experience with the subject matter, then explain why you're the best person to write this book and what experts you can draw on.

Also, this section doesn't necessarily have to appear at this spot. It can be moved to the end if the proposal tends to flow that way.


Similar Titles. Also called "Competition" or "Competing Titles." I prefer "Similar Titles" because you're not necessarily competing with the other books. Your book will supplement the available information already out there. Here, give a list of titles and maybe authors, the publishers, and their publication dates. Amazon is your best friend here, but you should also research the other publishers' online catalogs for more. Your book should stand out from the rest and offer something they don't.


Target Audience. Who wants to read the book and why? Offer statistics and demographics if you can. How do you reach that audience? Do you know if they want to read your book?


Chapter Outline. Just like it sounds, outline each chapter with as much detail as you can. There is some debate here about exactly how you should compose the outline. For each chapter you can either write a simple outline of topics, or write a small or large paragraph that goes into thorough detail about that chapter. The simple outline is easy to read and absorb, while the paragraph shows your writing style and how you're going approach the material. Really, it's your call. However, the agent's website may specify what they prefer to see.


Sample Chapter(s). Some agents/publishers' guidelines say they do or do not want a sample chapter. Submit what they want. Sometimes it's one, sometimes up to three. If they don't ask for a sample up front, make sure to have one ready for later on. What may happen is that they receive your proposal then ask for more, more being sample chapters. Or they might just offer a contract based on what you sent! This could happen given the subject matter in the proposal (something hot hot hot) or the writer's publishing experience.


Turnaround time on a proposal could be between a week or several months. Patience is key. Submit to however many agents/publishers you wish meanwhile. And busy yourself with something else while you wait, whether you're writing that book or something else.

Some agents ask for an exclusive on the proposal, that is, they don't want you to submit it anywhere else while they look at it. However, given the particular beast that is nonfiction, their turnaround time could be twenty-four hours to give you a definite yes or no.

Feel free to add to this discussion with your own experiences about how you handled the proposal submission process.

Once a deal is made with a publisher, you'll be given a certain amount of time to complete the project, whether it's six months, a year, or however long. It probably wouldn't be an unreasonable deadline, but they'll expect to see portions of it as you complete them.

I would polish up the first two chapters. Meanwhile, in the query letter, you would say the proposal is ready for their review (unless the agent/publisher's website says "Query with Proposal" which they sometimes do. Then, the proposal would include the polished first two chapters. In the proposal, you would say the entire manuscript could be ready in three months, or however long it would take you.

If the guidelines do not say to include the proposal, then in the query letter, include the first five pages or so. Then, in the query, you needn't say anything about the current state of the ms, IMO.

Decor Girl said:

Everyone suggests an outline which I have, but there are numerous options on chapter descriptions. I like the suggestions above though do I go with the actual outline numbers or just bullets?

Or do I target specific agents and locate their requirements and then start with a proposal for each?

Click to expand...

As Erinbee says above, you can write one or two paragraph descriptions of each chapter, then outline or bullet-point the rest. I personally did bullet points. But that is not the only way.

Regarding individual agents' requirements, yes, you go by that first. Some agents/publishers might spell out exactly what they want to see. Others might simply say "query with proposal." Then you're left to come up with your own devices.

That's what this thread is for, when the guidelines are not so specific.

And as Erinbee and others will say, proposals can be of nearly any page length imaginable, but their lengths vary depending on subject matter and the publisher's requirements.

Based on your username and the brief blurb in your profile, I'm assuming your book is on interior design.

You like public speaking, that's good. Since you said marketing besides magazines, I would say that your marketing should include "Homerama" type conventions, those events that take place in convention centers (and sometimes shopping malls) where the builders and interior design folks all congregate to show and promote their wares. In your case, you can mention in your proposal that you will go to these shows with Powerpoint presentations and photos of your experience, as well as copies of your book.

That's one idea, anyway.