Learn The Nonfiction Book Publication Process With Mommas Jenna and Lauri and Poppa F

JennaGlatzer · Apr 29, 2006

OK, first the questions, then I'll do the next long-overdue lesson.

Mal: Yes, I did once embed photos into a proposal because they helped make the point, like yours does. I think you're fine. Just make sure it's high-res enough to print well.

Rich, Frank's right (surprise). Memoirs are always sort of a grey area regarding proposals. I recently wrote a proposal for someone's memoir and it not only sold, but the proposal itself got passed around just for enjoyment, like a "mini-book," so I'll tell you what I did--

I still had all the same sections as a usual proposal. It's just that I tried to make the overview feel like it could have been part of the book, I kept the other sections short, and I concentrated more on the sample chapters. The "competition" section felt weird-- it's not like people are going to find the same material in someone else's memoir, so it's a direct choice between A and B-- but I soon realized that I could use this more as an extension of the marketing section by pointing out nicely-selling books that were similar in audience, and why my book would capture that same audience and more.

But in another case, for a more winding memoir that wasn't as easily fit into the proposal structure, I just sent around sample chapters with a query that included about two or three paragraphs of overview.

Hollowbone: That's what this thread is all about. Even if you've already written the book, publishers still want to see a book proposal first. You're in a better position to write it now because there's no guesswork-- you know exactly what the book covers.

Tony: I think it would be usual for the publisher to hire a photographer. It's always a risk when a writer hires an illustrator or photographer-- the publisher could turn the project down because of the artwork.

Back in a flash.

Hyperbole · Apr 29, 2006

Thanks for teaching us, Jenna!

Lauri B · May 1, 2006

tony1 said:
I'm interested in proposing a coffee table book on a particular sporting event. I have looked for other books like it, and to my very delighted suprise, they're isn't any!My question is, I need a photographer? Now do I find one in the phone book, and offer him a piece of the book, or does the publisher take care of all this (that is if they like the book). Tony1

Hi Tony,
We publish a four-color coffee table book of a particular event every time it occurs. Just a warning: four-color coffee table books are very expensive to produce, and as a general rule, coffee table books don't make much money for a publisher. That may be why there aren't any books on your event. On the other hand, you may be in a great position to pitch one. Usually coffee table books covering an event rely on an expert or well-known name in the field, and/or photographers known for shooting hte subject matter of the event. If you aren't a well-known expert, it would be a good idea to try to recruit one to at least contribute a foreword or act as a contributing writer.

Good luck!

Anastacia · Jul 12, 2006

What if there IS a competing book? I am in process of working with a doctor on a book proposal. Looking through Amazon revealed a very similar book to the one we have in mind.

What now? Should I still think about writing it? Look at the competing book closely to figure out how we can write ours with a different slant?

Any advice is most appreciated.

Branwyn · Jul 15, 2006

This is great. I'm starting on a non-fiction book, while I shop my fiction around.

Branwyn · Jul 17, 2006

As far as the market, do you absolutely have to have stats? How would one go about finding out how many wiccans there are, or pagans?

nancy02664 · Jul 18, 2006

This most recent post on publicity rocks. Thanks, Jenna, for all the useful info.

aka eraser · Jul 18, 2006

Anastacia said:
What if there IS a competing book? I am in process of working with a doctor on a book proposal. Looking through Amazon revealed a very similar book to the one we have in mind.

What now? Should I still think about writing it? Look at the competing book closely to figure out how we can write ours with a different slant?

Any advice is most appreciated.

By all means both you and the doctor should scope out the competing title. One or both of you may well come up with something(s) that set your project apart. And if you don't, you've saved yourself a lot of time and trouble.

awatkins · Jul 19, 2006

Anastacia said:
What if there IS a competing book? I am in process of working with a doctor on a book proposal. Looking through Amazon revealed a very similar book to the one we have in mind.

One thing to check for when scoping out the competition is the publishing date. When was the competing book published (that info will be available on the Amazon listing)? If it's several years old, then you very likely will have updated information to put in your book. This will give your project's proposal a nice little something extra.

perky_ms_d · Jul 20, 2006

Hi, Jenna, this is Geraldine from the Philippines. Your free lessons in writing is such a great help for me. I have no experience in writing (only for personal ones) but am hoping that basic lessons like this will help me to become a writer i want to be.

Tsu Dho Nimh · Sep 7, 2006

I'm the hidden dragon

Jenna has excellent advice on getting past the hidden dragon, the "subject matter expert".

Over the years, I've been the recipient of book proposals, not as a publisher, but as a reviewer of non-fiction proposals for books that fall into my areas of expertise. If a publisher's in-house staff doesn't have a broad enough background to review the proposals, they outsource them to working professionals in that field. I occasionally hurl myself on a dud of a proposal to save the publisher's bottom line.

The publishers usually send a questionnaire with the complete author's proposal package, asking very specific questions about the parts of the proposal Jenna has explained.

Also, most of the publishers have asked the same core question at the end: If we accepted this proposal, would you buy the book for your own use? Would you recommend buying this book to someone in this book's target audience? In other words, is this book worth publishing?

Outstandingly BAD proposals, and the reasons I recommended rejecting them:

The author whose proposal mentioned how much money expected to be paid for his book ... in several places. But having it in the first paragraph was a bit over the top. Also, his supposedly "crack-proof" workbook files, from which he planned to make a lot of money by selling new files, took me less than three minutes to crack and copy. I sent the copy back with the proposal.
The author whose proposed class text and workbook had students doing advanced tasks before they learned how to do the underlying ones. Like starting with Escoffier before Cooking for Dummies. It was obvious he had never tested his methods on real students.
The author who listed feeble competition and knocked down the strawmen with disdain, when I had two of the heavy-hitters he didn't mention sitting on my desk. Well-thumbed. With underlining, highlighting and sticky notes.
Along the same lines, the author who mis-represented those two books' scope and depth of coverage. He dismissed them as "simplistic and useful only for amateurs" when their main users were working professionals who really wanted a clear, simple how-to book.
The author whose included CV was longer than the book proposal and included everything, even his activities as the leader of a local scout troop. Even worse, he tended to double-dip, so the scout leading was no only under "community service" but "leadership". Erf!
The author who claimed X years of experience in a field that had been in existence for 5 years less than he claimed.
etc.

Go now, and do as Jenna hath told thee, for verily she speaketh words of wisdom.

LisaM11463 · Sep 15, 2006

I'm hoping that perhaps someone can point out where exactly I am going wrong in writing my query. Here it is:

Dear Mr. Smith,

Did you know that some of the greatest writers of all times were afflicted with epilepsy? Fyodor Dostoevsky, Edgar Allen Poe, Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens are all believed to have been afflicted.

More than 3 million people in the U.S. are afflicted--50 million worldwide. This year alone, another 200,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with epilepsy. It is the third most common neurological disease in the U.S. after Alzheimer's disease and stroke. It is equal in prevalence to cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

Epilepsy is among the least understood chronic medical conditions, even though one in three adults knows someone with the disorder. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy, yet only 1% of patients who could benefit from having brain surgery ever try it.

"Free at Last, My Lifetime Struggle to Overcome Epilepsy" is the story of my battle for over thirty years, the trials and tribulations as well as the ridicule and discrimination which I had to endure. It also talks about the molestation I endured by one of my doctors, my fifteen-and-a-half hour brain surgery which I underwent, my near death experience in 2005, my public speaking engagements on behalf of others with epilepsy so that I may help others who are not aware there are surgical procedures out there that could possibly help them as well. Last, but certainly not least, it talks of the two chat rooms I created online eleven years ago to counsel the over sixteen hundred people to date around the world who needed answers, a shoulder to cry on, information on brain surgery, and simply a confidant to talk to who knows just what they are going through.

Readers have told me that my book is honest, funny, tragic and informative, as well as a chance to give so many others hope for a positive and seizure-free future. Would you like to see a proposal? My manuscript is ready to be sent at your request.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lisa-Marie Kinsman

Can someone please tell me just what I am doing wrong, and what I can do to catch the eye of a literary agent willing to take me on as a client? Thank you in advance.

Lisa-Marie

mrsrgm · Sep 16, 2006

I'm no expert in writing a query (read that: NO EXPERT), but I think it would sound stronger if the first sentence were a statement of fact (Some of the greatest writers of all time were afflicted with epilepsy), instead of a question. That is pretty much the extent of my knowledge... :]]

LisaM11463 · Sep 18, 2006

Thank you mrsgrm

Thank you for your response mrs. I am just getting so discouraged that there are not any open minded literary agents, as of yet, that are willing to take me and my autobiography on.

It's been suggested to me that I try a vanity publisher, but I am just not willing to take that path as I have worked very hard on this book and have done volunteer work running two epilepsy chat rooms online for the last eleven years now. I've pretty much covered the literary agents on the east coast. Now I'm trying lit agents in the central U.S.

Lisa-Marie

Lauri B · Sep 19, 2006

LisaM11463 said:
I'm hoping that perhaps someone can point out where exactly I am going wrong in writing my query. Here it is:

Dear Mr. Smith,

Did you know that some of the greatest writers of all times were afflicted with epilepsy? Fyodor Dostoevsky, Edgar Allen Poe, Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens are all believed to have been afflicted.

More than 3 million people in the U.S. are afflicted--50 million worldwide. This year alone, another 200,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with epilepsy. It is the third most common neurological disease in the U.S. after Alzheimer's disease and stroke. It is equal in prevalence to cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

Epilepsy is among the least understood chronic medical conditions, even though one in three adults knows someone with the disorder. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy, yet only 1% of patients who could benefit from having brain surgery ever try it.

"Free at Last, My Lifetime Struggle to Overcome Epilepsy" is the story of my battle for over thirty years, the trials and tribulations as well as the ridicule and discrimination which I had to endure. It also talks about the molestation I endured by one of my doctors, my fifteen-and-a-half hour brain surgery which I underwent, my near death experience in 2005, my public speaking engagements on behalf of others with epilepsy so that I may help others who are not aware there are surgical procedures out there that could possibly help them as well. Last, but certainly not least, it talks of the two chat rooms I created online eleven years ago to counsel the over sixteen hundred people to date around the world who needed answers, a shoulder to cry on, information on brain surgery, and simply a confidant to talk to who knows just what they are going through.

Readers have told me that my book is honest, funny, tragic and informative, as well as a chance to give so many others hope for a positive and seizure-free future. Would you like to see a proposal? My manuscript is ready to be sent at your request.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lisa-Marie Kinsman

Can someone please tell me just what I am doing wrong, and what I can do to catch the eye of a literary agent willing to take me on as a client? Thank you in advance.

Lisa-Marie

Hi Lisa-Marie,
I think where you get off track is focusing your book on your experiences rather than making it a how-to that incorporates your experiences. You start off strong by talking about how brain surgery can help epileptics but few try it. I thought that was what your book was going to be about. Then you veer off into your own personal struggles. While I'm sure they are interesting and moving, they aren't going to interest an editor who is trying to determine whether your book will fit well into the market. How will others benefit from your knowledge? Is the fact that you were molested by your doctor relevant to living with and overcoming epilepsy? Your chat room and support group information is interesting, but if you could incorporate your story into how all epileptics can benefit from support and access to information, it would be more appealing to a publisher.

Memoirs are rarely as interesting to readers as they are to the author. They are notoriously difficult to market unless there is a real hook (the author is a celebrity, the author is an acknowledged national expert in the field, the author has great connections and can get booked on national tv talk shows, etc.).
Good luck!

Lolly · Sep 20, 2006

Thank you, Jenna, for starting this thread. I'm really enjoying reading it. So far, my proposal has met all your criteria for publishing, except for one big one: I don't have a platform. I'm writing a Christian book about a problem that I think is threatening the church. However, I don't have a radio show or magazine, I don't moderate anything (unless you want to make me a moderator here

), and I can only wish I had ever appeared on TV. Do you have any reccomendations for how to go about getting one?

I might add that I'm a minister for a major denomination. And in fact, I'm goint to give a speech on my topic at a future district meeting. Does that count as a platform? I just ask because the meeting is not national. Our denomination is international, though, so in a sense I could travel to any of our churches in the world and talk about this. We also have a denominational magazine, so I suppose I could work up an article on the subject for them.

Writer/Observer · Sep 20, 2006

thank you Jenna for the vital info. I have a few questions regarding a bio-
1. Do I send the publisher copies of photos and how many?
2. Should I include things that I may not be able to back up? *gov't lost certain papers

Tsu Dho Nimh · Sep 20, 2006

It feels like you have three main points: epilepsy affects a lot of people, you are one of them, and here's how you are living with it. Stripping the query down to tightly focus on those things ... how does it read?

~~Did you know that some of the greatest writers of all times were afflicted with epilepsy? Fyodor Dostoevsky, Edgar Allen Poe, Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens are all believed to have been afflicted.~~

Deleted: it's not relevant that some famous writers were epileptic

More than 3 million people in the U.S. are afflicted with epilepsy and another 200,000 will be diagnosed this year. It is the third most common neurological disease in the U.S. after Alzheimer's disease and stroke. It is equal in prevalence to cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

Epilepsy is among the least understood chronic medical conditions, even though one in three adults knows someone with the disorder. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy, yet only 1% of patients who could benefit from having brain surgery ever try it.

"Free at Last, My Lifetime Struggle to Overcome Epilepsy" is the story of my battle for over thirty years, the trials and tribulations as well as the ridicule and discrimination which I had to endure. It also talks about the molestation I endured by one of my doctors, the fifteen-and-a-half hour brain surgery which I underwent, my near death experience in 2005, my public speaking engagements on behalf of others with epilepsy so that I may help others who are not aware there are surgical procedures out there that could possibly help them as well. Last, but certainly not least, it talks of the two chat rooms I created online eleven years ago to counsel the over sixteen hundred people to date around the world who needed answers, a shoulder to cry on, information on brain surgery, and simply a confidant to talk to who knows just what they are going through.

Readers have told me that my book is honest, funny, tragic and informative, as well as a chance to give so many others hope for a positive and seizure-free future. Would you like to see a proposal? My manuscript is ready to be sent at your request.

What I do not get from this proposal is what slant your book has ... is this a personal memoir, as indicated in the next to last paragraph, or a "how to cope" book as indicated in the last paragraph?

You can't do both in the same book. The personal memoir is less salable than the "how to cope" book.

I'm with Nomad ... this could be a good "how to live with it" book for epileptics if you take your experiences and write a book with the information you and your family and friends didn't have, the information that would have made your life better.

JennaGlatzer · Oct 11, 2006

Hi! I know, took me long enough to get back to this thread. A few quick points:

Lolly: being a minister is a platform itself, but yes, you're on the right track when you talk about speaking at other churches and writing for religious magazines. If I were you, I'd try getting my feet wet in those types of areas (doing more speaking gigs and writing a few articles) to show the publisher what I could do.

Tsu: Great advice. Thanks for chiming in!

Writer/Observer: Photos with the bio? You mean, like, your author photo? You don't need to include any copies at this point. If you have a nice author photo, you can include one with the proposal, but it's not necessary. I'm not sure what kinds of irreplacable documents you're talking about... if you're talking about things that would be required for fact-checking, you won't need to worry about that until you turn in the actual manuscript, and no one's ever asked me for the original documents. Photocopies work fine for that. If you're talking about things that would actually need to be photographed to be reproduced in the book itself, you'd probably have to ship the originals to the publisher (insured mail), but only when it actually comes time to do the book layout and design.

Lisa-Marie, if you need more feedback, there's a "Query Letter" section on the Share Your Work board here. I've heard from several writers who've said that the folks on that board have helped them a great deal. But just from the quick look I've had, I agree with Nomad and Tsu. If I were an agent, I wouldn't pick it up either-- and that's not meant to be an insult, but a point about the market. It's not a matter of being "open minded" as an agent, it's a matter of understanding what the reading public buys.

A large number of people want to write memoirs about overcoming or living with a particular medical condition, but that's rarely something the public wants to read. Most people, when looking for answers, either seek out books by doctors who are noted experts in the field, or-- like Nomad suggests-- books from people who have the condition, but are primarily resource books with personal experience included, NOT memoirs with a little bit of how-to/self-help added.

Not sure if I mentioned this one upthread, but one of my first books was an anthology of stories from people who've overcome anxiety disorders. Before the publisher would buy it, they wanted me to take on a co-writer: a psychologist with expertise on anxiety disorders. He wrote commentary after each person's story. And the fact that there were 33 stories, instead of just mine, made it more appealing to the publisher. It was tightly focused on anxiety-related stuff only, not general memoir. And even though I thought people would really, really want to read about other people's experiences with anxiety disorders, it's not a great-selling book. All the best-selling books in that category are straight-up "how to beat anxiety" books, not memoir-type books.

I'm not suggesting that you need to restructure it in the same way I did, but I do think you'll need to reframe it. You have a good platform to work with.

Back soon with the next lesson.

Steven Pollack · Oct 11, 2006

A reason why people might not like memoir personal issue books is that reading of someone elses story might 1) make you feel inferior for not similary succeeding and 2) it might teach them about some new anxiety or problem they had not already experienced and mess them up even more.

This was my initial reaction.

Steve

Talia · Nov 1, 2006

Jenna

Thank you for the wonderful information on writing a NF book proposal. The examples from your own work help a lot.

The platform is of course the hardest part - establishing it and proving it - I liked the solid examples that you gave. I was on TV for a while and I have all the videos. After reading your thread I can see it would be worthwhile getting extracts on a DVD to send to people or perhaps include clips on my website. Unfortunately it's past tense but it shows that I'm comfortable on TV and experienced.

Now I have to go lasso me a celebrity to endorse my book...

FireMedic 105 · Nov 28, 2006

aka eraser said:
I haven't done it but I can't for the life of me think why it should be a no-no. If you believe it adds to your presentation, I'd say go for it. (But check what Lauri has to say - she's an acquistions editor.)

I did a page with photos....not saying it worked but I have a few publishers looking at the proposal and ms.

whitepuppy · Nov 29, 2006

I'm trying to find a publisher for my book, but I;m really having a hard time here. I'm a psychic and wanted to put my story out there for people to read and understand. I've been told dozens of time "I wish I could do what you do" only to tell them "no you don't". My book is about growing up as a pcychic, and how a child have deal with it from a young age. Trying to understand why other poeple are scared of you and don't want you around thier children and why no one wants to date a teenager who talks and sees dead people.My family dates (my psychic abilitiy) it back to about age 5. I want people that psychic's aren't born adults, and that it's not all glammer going to crime scenes. If any one can help I could really use it. thanks donna

JennaGlatzer · Nov 29, 2006

Have you written a proposal, Donna? A query letter? If so, you may want to post it on the Share Your Work board, where people can critique it.

jsh · Dec 19, 2006

JennaGlatzer said:
The Overview

The Overview section is what you might expect: a fairly short summary of the book. Typically 2-5 pages, this is the crux of the proposal. Your job is to create a compelling opener that makes the editor want to read the rest of your proposal.

Would this sort of thing work?

"If a book explaining modern physics to the layman asserted that intertia is a force inherent to a body in motion, that is, impetus, the book would be universally dismissed by the learned community. When a book explaining modern economics to the layman asserts that rational means that one seeks to get as much money as one can, no one bats an eye. This is a failure to precisely stick with a basic notion of economics, which generates confusion and objection where none should be.

"Economics is built from an internal mathematical structure, an axiomatic skeleton, that is given flesh and form by the intuitive understanding that the mathematics allow and the irregularities of life that force the theory to change. Just as one need not perceive the skeleton to see the man, one can see economics accurately without knowing the math it is built on. This book is to do just that: systematically build an intuitive understanding of the form of the skeleton that supports the theory. With the help of Buridan's Ass, dollar auctions, and arms races, this book will give the reader a more clear understanding of what economics is, and what economics isn't."

Learn The Nonfiction Book Publication Process With Mommas Jenna and Lauri and Poppa F

JennaGlatzer

wishes you happiness

Hyperbole

Addicted to Smilies

Lauri B

I Heart Mac

Anastacia

Milk Maker

Branwyn

Print release:Sept.1,'09

Branwyn

Print release:Sept.1,'09

nancy02664

Baby Name Maniac

aka eraser

Fish Whisperer

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot

perky_ms_d

Squeeze me!

Tsu Dho Nimh

LisaM11463

mrsrgm

LisaM11463

Lauri B

I Heart Mac

Lolly

Writer/Observer

Tsu Dho Nimh

JennaGlatzer

wishes you happiness

Steven Pollack

Talia

Contract Killer

FireMedic 105

whitepuppy

JennaGlatzer

wishes you happiness

jsh