Proposals

Are you talking about fiction or nonfiction?

Memoirs are actually queried like fiction. So, query letter, not a proposal.

Don't query before you've written your proposal, because some agents ask for proposals, others ask for the manuscript. I've only had one agent ask for my proposal first, though. I would have been up a creek if I didn't have it ready. My proposal took longer to write than the first draft of my memoir. It's not something you can throw together in a weekend.

ToTestify said:

What is a proposal? I thought it was the agent who made the "proposal". Some agencies say not to send a manuscript or proposal unless requested. How can a person send a proposal if they don't know what that is???

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Google "Non-fiction proposal" and various relevant permutations for more information. Lots of information out there including step-by-step guides on how to write one. By doing all your own leg-work, you'll be able to filter what information works best for you.

By the way, some agents still want a proposal for memoir even though it is supposed to be terated like fiction.

Found something!

ETA: I'll PM it...

ToTestify said:

What is a proposal? I thought it was the agent who made the "proposal". Some agencies say not to send a manuscript or proposal unless requested. How can a person send a proposal if they don't know what that is???

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Proposals only really apply for non-fiction. It's basically where you send a proposal of what the book would be. Have a look here to see how
http://www.shepardagency.com/writing_proposals.html

For fiction you should generally have completed the book before you try and sell it. Later in your career you may be able to sell your fiction based on a proposal, but by then the agents and editors concerned will know your work and you will have established yourself enough to be able to do that.

ToTestify said:

Ok, so say I have a manuscript and sent a query and they still want a proposal. I don't even understand what that means.
To me a proposal is a job offer with financial deals laid out on the table. ?????

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Not good. You won't be able to throw together a proposal. It's a specific type of writing, not unlike the query is. I hated writing mine, but was quite glad my mentor (who had 2 memoirs published) advised me to write one so I wouldn't appear unprofessional or unprepared.
Only one agent asked me for my proposal, though. The rest have requested full or partial MS.