The Nonfiction Book Proposal: A Quickstart Guide
So you’re thinking of writing a book. Congratulations!
Your book proposal determines how well a publisher will take care of your book. That means everything—from how much advance you will receive to how much marketing effort the publisher will devote to you. It’s the single most important tool you have for getting a book contract.
Think of your proposal as a roadmap. When you’re writing the proposal, you’re actually writing the book itself; the rest is just time and effort, as opposed to decisions and creativity.
Remember: The more work you do for the publisher in the proposal, the more likely the book will be picked up. A good proposal often takes several months to write. Take your time. It will pay off in the end.
What are the elements of a successful nonfiction book proposal?
Title: Your choice of a title is more important than you might think. Even if the publisher eventually changes it, catching the editor’s eye with a great title is helpful. Study other book titles that do well. What do they have in common? How can you position your book beside them?
Overview: The tone of the overview should reflect the voice used in the book itself. When writing your overview, keep the following question in mind: so what? Why should this book be written? If you can’t articulate an answer, then you haven’t done enough thinking about your book.
Audience: You have to identify who your readers are going to be. If you can’t say who will read your book, why should anyone try and sell it for you? Add how you plan to convince your audience to read this particular book.
Platform: What qualifies you to write this book? Why should anyone listen to you? What research have you done, articles and/or other books you have published on the topic? Do you have academic or teaching credentials? (Note: If you don’t have a platform, you may consider finding a co-author, someone who does have the necessary credentials.) This is becoming an increasingly important factor in getting a proposal accepted. There are ways of creating a platform, but they need to be implemented long before you write your proposal.
Details: Projected book length, delivery date, illustrations. Do you anticipate international interest? If so, say so here.
Marketing: Present a full-fledged, well-thought-out and specific marketing plan that includes social media, blog tours, website marketing, email marketing, and SEO, as well as off-line promotions and marketing in bookshops, libraries, etc.
Competition: What other books are out there that are on the same or similar topics? How well are they selling? (It’s a good idea to compare yourself to other books that have in fact sold well.) What does you book do that theirs do not?
Table of Contents (TOC): Chapters should build on one another; make sure that there is a coherent, identifiable flow.
Chapter-by-Chapter Summary: Show, don’t tell! This is no time for dry summations. What ground is covered? Include examples wherever possible. You should have at least one page devoted to each chapter in this summary.
Excerpt/Sample Chapters: Usually the first three chapters, polished and "finished."
Endorsements: Use the acknowledgments page in similar books for resources in building an endorsements list. You may not be able to obtain any based solely on the proposal (although it’s not unknown), but indicate the people you’ve contacted along with their responses. Again, doing some of the publisher’s legwork is a tremendous plus.
Editors keep current with the fields in which they acquire books; you need to do the same! Be clear as to what the current conversations are about. Read all the available literature. Be sure that you’re not just rehashing an old idea. And good luck!