Writing an irresistible book proposal by michael larsen the golden rule of writing a book proposal is that every word in your. Everything you need to know to start writing a book proposal for your nonfiction book. But some authors dont think a proposal is necessary. I recently read the book entitled book proposals that sell. There are, however, certain things a book proposal must contain if it is to do its job for you and that job is to sell your idea. It is a one hour lecture talking about the basics elements of a proposal. Thankfully, they have only one submission portal, and the editors will decide which. For submission guidelines of dancing with bear publishing click here. If you prepare a salable proposal, you can get paid to write your book. Book proposals are used to sell nonfiction books to publishers. Book proposals id love to see what tamela hancock murray.
Harpercollins christian publishing operates two selfpublishing imprints, in alliance with thirdparty providers, westbow press with author solutions inc. You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. How to write a childrens book proposal, by crystal bowman. Some agents and publishers reference specific parts of the proposal before reading the entire document. The evangelical christian publishers association offers a book proposal service at.
It is a lot of work to create a good book proposal, but it is one of the most. Book proposals that sell is a small book packed with beneficial information for the nonfiction, and to a smaller extent, fiction writer. There are publishers looking for good authors and fresh ideas and you can submit your proposal. The truth is the nonfiction book proposal is an entirely different beast. For writersauthors christian manuscript submissions. Among its bestselling authors are beth moore audacious, praying gods word. They sell their books at a pretty low price point confessions of a ninja. Along with the 21 secrets he exposes, he gives you a section on resources, and even a sample proposal that garnered big bucks.
Klems june 28, 2012 in the process of writing my own nonfiction book proposal earlier this year thanks to my year of amazing pledge, i searched everywhere i could for tips and advice on how to write a nonfiction book proposal. Our years of experience and success brings a unique service to our clients. Most publishing houses want to receive a book proposal rather than an entire manuscript. Pastor greg dutcher, author when you are a new, unagented writer, getting a manuscript or even a proposal reading by a wellknown publishing house can be extremely difficult. Books are sold with proposals the steve laube agency. Nonfiction book proposals anybody can write gave me the structure i needed to produce a coherent, organized proposal. Include in your proposal why you believe your book will sell, a market analysis of the current book market in relationship to your book, an outline of the chapters of your book, a projected date when youd be able to complete the book and two or three sample chapters. Rhonda wilson is a licensed psychologist and holds two advanced degrees. As a book publicist and book marketing specialist, i am the first to impress on authors the new and powerful marketing avenues open to all authors on the internet from book websites to book. Agents are looking for something more specific when it comes to nonfiction. You should have a book proposal written for the series too.
If its a narrative book like a memoir, it could be a compelling paragraph from your book but only use it once in your proposal. Writing a book proposal is often the most fun part of writing a book because at this stage everything is open to change and you can use your full creativity to structure and organize the book however you wish. Based on feedback from our publishers and book proposal experts, we have prepared an easytouse 12question proposal form to help you create a professional book proposal in a format publishers prefer. A complete proposal sells your book, pure and simple. How to sell a book idea to a publisher career trend. Official website of christian literary agent steve laube. It is by david sanford, a published author, editor, and literary agent for more than 300 books who now serves on the leadership team at corban university.
See below for more information on how to selfpublish your book. They also want to know what platform or connections you have or can create to help promote your book. Book fairs and festivals the top 25 for authors and publishers. Writing more effective book proposals christian authors network. To determine the submission format for each publishing house, check the latest edition of the christian. Online classes with publishing expert jane friedman. But if you pitch several agents you need to tell them that your book has been. Sample book proposal from a professional literary agency. Dan kimball bestselling author of they like jesus but not the. Manuscript information harpercollins christian publishing.
Terry whalin, is of great benefit for the writer seeking publication. Dove christian publishers offers authors a royalty rate of 15% of the list price if sold through its website, or 10% of the list price if sold through a distributor. Cindy woodsmall is a new york times and cba best selling author who has written over twenty works of fiction and one of nonfiction. Leading seller of christian books, bibles, gifts, homeschool products, church supplies, dvds, toys and more. How to write a good nonfiction book proposal for submission. Now granted, this book is tailored for nonfiction proposals, but im a fiction writer and my copy is marked and dogeared. If insert core audience reads insert title then insert target audience will experience insert reader benefits because describe how the book will accomplish its objectives. Their books serve young theologians, college students, seminar attendees, educators, and counselors working in churches.
The proposal will include your book s title, summary, pitch line, chapter headings, and writing sample. A book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Terry whalin has been a front runner in the publishing industry for many years, both as a published writer, and as an acquisitions editor. Most nonfiction books sell on the basis of a proposal not finished work. The 8 essential elements of a nonfiction book proposal by. Does harpercollins christian publishing offer any resources to help authors. In a christian writers guide to the book proposal, i share six reasons why it benefits you to write a book proposal and seven items that should be part of every book proposal. We focus primarily in the christian marketplace and have put together an outstanding gallery of authors and speakers whose books continue to make an impact throughout the world.
Packed with straight forward instruction on the publishing industry complete with resources and samples, you will read and continue to refer back to this book. Written with an insiders knowledge, this book is broken down into twentyone easy to understand secrets that will advance the readerwriter past any competition and closer to the goal of publication. Among its bestselling authors are beth moore audacious, praying gods word, stephen. There are publishers looking for good authors and fresh ideas and you can submit your proposal to them directly and online. We currently accept unsolicited book proposals for the following imprints only. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment. Good luck selling anything on amazon without a good product description. Overwhelmed by a relentless god by francis chan, the purpose driven. She and her dearest old order amish friend, miriam flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, plain wisdom. Unless its a serious or refer ence book, your title must tell and sell. Literary agents act as a mediator between an author and a publisher. The process of creating a book proposal is a disciplined and important effort for every author. Your book hook includes three pieces of information. Nonfiction book proposal outline here is a basic template for a book proposal, which many of our clients have used successfully.
Let them know who your target audience the people who will most likely buy this book is and persuade them with words that sell, not just words. You can sell your book without an agent, but youre competing with. They print out around 60 new books every year and sell over 1800 titles throughout the world. The focus is not just on writing a book proposal that will sell the idea, but that will also sell the book when it finally makes its way to market. Before this, the publisher will agree to publish a book, with the first step being a proposal from an agent or author. If youve written a book centered on christianity or spiritual development, you might. I was able to send my proposal within a week, and three months later, my agent was responding to bids from four large publishing houses. We recommend that you consider taking steve laubes course on book proposal preparation found on the christian writers institute website. The steve laube agency is committed to providing top quality guidance to authors and speakers. Macgregor literary fiction book proposal page 2 the manuscript title. Shop for christian books, bibles, gifts, homeschool products, church supplies, dvds, toys and much more.
Since then, it has been releasing books in the area of theology, biblical studies, preaching, worship, ethics religion, and culture. If only you could get the right people to look at it, maybe theyd publish it. Find sample book proposals online or use the writers market for examples. For submission guidelines of dove christian publishers click here. Proposals are usually 1415 pages long and include the information about the series, a long pitch, elevator pitch, marketing plan, comparison analysisits basically to sell yourself and your book. Everything my agent wanted to see in my proposal was there because of elizabeths book. Publishers want to know why you are the right person to write this book. An invitation into an amish home and the hearts of two women. Make sure the page numbers match the content in book proposal. Youre going to have to essentially sell them your book, sending them a document that contains details about your qualifications, a chapterbychapter outline, and most importantly, how your. In book proposals that sell, terry covers every aspect of what will float or sink your proposal. Christian jennings is the author of five nonfiction books and is currently at work on a book about the last year of wwii in northern italy entitled if i live to see the dawn at war on the gothic line 1944.
1412 651 436 777 1100 537 293 1097 1237 187 70 281 752 1265 762 61 16 598 126 110 696 464 23 459 17 91 1208 1202 577 845 544 912