If you successfully execute this, the sum of the proposals parts will convince a publisher to invest in you and your goal. How to write a nonfiction book proposal nathan bransford. Always read submission guidelines carefully, as agents and editors sometimes want more or fewer sections than the ones i outline below. If youre querying literary agents with a nonfiction project, theres a good chance that youll be. Check off each section as you complete itand let us know if it works for you. It takes me months to finish writing a book proposal. Common proposal sections 2 heading contents alternative heading evaluation explain how the success of the project will be measured refer back to the stated objectives.
For nonfiction book proposals, two chapters of your book will suffice. As with a book s table of contents toc listing the chapters. Sample book proposal from a professional literary agency. Weekly lectures, examples, and assignments will focus on the different sections of the book proposal. When you selfpublish, you dont need to write a book proposal. Your proposal structure will contain several sections. Author bio this book proposal section is where you introduce yourself and your qualifications, but be briefonly share what you need to in order to prove you can actually do the project.
I m deep in the thrill of starting a new project right now, an 80s memoir about houses. What to write when from how to write a book proposal, fifth edition by jody rein with michael larsen writing your proposal in this order will enhance your productivity and reduce stress and procrastination. Your sample chapters should showcase your book, so pick the introduction your proposal overview introduces the book to the agentseditors. One of the smartest things ive heard anyone say about writing a book proposal is this. Youll also want to include a table of contents for the book proposal after this section, too, with page numbers for the main sections. You do not have to necessarily do the steps in this order but this order works well in most cases. For fiction, include several chapters in the book proposal, and the entire manuscript in a separate file. This ones short and tothepoint, and the last time i.
This is the section where you lay out the basic idea of the book and discuss. I like this one because it contains ten reallife proposals that sold. But in the about the author section of your book proposal youve got to overcome your natural inclination to be reticent. Lets explore what a proposal format might look like by getting to know the sections you might include in your proposal. A good project proposal has an additional advantage. Proposed title s slightly different from the title page section of the book proposal. Slightly different from the title page section of the book proposal, this is where alternative titles and subtitles can be proposed in a list format. There are several books available on writing book proposals. How to write the competing books section of a book proposal.
Participants will engage in discussions and submit work for feedback from the instructor and other students. Sample chapters in a book proposal writing for your life. You dont need to include this section if there isnt anything that needs to be explained. Youll make the case for your books marketability in this proposal, so youll want to include sections on your target audience, competitive titles, a table of contents and an outline. You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. Even if the proposal you write is not the standard proposal, you will likely need much of the information that does make up the full proposal, but in an abbreviated form. Here are the different sections you need in a basic book proposal. Once you have all this information assembled, you are ready to start writing your proposal. Her sections are thorough, leaving no topic untouched, but not detailed to the point of watereddown redundancy, as so many of the books competing titles are. 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. Your proposal may have some or all of these sections depending on what information your client asks for. I know you dont like to brag and boast about what youve accomplished. Do you plan to classtest the material in your own or other sections of the course.
In my experience, most authors struggle the most with the audience and marketing section of. Identify your novels audience the specific categories of readers your book is aimed at 6. Im going to break down the five parts of a book proposal and make it as easy as possible for you to start writing right now. Overview describe your book in two or three paragraphs 500 wo. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment. The most common book proposal sections competitive title analysis. In a short section, describe how you will organize your book and why, as needed. Will the book include photographs, line drawings, cases, questions, problems, glossaries, bibliography, references, appendices, etc. Every proposaland you can find examples in a nanosecond by googlingshould contain the following sections. Developing a marketing strategy for your book proposal.
State how the data will be collected, analyzed and documented. Come right out and say all the positive things about yourself and your writing credentials that an agent would say if she were representing you. At its root, this is the purpose of each section in a book proposal, so be clear and persuasive. The anatomy of a compelling book proposal the bindery. Writing a great book proposal is how to sell your book to a publisher. A book proposal has a title page also called a cover page, a table of contents for the proposal, and several sections. The basic parts of a book proposal include the following sections.
To work with a traditional publisher, you are in effect asking them to invest a lot of money into your book. Your title page should include the title and subtitle, if. Here is a basic template for a book proposal, which many of our clients have used successfully. Think of a book proposal as a business plan for your book. As with a books table of contents toc listing the chapters, a nonfiction book proposal will have a toc page listing the individual sections and page numbers of the proposal. This includes the target audience, competitive titles, and the selling points of your book. How to write a book proposal that sells publishizer medium. A book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Preparing a book proposal for submission to a publisher or an agent requires you write a table of contents toc. This should be an outline of the book concept you plan to propose. While there are entire books on how to write a book proposal many of them excellent, here is a short version.
The following is my book proposal template you can use to write your proposal. Look at most any toc inside a book to get a sense of what this page will look like. Though its written in place of an actual book, it should build a complete argument for the book idea. Instead of writing the entire book, then trying to interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels, you write the proposal first. If youre seeking traditional publication for a nonfiction book, youre most likely going to need to write a nonfiction book proposal the art of writing a nonfiction book proposal is sort of like cooking lasagna. Also, just as the lead to an article or the first chapter to a book entices a reader to continue reading, the overview of a book proposal entices an agent or acquisition editor to read the rest. How to write a book proposal in 6 quick and easy steps. In an email the attached file name should be descriptive author name fiction or nonfiction proposal logline. How to write a book proposal the creative independent. What can you specifically do to market and promote the book.
Most believe its the step you need to take just before pursuing a book deal, which is often true. Here are the most common sections of grant proposals, and the information you should include. This includes a proposed title and table of contents for your book, and estimates of how long each section will be and. But these are the mainstay ingredients ive used every time i sit down to write a book. Id argue that a good proposal has the ability to do much. Handbook for how to write a project proposal detailed. There are six sections that should be included in any nonfiction book proposal. 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 first to a literary agent and then to an acquiring editor.
Lets say youre writing a book about princess diana. Nonfiction book proposal outline ted weinstein literary. So now you want to know how to write a book proposal. Below are the various sections you will typically include when writing proposals. Do not assume that each one of them has to be in the actual proposal you write, nor that they have to be in the order they are presented here. Ill start with the must haves and then explain the optionals. There are sections in this sample proposal that you may or may not. The 7 sections of a nonfiction book proposal if youre querying literary agents with a nonfiction project, theres a good chance that youll be asked to submit a proposal for your book. Remember to use these as hintsdo not follow them slavishly as if a literary agent is going to spend their time critiquing your cover letter. In my opinion, this is the most important part of a book proposal. To begin this document, start with a list of your chapters. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal by andy ross. Every proposal has to have a standard set of sections, and then there are some that are optional. As mentioned in my discussion on how to get published, if youre interested in writing a booklength work of nonfiction, you dont need to write the entire manuscript before you make the sale.
There are a thousand ways of making it, everyone has their own recipe, but most every lasagna will have a few basic ingredients and chances are its going to. Writing a winning nonfiction book proposal 32 30 from my experience, a great book proposal needs to include five distinct elements see fig. In writing my firstever book proposal, i found warners book to be imperative as a guide to crafting the highest quality proposal i am capable of producing. Hints for a great cover letter the steve laube agency. The overview for your book proposal covers the full scope of your books concept and helps an agent or acquisition editor see your book in totality. In the middle of the page, put proposal for title of book. In fact, for my travel adventure memoir, ive been working on the proposal onandoff for the last two years, and even then, my agent is asking for a rewrite. By the way, we make a distinction between a cover letter and a query letter. While theres no single best way to write and assemble a book proposalit will depend on the. Instead, you write the proposal that describes what the book is about, why its interesting, and why it has an audience.
I learned to write book proposals directly from the editors to whom i. The book proposal is a 1550 or so page manuscript that a writer uses to pitch a nonfiction book to publishers. This is especially useful if you break the book down into sections or have organized the chapters in a certain way for a specific reason. Your book proposal competing books section will then have the look and feel of a professional product one that isnt afraid to talk about competing books. Ive listed them below, with short descriptions, in no particular order you may want to shuffle sections around depending on the content of your book. It was not acceptedthe sales team thought the project was too localinterestbut writing that proposal gave me the template and approach that i went on to utilize again and again, ultimately with much success.
Its usually at least 20 pages long, often much longer. Last week, i was feeling really good about how much i had accomplished a sample chapter and prologue, an overview of the book for a book proposal until i decided to really map out what it is going to take to get this project done. For most acquisition editors, this is a very important part of the proposal. Though introduced by a query letter, the book proposal explains the nuts and bolts of your book.
The best way to cover competing books in a book proposal is to devote only one or two sentences to each book. How to finally write your nonfiction book the new york times. How to write a nonfiction book proposal with template. Submitting a proposal on the academic oxford university press website academic skip to main. To repeat, given the importance of an effective book proposal and difficulty of what the preparation of one involves, i strongly recommend that this book be consulted in combination with both michael larsens how to write a book proposal and. This page will direct you to some examples of book proposal sections so that you can put together a winning book proposal. Propose a chapterbychapter plan with a beginning, middle, and end. In detail researchex july 25, 2018 in the final post of this series on gaining a book contract, dr alice eden discusses the various sections of an academic book proposal in the humanities based on her recent success gaining a. Proposed titles slightly different from the title page section of the book. A book proposal should include each of the following sections, in this order. Here are a few suggestions for you to consider when approaching an agent. Below is a sample of a complete and exhaustive book proposal for a christian nonfiction manuscript.