WRITING BOOK PROPOSALS -1

Every class I teach I ask my adult students, "How many of you are sending out your entire book?" There were always 3 or 4 who raise their hands. And most of these had spent at least a year or more peddling their book to one publisher at a time. Unfortunately they've wasted a lot of effort and time.  Why?

Books today are not sold on the basis of a book, but on the basis of a proposal and 1 to 3 sample chapters. In addition we do not market to one publisher at a time, but to as many as you think might be interested in your manuscript.  Many times we (my students and clients) have sent out 60 letters of inquiry to acquisition editors, found about 15 publishers who wanted to see the proposal, had 4 or 5 proposals taken to the editorial board, and wound up with at least one offer, sometimes several.

The Upside Down Approach

To many authors writing a proposal before finishing the book seems backward. But that's the way publishers buy most of their books today.  If an acquisition editor sees your book proposal, likes it, and considers it a possibility for the list, they usually take it around to other editors to see if they can drum up support. If so, they present it to the editorial board at their weekly or monthly meetings (depending on the size of the publisher).

If the board votes for the book, the editor will get back to you and offer a contract and an advance. Usually the sales manager has a great deal to say about what books the house buys and which ones they turn down. As a general rule, about one third of titles taken to the editorial board eventually receive an offer.

When you think of the thousands of manuscripts the large publishers receive every year, you often wonder if you have any chance at all of getting through. The truth is, you do. Out of one of my classes on How to Write and Sell the Non-Fiction book, 12 authors out of the 35 adults in the class placed their book the first time out. It's all in how you do it.

The Secret Formula. 

Of course there is not really any secret formula, except that books are sold, as we've already mentioned, on the basis of a proposal and a sample chapter or two.  But in order to sell an editor on your book, the proposal must be well written. And keep in mind that a proposal is not a summary of what the book is about, but a sales brochure that explains what your target reader will get out of the book and why the book has a unique approach. 

A proposal has an About the Book section, a Marketing section, a Book Comparison, the Author's Biography, and a Selling Outline.

The best book I've seen on the subject is How to Write a book proposal by Michael Larson.