Writing A Great Book Proposal
Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Ok, in my last post, I said that I would post information about a book proposal. Book proposals are the “formal outlines” for the book that you are writing, have written, or propose to write. They give agents as well as publishers an overview of what you propose to do, without them actually having to read the entire manuscript.
If done right, a book proposal will give an accurate and clear view of your book. Proposals also let others know whether they will ask you for the actual manuscript so they need to be written well.
The following example is not an exact science, but it is an outline that you can follow to create a smashing book proposal. This was helpful to me when I began writing my first book proposal and I found it to be a great outline. You can also use this outline as well to submit articles to magazines that require an “article outline” or “article proposal”.
You can also find this same information at a website that I found invaluable for resources as a writer. The site is Book & Manuscript Help for Writers. The site address is http://www.booksandmanuscripts.com/writers... . The outline that I am sharing with you today was written by Thomas Nelson. It can be downloaded from the site in PDF format.
The site is a wealth of information and includes VALUABLE links for up and coming Authors like The Writers Guild of America, The National Endowment of the Arts, and The Blue Book of Grammar.
Ok, Let’s jump right in. A great book proposal should include:
Cover Letter
Title Page
Proposal Overview
Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
Two Sample Chapters
Figure 1: Complete Book Proposal Outline
Title Page
Proposal Overview
I. The Content
A. Premise
B. Unique Selling Proposition
C. Overview
D. Manuscript
1. Manuscript Status
2. Special Features
3. Anticipated Manuscript Length
4. Anticipated Manuscript Completion Date
II. The Market
A. Demographic Description
B. Psychographic Description
C. Affinity Group
D. Competition
III. The Author
A. Background
B. Previous Writing
C. Personal Marketing
Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
Two Sample Chapters
Create the Title Page:
If the editor isn’t “hooked” by the title, he/she will never open your proposal to see what is inside. The purpose of the working title is to focus your thinking as you develop the book idea. The working title should clearly encapsulate the book’s premise. It might state the promise to the reader if he reads the book. It might even state the consequences if he doesn’t. Sometimes the title will also include a subtitle. Let’s consider a hypothetical book. After a little work, you come up with the following
Working Title:
Helping Your Children Become Financially Responsible. After a little more thought, you add the following subtitle: What Every Parent Should Know. This title clearly encapsulates the book’s premise and communicates the promise to the reader. Once you’ve come up with a title you need to remember that a working title is just that: a working title. It’s tentative. You may decide to revise it later. Sometimes, the publisher will want to revise it. In any event, its purpose now is simply to focus the development of your book idea and to clearly–and quickly–communicate your book’s basic idea. Type the title neatly centered on one page.
You should enter the subtitle on a separate line, directly under the title. Also, type the date you are submitting the proposal. Finally, type your name, address, and phone numbers near the bottom of the page. If you want, you can add an e-mail address (see fig. 2 on p. 3).
Write a Proposal Overview:
The proposal overview consists of three distinct sections:
1. The Content (What is the book about?)
2. The Market (Who will buy this book?)
3. The Author (Why are you the best possible author for this book?)
It should be no more than three to five single-spaced pages in length (see
fig. 3-7, beginning on p. 4, for an example).
The Content
Once an editor flips past the title page, he then wants to know what the book is about. You can best communicate this by stating the book’s premise, setting forth a few other details about your book.
Premise
The premise is a two- or three sentence statement of the book’s basic concept or thesis. Usually, it identifies the need and then proposes a solution. Let’s return to the hypothetical book. What’s the need you’re trying to address? Isn’t it the lack of training in money management that children are receiving from their parents? Or, to turn it around a bit, isn’t it the failure of parents to teach their children how to become financially responsible that concerns you? After a little work, you come up with the following
Premise:
Most children will leave their homes
upon graduation from high school
with little–if any–training in money
management. As a result, they are
likely to experience many years of
struggle and frustration. The purpose
of this book is to equip parents to
teach their children the attitudes,
principles and skills they need in
order to enjoy a life free of financial
hassle and heartache.
You’ve identified the problem, and you’ve said exactly what the book will do to solve it. And you’ve done it in three sentences! Developing a good premise is one of the most difficult challenges of good writing. It is, however, absolutely vital. Without it, your writing will lack clarity and focus. With it, your writing is more likely to be strong and forceful. It is well worth investing the time necessary to write a strong premise.
Unique Selling Proposition.
Now that you have a premise, you need to focus on how the reader will benefit from
reading your book. This is what publishers often refer to as the book’s “take
away” value–what the reader can expect to “take away” after reading the book. It is sometimes referred to as the book’s unique selling proposition, or USP. This proposition clearly identifies what the reader will gain by reading the book (i.e., the book’s benefits) and how the book will deliver it (i.e., the book’s features). The simplest way to arrive at a solid USP is to complete this sentence (fill in the information between the brackets): If consumers in the target market purchase and read [name of book], then they will [list the book’s benefits], because the book will [list the book’s features].
Now let’s turn to our hypothetical book project, and create a compelling USP: If consumers in the target market purchase and read Helping Your Children Become Financially Responsible, Then they will:
• Understand what’s at stake in the financial training of their children.
• Be able to pass on the most important attitudes, principles, and skills children must acquire before they can gain mastery over the money.
• Learn effective ways of communicating to children about money–with examples and metaphors children can understand.
Because the book will:
• Provide specific examples of parents who have succeeded.
• Outline a simple technique for money management.
This is just the beginning of the professional book proposal written by Thomas Nelson. You can download the complete PDF file at http://www.booksandmanuscripts.com/writers... . Click on the second blue link in the middle of the page. Thomas Nelson is a great source of information. The entire book proposal is ten pages long. I used this outline to create my book proposal for my Autobiography. I was all over the map when I was writing my bio, because it was so important to me. It is my life, I lived it, but I didn’t know how to accurately pull the reader into my life story.
I wanted the reader to be able to “PICTURE” my life as it unfolded. In other words, the reader should be able to put themselves in my shoes and live my life as if it happened to them instead of me. That was hard to do and this helped me to streamline my thoughts, my ideas, and helped me to convey, clearly to the reader, my life story. Your book proposal should do the same for the agent or publisher. It should be written so that they can’t wait to actually read the rest of the story.
For a snippet and intro to my autobiography titled The Road To Me I Now Know Why That Caged Bird Sang, go to http://www.jessicaangelique.blogspot.com . This is how well Thomas Nelson’s book proposal helped me.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Ok, in my last post, I said that I would post information about a book proposal. Book proposals are the “formal outlines” for the book that you are writing, have written, or propose to write. They give agents as well as publishers an overview of what you propose to do, without them actually having to read the entire manuscript.
If done right, a book proposal will give an accurate and clear view of your book. Proposals also let others know whether they will ask you for the actual manuscript so they need to be written well.
The following example is not an exact science, but it is an outline that you can follow to create a smashing book proposal. This was helpful to me when I began writing my first book proposal and I found it to be a great outline. You can also use this outline as well to submit articles to magazines that require an “article outline” or “article proposal”.
You can also find this same information at a website that I found invaluable for resources as a writer. The site is Book & Manuscript Help for Writers. The site address is http://www.booksandmanuscripts.com/writers... . The outline that I am sharing with you today was written by Thomas Nelson. It can be downloaded from the site in PDF format.
The site is a wealth of information and includes VALUABLE links for up and coming Authors like The Writers Guild of America, The National Endowment of the Arts, and The Blue Book of Grammar.
Ok, Let’s jump right in. A great book proposal should include:
Cover Letter
Title Page
Proposal Overview
Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
Two Sample Chapters
Figure 1: Complete Book Proposal Outline
Title Page
Proposal Overview
I. The Content
A. Premise
B. Unique Selling Proposition
C. Overview
D. Manuscript
1. Manuscript Status
2. Special Features
3. Anticipated Manuscript Length
4. Anticipated Manuscript Completion Date
II. The Market
A. Demographic Description
B. Psychographic Description
C. Affinity Group
D. Competition
III. The Author
A. Background
B. Previous Writing
C. Personal Marketing
Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
Two Sample Chapters
Create the Title Page:
If the editor isn’t “hooked” by the title, he/she will never open your proposal to see what is inside. The purpose of the working title is to focus your thinking as you develop the book idea. The working title should clearly encapsulate the book’s premise. It might state the promise to the reader if he reads the book. It might even state the consequences if he doesn’t. Sometimes the title will also include a subtitle. Let’s consider a hypothetical book. After a little work, you come up with the following
Working Title:
Helping Your Children Become Financially Responsible. After a little more thought, you add the following subtitle: What Every Parent Should Know. This title clearly encapsulates the book’s premise and communicates the promise to the reader. Once you’ve come up with a title you need to remember that a working title is just that: a working title. It’s tentative. You may decide to revise it later. Sometimes, the publisher will want to revise it. In any event, its purpose now is simply to focus the development of your book idea and to clearly–and quickly–communicate your book’s basic idea. Type the title neatly centered on one page.
You should enter the subtitle on a separate line, directly under the title. Also, type the date you are submitting the proposal. Finally, type your name, address, and phone numbers near the bottom of the page. If you want, you can add an e-mail address (see fig. 2 on p. 3).
Write a Proposal Overview:
The proposal overview consists of three distinct sections:
1. The Content (What is the book about?)
2. The Market (Who will buy this book?)
3. The Author (Why are you the best possible author for this book?)
It should be no more than three to five single-spaced pages in length (see
fig. 3-7, beginning on p. 4, for an example).
The Content
Once an editor flips past the title page, he then wants to know what the book is about. You can best communicate this by stating the book’s premise, setting forth a few other details about your book.
Premise
The premise is a two- or three sentence statement of the book’s basic concept or thesis. Usually, it identifies the need and then proposes a solution. Let’s return to the hypothetical book. What’s the need you’re trying to address? Isn’t it the lack of training in money management that children are receiving from their parents? Or, to turn it around a bit, isn’t it the failure of parents to teach their children how to become financially responsible that concerns you? After a little work, you come up with the following
Premise:
Most children will leave their homes
upon graduation from high school
with little–if any–training in money
management. As a result, they are
likely to experience many years of
struggle and frustration. The purpose
of this book is to equip parents to
teach their children the attitudes,
principles and skills they need in
order to enjoy a life free of financial
hassle and heartache.
You’ve identified the problem, and you’ve said exactly what the book will do to solve it. And you’ve done it in three sentences! Developing a good premise is one of the most difficult challenges of good writing. It is, however, absolutely vital. Without it, your writing will lack clarity and focus. With it, your writing is more likely to be strong and forceful. It is well worth investing the time necessary to write a strong premise.
Unique Selling Proposition.
Now that you have a premise, you need to focus on how the reader will benefit from
reading your book. This is what publishers often refer to as the book’s “take
away” value–what the reader can expect to “take away” after reading the book. It is sometimes referred to as the book’s unique selling proposition, or USP. This proposition clearly identifies what the reader will gain by reading the book (i.e., the book’s benefits) and how the book will deliver it (i.e., the book’s features). The simplest way to arrive at a solid USP is to complete this sentence (fill in the information between the brackets): If consumers in the target market purchase and read [name of book], then they will [list the book’s benefits], because the book will [list the book’s features].
Now let’s turn to our hypothetical book project, and create a compelling USP: If consumers in the target market purchase and read Helping Your Children Become Financially Responsible, Then they will:
• Understand what’s at stake in the financial training of their children.
• Be able to pass on the most important attitudes, principles, and skills children must acquire before they can gain mastery over the money.
• Learn effective ways of communicating to children about money–with examples and metaphors children can understand.
Because the book will:
• Provide specific examples of parents who have succeeded.
• Outline a simple technique for money management.
This is just the beginning of the professional book proposal written by Thomas Nelson. You can download the complete PDF file at http://www.booksandmanuscripts.com/writers... . Click on the second blue link in the middle of the page. Thomas Nelson is a great source of information. The entire book proposal is ten pages long. I used this outline to create my book proposal for my Autobiography. I was all over the map when I was writing my bio, because it was so important to me. It is my life, I lived it, but I didn’t know how to accurately pull the reader into my life story.
I wanted the reader to be able to “PICTURE” my life as it unfolded. In other words, the reader should be able to put themselves in my shoes and live my life as if it happened to them instead of me. That was hard to do and this helped me to streamline my thoughts, my ideas, and helped me to convey, clearly to the reader, my life story. Your book proposal should do the same for the agent or publisher. It should be written so that they can’t wait to actually read the rest of the story.
For a snippet and intro to my autobiography titled The Road To Me I Now Know Why That Caged Bird Sang, go to http://www.jessicaangelique.blogspot.com . This is how well Thomas Nelson’s book proposal helped me.
This is great information thanks for sharing....!