| R. Dodge Woodson | | | | |
| | | | | - Book title |
| Writing A Book Proposal | | | | - Author’s name |
| The first step in getting a publisher | | | | - Publisher’s name |
| to publish your book idea is writing a book proposal. | | | | - Date of publication |
| This intimidates some people. It doesn’t have to | | | | - Number of pages in the book |
| be frightening. Once you know the components of a | | | | - Price of the book |
| professional book proposal you can attack it one | | | | - International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for the |
| phase at a time and prevail with a superior proposal. | | | | book |
| If you can’t create a winning book proposal you | | | | Determine what makes your book idea better or |
| are not likely to be able to sell or write a book. | | | | different and explain it to the publisher. If you |
| What does a book proposal | | | | can’t do this, your book will probably not get |
| consist of? The basic elements are as follows: | | | | published by a major publisher. |
| - Cover letter | | | | Concept and Approach |
| - Title of the book | | | | The concept and approach is your |
| - Table of contents | | | | big sales pitch. This is where you describe the |
| - Audience | | | | contents of your book, your credentials, and what |
| - Competition | | | | will make your book a pleasure to publish and profit |
| - Concept and approach | | | | from. This section is usually about two pages long. |
| - Credentials | | | | When fleshing out the concept and |
| - Reviewers | | | | approach you will want to include the types of |
| - Sample chapters | | | | illustrations you will use and how many of them the |
| - Contact information | | | | book will contain. How many book pages do you |
| Cover Letter | | | | foresee the book having? Will you incorporate tip |
| Your cover letter should be | | | | boxes or sidebars? |
| concise. Keep it to a single page. This letter is your | | | | Don’t worry about pricing the |
| sales pitch, so make every word count. Tell in no | | | | book or suggesting cover designs. The publisher will |
| more than two paragraphs why a publisher should be | | | | take care of this when the time comes. |
| interested in your idea. Follow this with a brief review | | | | Use this section to describe your |
| of your credentials to author the book and then lead | | | | writing style. Conversational style is usually desired. |
| into the proposal contents. | | | | Tell the publisher whatever is suitable to your topic in |
| Title of Book | | | | a way to make the book appear more desirable. |
| Choose the title of your book | | | | Credentials |
| carefully. Don’t make it too long. Avoid being | | | | Credentials are a key element in |
| cute with the title. If you are selling a how-to book, | | | | selling a non-fiction book. List all of your experience |
| the title should reflect the subject matter. An | | | | related to the subject matter. Make note of your |
| example might be: Remodel Your Bathroom in Less | | | | education, licenses held, or other information that |
| Than a Month! Another example could be: Building | | | | makes you the right author for the book. List any |
| Your Own Compositing System. The book title is the | | | | organizations that you belong to that might be |
| beginning hook for securing a publisher, so invest | | | | conducive to special sales. Essentially, sell yourself. |
| enough time in it to make yourself successful. | | | | Reviewers |
| Table of Contents | | | | Many publishers will want to |
| How long should a table of | | | | receive a minimum of three peer reviews of a |
| contents be? As long as it needs to be. Most | | | | proposal before taking a project to the editorial |
| non-fiction books contain between 10 and 20 | | | | board for approval. Include the names, titles, |
| chapters. I would say a good average is around 16 | | | | credentials, and contact information for people |
| chapters. The word count for such a book is likely to | | | | knowledgeable of your subject who may be willing to |
| be between 50,000 words and 85,000 words. | | | | do a review for the publisher. The publisher is likely to |
| Chapters do not have to be equal | | | | use your people and some of their own for the |
| in length. You should make them as long as they | | | | reviews. |
| need to be to convey the required information to | | | | Sample Chapters |
| readers. A table of contents should begin with a | | | | Many publishers will require one or |
| heading for an introduction. From there, you list | | | | two sample chapters from unknown authors. This |
| chapters in numerical order as they will appear in the | | | | allows the publisher to study your style and ability. It |
| book. Under each chapter title you should either write | | | | is best to use chapters from around the middle of |
| a paragraph that explains what the chapter will | | | | the book. Avoid using the first or last chapter. Make |
| contain or use a bullet list of at least five key topics | | | | your work shine. If you have gotten to the stage |
| to be covered in the chapter. | | | | where a publisher is willing to read your sample work, |
| Consider if your book will benefit | | | | you are well on the way to getting a book contract. |
| from a glossary or appendix materials. If so, this | | | | Contact Information |
| information should be listed on the table of contents. | | | | Don’t forget to include all of |
| Audience | | | | your contact information for publishers to use. It may |
| Who is the audience for your | | | | be surprising, but some authors fail to do this. Make |
| book? Never say everyone. There should be a prime | | | | yourself accessible and easy to contact if you want |
| audience and a secondary audience. If you are writing | | | | to make a sale. |
| a book about treasure hunting, your prime audience | | | | Submission |
| will be treasure hunters. Secondary markets could be | | | | The last step is the submission of |
| bottle diggers, metal detecting enthusiasts and so | | | | your proposal. Some publishers will accept electronic |
| forth. The more defined list of an audience you | | | | submissions while others want printed pages |
| provide, the better your chances of making a sale | | | | submitted. Check the publisher’s guidelines for |
| are. | | | | the name of the editor to submit your work to and |
| Competition | | | | in what form the work should be submitted. |
| You need to know your | | | | Publishers frown on multiple |
| competition and point it out to your perspective | | | | submissions. Don’t send your proposal to more |
| publisher. Don’t look for a book that has never | | | | than one publisher at a time. |
| been written. Publishers like the comfort level of | | | | Once you make your submission, it |
| being able to check the sales records of similar types | | | | is a waiting game. Quick answers are often |
| of books to see what the likelihood of success is for | | | | rejections. Expect it to take weeks to get any type |
| your project. | | | | of desirable reaction from a publisher. Be patient. If |
| Online book stores are excellent | | | | you are lucky, you will get a phone call when you |
| places to conduct your research. Find three books | | | | least expect it to discuss the prospects of publishing |
| that match your concept as closely as possible. Then | | | | your book. Making the sale will be an unforgettable |
| record the following data for your proposal: | | | | experience. |