Book Proposals

Book Proposal Rejection: How Do You Get Unblocked Afterwards?

May 14, 2010 by Lisa Tener

head-on-hands-on-books — Your Book Writing Coach

Here’s question number 2 in this week’s “Burning Questions” series: a question about book proposal rejection.

Ellen asked: “How do you get unblocked after rejection? I sent a proposal and sample for my book to an agent or two. After getting rejected, I have not been able to start again.”

I’d like to answer Ellen’s question with some specific steps I would take to move forward successfully with the book proposal, along with tips for how to unblock.

1. Did you do it right? I always ask authors whether they sent a query letter (or met the agent) and actually received an invitation to submit their book proposal before sending it. I’m fairly certain Ellen did this, but always make sure you follow common practices.

2. Don’t take it personally: Hearing “no” is part of the deal. Most authors have received rejection letters before they got a “yes,” in the same way that most successful sales people get more “nos” than “yeses.” Sales people learn to tell themselves that it doesn’t mean they’re a failure or a bad person. In fact, the “no” has nothing to do with their self-worth at all.

3. Congratulate yourself: Remind yourself that most successful authors have gotten many more than one or two rejections. Read a list of authors who received more than a hundred rejections: Mark Victor Hanson and Jack Canfield (authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul) (Good thing they didn’t take no for an answer); Ray Bradbury (almost a thousand rejections) (inkygirl.com); William Saroyan received 7,000 rejections for his stories (right-writing.com); Jack London received a mere 600 rejections (Timesonline.com).

You have now joined the ranks of seasoned authors in one of the first initiatory rites of passage.

4. Still blocked? Meet Your Muse: I often take my book writing students on a visualization/journey where they imagine meeting their muse, or creative self, to get answers. Your muse might show up as a symbol, animal, wise teacher, or just a felt sense. Often, meeting your muse in this way can help you unblock. If you’re not in my classes, just imagine yourself walking a path in the woods, up to a small structure/building where your muse awaits you. Imagine the scene in detail, see how your muse appears to you and write about your conversation. Ask your muse for answers and assistance to unblock.

author rejection — Agent Feedback Helped Improve our Book and Proposal after Rejection

5. Get feedback: If you can, ask the agents or publishers why the proposal was rejected. Their insights will not just help you write a winning proposal, but can help you write a better book. It certainly did that for the book I began with Peaco Todd: The Ultimate Guide to Transforming Anger. Feedback got us to team up with anger expect Jane Middelton-Moz and write a much improved book.

6. Analyze the situation: Do you have a small author platform (or following) or is your book in a highly competitive category? If so, you may need to build your platform and grow your mailing list, publicity efforts, web traffic, etc.

7. Get an expert opinion: Get feedback from a book proposal expert and see if there’s something missing. Maybe you did not make a strong enough case for the book. Maybe there’s an angle that could make your book proposal even more compelling–a slight change of market or fresh idea. I recently helped an author who’d been writing for a smaller market. We worked on her book concept and two agents who had not been interested both wanted to represent the book.

8. Send more query letters: Once you get some feedback and make any necessary changes, send out more query letters. One or two proposals sent may not be a large enough sample, either. You might try more like three or four at a time.

Write a Book Proposal: Researching Your Markets for the Book

May 4, 2010 by Lisa Tener

I’m often asked where to find information that will be useful in writing the markets for the book section of a book proposal, or in making decisions about the book’s tone, content, features and other aspects of the book concept.

Where to Find Data on the Markets for Your Book

My favorite source for market data is the US Census. You can extrapolate data if needed.

Professional associations often collect and share data relevant to an audience, whether it be numbers of a professionals in a particular field, numbers of people with a particular illness or condition, or numbers of members of other types of organizations. You can contact them to see if they will share their statistics. Examples include the American Medical Assocation, American Psychological Association,

If you’re still coming up dry, consider going to your local library and asking the resources librarian for help.

In my book proposal course I offer more detailed information about researching your markets.

How to Discover What Your Market Wants

One way to find out more about your market is to observe them. In our first book proposal class I suggested that those who already served a clear market (like Bonnie Leonard, a midlife women’s coach) probably knew much about their market from looking at their clients, but for others, a trip to the local book store might offer an enlightening opportunity to learn about their potential readers through the power of observation.

Tara Mardigan took up the challenge. In last week’s session, she shared about her trip to the diet section of Borders in Copley Square. She started sifting through books and then sat on a bench to listen and observe her potential readers in action.

book cover Tara Mardigan — A successful book proposal by Tara and co-author Kate Weiler led to the publishing of Real Fit Kitchen by Fair Winds Press.

“A woman in her late twenties said aloud to her friend, ‘Oh, I like that this book has recipes but there’s no way I’d have any of these ingredients in the house.'”

“A forty-five-year-old man told his girlfriend, ‘I just want to have permission to eat the stuff I want. Can any of these books help with that?'”

Want to learn more about your readers to clarify your book concept and to write the “Markets for the Book” section of your book proposal? Head to the book store.

More Ideas for Researching the Markets for Your Book

In addition, here are some other ideas for researching the wants and needs of your audience:

A client of mine asked members of a Facebook group she was also a member of to take a quiz (hundreds of people did so!).
Blogging can help you get feedback from readers. Read their comments to see what topics most engage them. Ask them about what they would want in a book.
Read the Amazon book reviews and see what reviewers felt was missing from other books, as well as what they liked most about the books on the market (this can help with the competitive and complementary books section as well).
Another client set up a focus group in her home with people from her target market.

These are just a few ideas. I’m sure you can think of more! Share them below or ask your questions on the markets for the book section (or any other parts of a proposal) as a comment below. You may also be interested in reading more about how to write chapter outlines or summaries for your book proposal, how to write the section on competing and complementary books, how to choose your sample chapters, and developing your book promotion plan for your book proposal.

What Do Publishers Expect in Your Book Promotion Plan?

April 11, 2010 by Lisa Tener

Your Book Writing and Book Proposal Coach

I just read a linked-in discussion where someone asked for a clearer definition of “platform” and what should go in your book promotion plan (in your book proposal). I responded to the discussion and then thought it would make a useful blog post.

Note: This post has been updated as of 3/3/2021 to reflect changes in book promotion.

Your book promotion plan should:

1. Demonstrate that you know your audience and you know where they hang out online and offline.

2. Provide a detailed plan for how you will reach this audience where they hang out, based on the foundation or platform you have already developed. This includes:

Mailing List and Website Traffic: People on your mailing list who open your emails are already engaged with you and likely to buy your book. Those who have bought programs, products or services from you in the past are the most likely to buy. Provide those numbers. Website traffic can also be a benefit to include in your promotions section if the numbers are impressive.
Online media: This includes online news sites and shows, your blog, online articles, social media, YouTube videos, podcasts, social networking sites (they’ll want to see you already have a presence), social bookmarking and more.
Public Speaking and In Person Events: Where will you speak? If you list speaking gigs in your plan (which is always a good idea), publishers want to see that you are already speaking to at least some of these targeted companies, associations or conferences. Include numbers of people at the events where you speak. If events are on hold (such as due to COVID-19) see if you can schedule and offer some online events and courses, whether you offer them on your own or through conferences, associations and other groups, and mention recent and upcoming events (in person or virtual) in your proposal.
Training: Include workshops, seminars, teleseminars, zoom training, webinars and any teaching you plan to do–on-line or offline. Will companies that hire you to speak or train purchase your book in bulk? State specifics in your book proposal’s book promotion plan.

Traditional media: TV, Radio, Newspapers and Magazines (both articles by you and articles that cite or quote you). Your plan should show that you know what media your specific readers buy and read. Publishers also love to see that you plan to hire a publicist–especially if you can quote a significant budget for such ventures.
Joint Ventures: If you don’t have a large list, the way to reach the most people online is by venturing with other people who have large lists. What’s in it for them? Perhaps a percentage of the profits of a webinar you’re plugging, or you’ll interview them for your list. Again, if this is part of your plan, you need to show you’re doing this or, at the very least, you plan to hire someone who’s facilitated joint ventures before.
Your Own Shows: Do you host a TV show, radio show or weekly podcast? This is always a plus to publishers and agents, but they’ll want to know the size of your audience.
Endorsements and reviews: Publishers love to see endorsements that are already written by bestselling authors, experts in your field or celebrities. You may want to list those who have already written endorsements, those who have agreed to write an endorsement and/or review in the future and those people you plan to approach for endorsements or reviews (if you have a relationship with them) and the relationship you have with those people. If you don’t have a relationship or connection and they haven’t promised a review or endorsement, don’t list them; you can still contact them later but publishers won’t put much faith in their position on the list. Will they also do anything to promote? Include that.
Amazon bestseller campaign: Amazon is such a big player in book sales that you want publishers to know you understand how to leverage Amazon. Have you done keyword research for your title and subtitle? Will you hire someone with a strong track record to organize an Amazon Bestseller campaign for you? Why is this important? Amazon’s algorithm kicks in to show your book more frequently once you hit certain benchmarks, including bestseller in one or most categories. Will you do any paid advertising on Amazon? If so mention that and your Amazon advertising budget.

Your Website Speaks Volumes About Promotion and Platform

Publishers and agents will also look at your website. Be sure to include a media page or press room; speaking gigs, training and events; and other pages that highlight your platform. If you have a blog or podcast, they will also look to see how engaged your audience is. This posts tells you exactly what you need on an author website.

Reader-Focused Book Promotion

When I work with a client on their book proposal, I also tailor my book promotion plan suggestions to their particular book and audience. That’s the creative part. We also include any well-connected close friends or colleagues who have offered to help them make connections in the media or online.

The Favorite Child — One of the ways Dr. Libby developed her platform was to start a blog.

Remember, publishers and agents have been burned in the past (years ago) by authors who wrote a great plan but did not follow through. They’re not so naïve anymore. They’ll want to see that you already have an author platform and that you’ve at least started many of the projects you suggest in your promotion plan.

Platform Legitimizes Your Book Promotion Plan

So, what’s platform? Your platform is the number of people you reach online and in person–through your mailing list, traffic to your website (unique visitors, not hits), your blog, your speaking engagements, TV and radio interviews, podcasts, joint ventures, teleseminars, webinars, magazine articles/interviews, newspaper articles/interviews, online articles, youtube and other video sites, your social media activities and any other way you reach people.

You should indicate your platform in your “about the author” section. Then build on that and add other ideas in the book promotion plan.

If the promotion plan is to “pie-in-the-sky” (meaning you haven’t actually done any of these things yet and it’s all a “plan” but not in motion), publishers will consider you too much of a risk. They want to see that you already have a platform.

Worried you don’t have enough of a platform? Work on it. With time, you will.

How To Make Sure Your Book Proposal Gets Read…And Fast.

April 2, 2010 by Lisa Tener

This weekend an agent told me she wants to represent an author of mine and she hasn’t been this excited about a book since she represented two authors whose books became top sellers.

In our conversation, I happened to ask about another proposal a different client had sent in and she hadn’t seen it. Whoops. Turns out I forgot to tell the author to put “Requested material” and my name on the envelope. I knew better, but just forgot. My omission is your boon, since it’s an important point to remember.

[Note: I wrote this post some time ago. Most book proposals are sent by e-mail now, but do include “requested material:book proposal” in your subject line. In the email, include the conference where you met, the name of the person who introduced you, or anything else that will remind them of your connection .]

Here are 3 steps to make sure your book proposal gets read:

1. Send a query first. Only send the proposal once the agent or publisher requests it. Otherwise, it goes straight to the slush pile or sometimes even the trash—the penalty of not following directions.

2. Check the agent’s website to see if he or she prefers queries by phone or e-mail. Different agents have different preferences; your upfront research shows you’re a team player.

3. Once an agent has requested your proposal, either because of a query you sent or a pitch you made in person at a conference, mark the envelope (left bottom corner) [or nowadays, it’s mostly the subject line of the e-mail]: “Requested:” followed by an abbreviated version of the title of your book. If you met the agent at a conference, include the conference where you met. For example, you might write, “Requested: Saigon Effect: Harvard Medical Course.” This will get you priority reading. I find that agents will look at a requested proposal I sent them anywhere from immediately to two weeks out, occasionally as long as a month. This is much, much faster than the slush pile.

Download these 10 Tips to get started on your proposal–and make it your best!

My cautionary tale ends happily and provided compost for a quick and useful blog post. The agent was very kind and understanding about my omission.

So remember: Send a query first. Research the agent’s website for query preference. Mark the envelope “Requested” and stay away from that slush pile!

Get my free ebook: 10 Tips to a Book Proposal Publishers Will Love.

The Process of Getting a Literary Agent

February 18, 2010 by Lisa Tener

head-on-hands-on-books1 — Your Writing Coach

People ask me about the process of getting a literary agent. You probably know you need to submit a query (or meet an agent who says, “Yes, I want to see your proposal”), then submit your book proposal (a significant document often 50-80 pages), then wait.

But what’s it like from the inside? I asked Dr. Randy Kamen-Gredinger to share her experience of finding an agent. And some of the things her agent asked for in the process before signing.

During a course at Harvard Medical School on Writing and Publishing Creative Non-Fiction Books, surrounded by colleagues interested in learning the ins and outs of writing books and getting them published, Randy says she, “felt confident I, too, had a book in me.” She decided her book would focus on relationships.

When Randy started in my book writing course, she “hardly knew how to use a computer” by her own admission. As a psychologist with a very busy private practice, she didn’t really need to use a computer much beyond checking e-mails and Internet searches.

Entering the world of the aspiring author meant learning many new skills–not just how to structure a book and write in a compelling way. Randy quickly became skilled on her Mac, began organizing material collected throughout her career as a therapist, and created keynote addresses on a variety of topics that related to her book.

Randy held a focus group to help find a title for her book

After making headway on the book, Randy wrote her proposal. Literary agent Jeanne Fredericks liked the book and saw its potential. Still she wanted to see several revisions to the proposal and a more compelling title. At a gathering of twenty-five women friends in Randy’s living room, led be a trained branding expert and facilitator, they came up with the title What Women Need: The 12 Keys to Gaining Balance and Happiness.

Jeanne requested an edited video clip of one of Randy’s speaking engagements and four chapters of her book. Nine months from the time of the initial submission, Jeanne accepted the proposal and formally became her agent.

Was it time to submit the book to publishers? No. Her agent advised her to continue building her platform and become a “thought leader” in her field as she continued to write her book. She developed a presence on Facebook and Twitter, gave an occasional radio interview and returned to the lecture circuit after a many year hiatus. (At one point she had shared the lecture platform with greats like Dr. Herbert Benson, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Joan Borysenko).

With the help of a dear friend and savvy internet marketer, Alan Bergstein, Randy built a new website and blog.

Response to this site about a wide range of women’s issues far exceeded expectations. Jeanne thinks the site will be an important feature in the selling and success of What Women Need.

Randy admits, “The process of writing my book became a much bigger deal than I ever imagined. It’s been an amazing, and sometimes frustrating, journey. Building my platform with speaking engagements, writing for various publications, building my website and blog, creating videos for YouTube (and next webinars) continues to bring all kinds of wonderful and unexpected surprises. The deeper I go down this path the more compelling it becomes.

“Developing the website is especially fulfilling because it all of the other elements. Though still in its infancy DrRKG.com has become the umbrella of all the other activities going on in my professional world. It continues to evolve.

“As a psychologist I have been somewhat constrained by the confidential component of my work. Expanding my horizons as a speaker, writer and coach have given me a venue for reaching a much greater audience and making a difference on a larger scale.”

While it may seem a bit frustrating for aspiring authors to do so much up front work, the platform building and advance preparation means that, when your book comes out, you’ll have pent up demand for your book and you won’t be rushing to catch up and create an audience from nothing. Can’t you just see those books flying off bookshelves and virtual shelves?