how to write a book proposal

How to Write a Book Proposal or Book: Why I am a Perfectionist

November 14, 2013 by Lisa Tener

book writing coach — Your Book Writing Coach

I’m not a perfectionist about everything. Take one look at my desk and that will be way obvious! I am a perfectionist when it comes to how to write a book proposal and how to write a book, though.

Here’s why:

1. Branding: Your book sends a message to all readers and potential readers–from the title to book cover to content and punctuation. You want to send a top quality message.

2. Credibility: When I see typos or incorrect grammar in a book it calls the credibility of the author into question. I wonder if the author is truly an expert. And others will wonder, as well.

3. Clarity: If there are grammatical errors in your book, it may confuse the meaning of a sentence or passages. You do not want to confuse your readers.

4. Agents are Busy: Literary agents are some of the hardest working, busiest people on the planet. Many don’t have the time to fix or edit your proposal. They expect you to have done that. I recommend hiring a book editor to make sure you’ve done a perfect job. The first pass is about making sure you understand the elements of a book proposal and that you write each section of the book proposal in a way that is professional and answers all the agent’s and publisher’s questions in a compelling manner. Your overview also needs to stand out and offer a great hook. And every section should be compelling. Here’s an example about how to write the competing books section in a book proposal. And here’s how to write the chapter outlines for a book proposal. That first pass can involve brainstorming and idea generation. The second pass can be more wordsmithing and some additional idea generation if a section is weak. This is often the case for the book promotion section, for instance. Then, edit until it’s perfect.

5. Publishers Expect Perfection: It’s a competitive market. Publishers don’t necessarily have the time and budget to take a shaky manuscript and make it great, even if your ideas and platform are strong. They want to know you are going to make their job easy with a flawless manuscript. They may still want to make changes and incorporate new ideas, but at least they’ll know the process should be fairly straightforward because you will send them high quality work.

Two of my clients e-mailed me this week to say that they have book offers on the table–one of them a six figure deal. I hope you are convinced that when you write a book proposal or write a book, you want to take on perfectionism. Brainstorm, research, edit, proofread, have every section of your proposal (or every page of your book) be compelling–and hire professionals for each part of that process if you can. For a book proposal, a book proposal coach or book proposal editor should be enough, but for a book, I would include hiring a proofreader–which requires a separate skill from other kinds of editing.

Do you have questions about how to write a book proposal? Ask here as a comment and I will answer.

How to Write a Book Proposal and Attract the Agent and Publisher of Your Dreams

October 15, 2013 by Lisa Tener

book cover the creativity cure — In the upcoming book proposal class, I’ll share secrets we used with the book proposal for The Creativity Cure that helped the book land a top agent and a 6-figure book deal from Scribner.

“Lisa, I just signed the book contract!”

I heard some version of these seven words three times this summer, as my clients signed with traditional publishers. I also received a phone call just last week from a client who anticipates signing with a large publisher in the next few weeks.

It’s always exciting to know that all the time, work, creativity and love put into a book proposal has met with success.

Another client recently mentioned that she found the books on book proposals confusing—that she wasn’t sure how to apply the information and structure to her particular book. The books do a good job of providing a framework for writing your proposal, but they don’t always provide the nuances that make a proposal stand out, or the hints for how to apply the information to your particular book.

She encouraged me to share the tips and specific instructions I shared with her in a class format. So here it is: “How to Write a Winning Book Proposal to Help You Land the Agent and Publisher of Your Dreams.”

book cover for 6 figure book deal — This book proposal won Harvard Medical School’s publishing course book proposal contest and went on to land the author a top agent who negotiated a six figure book deal with Random House.

I’m only offering this class to my personal community—clients, Bring Your Book to Life Program participants and those who receive my newsletter and connect with me through social media. After all, I’ll be spilling my Book Proposal secrets!

In our two hour class by teleseminar, you’ll learn:

* The nuances of each section of the book proposal–and how to tailor that section for specific types of books

* How to take the strengths of your book and articulate them in a way that excites top agents and publishers

* Tips to take any weaknesses and turn them into strengths (This is absolutely critical in this competitive market!)

* How to think like an agent and an acquisitions editor, so they choose your work over the zillions of other proposals they see

* What you can do if you don’t have much of a platform or following, yet–learn 3 strategies that have worked for me and my clients to get published

* And other secrets that have helped my clients sign 5- and 6-figure book deals with major publishers

* And, oh, there is so much more.

Did I mention you’ll receive the book proposal worksheets I developed for a class I taught at Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course? These sheets alone will save you hours of time–and help you make a compelling case for your book.

What would it be worth to have the information that can help you land a top agent and, ultimately, a publisher? This class will cost only $97. If you’ve been wondering how to write a compelling book proposal to help you land a top agent and traditional book deal, this is the class for you. Sign up here for How to Write a Winning Book Proposal to Help You Land the Agent and Publisher of Your Dreams.

book consultation — Join me for this valuable teleseminar.

The details:

When: Friday October 25 noon – 2pm ET, 9 am – 11 am PT

Where: Your phone (it’s an interactive teleseminar)

Cost: Only $97

How do I sign up?: Right here: How to Write a Winning Book Proposal: The Class

“Will Lisa answer individual questions on the call?”: Of course. Send your questions in ahead of time or ask on the call.

How to Write a Book Proposal: Writing the Competing Books Section

October 2, 2013 by Lisa Tener

book writing coach and publishing coach Lisa Tener — Your Book Writing Coach

Ready to Write the Competing Books Section of Your Proposal?

After reading dozens of book proposals and having dozens of client book proposals accepted by agents and publishers, I’ve noticed that the competing books section is just hard for people and they often need help with it before they get it right.

Common Errors in Choosing and Comparing Books

One common error is comparing your book to books that didn’t do very well. Another is comparing your book to bestsellers and finding flaws with the bestsellers. Another is saying lots about the competitive or complementary books without comparing to your own. Focus on comparisons to complimentary and competing books.

One other error is including very old books. And by very old, I don’t really mean very old! Publishers want to see mostly books published in the past 2-3 years. Sometimes five is okay if it’s still selling well. If a book is still on the bestseller lists, you’re good, too.

Think Like and Agent or Acquisitions Editor

Here is what you want to keep in mind: the agent or publisher reading your proposal is most interested in 1 thing: will your book sell well? Sure, they also want it to be a book they feel passionate about and will enjoy working on, but ultimately they are most concerned with book sales. Numbers, of course, are relative. For certain publishers “sells well” means over 100,000 books and for a smaller publisher it may mean 10,000 books.

So, you want them to read this section of your book proposal and say, “Wow, I think this book will be a bestseller!” or “Wow, there is a big audience for this book and I can see that books for this audience sell well and this particular book is fresh or unique or offers a fresh perspective or adds something that’s missing from the books that are out there on the subject.” Show that you understand the marketplace in which your book will compete.

You want to compare your books to other books that sold very well in that category. Demonstrate that your book has things in common with those bestsellers (or books that have done very well) and that it has some freshness or uniqueness. That’s it.

Don’t bother with books that sold very few copies. You don’t want to put poor book sales in the mind of the editor or agent.

Another Comps Section Tip

I’m updating this post because I saw a great tip on Twitter today (3/29/23) from my colleague Jane Friedman. Jane suggested using ChatGPT to find comp titles. She shared, “I came up with one blockbuster title that I considered a comp, and asked it to come up with more.”

Be Succinct.

There are other places in the proposal to let your beautiful prose shine through and say more about your book. Here, in the competing book section, I would be succinct. Compare the books on audience, tone, voice, content (what’s new or different), length, accessibility, and anything else that seems relevant. I generally try to have at least one thing that is similar (or why would I be comparing them) and one that’s different. Several in each can be ideal.

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

If your book is different from all the books in one particular way, you may just want to emphasize it before the list of books compared rather than one by one. And if you can group several competing books together and address them as one in comparing to your book, that’s fine. Generally, I aim for 5-7 books in this section. If more, I try to group them rather than compare them all individually.

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

Do you have questions about how to write a book proposal? Anything specific about how to write the competing books section of a book proposal? Feel free to ask here.

Writing Book Proposal Chapter Outlines for a How-to Book

September 1, 2012 by Lisa Tener

book proposal coach lisa tener — Your Book Proposal Coach

Editing a book proposal yesterday I observed a common problem–this author didn’t know what to emphasize in her chapter outlines. I found myself asking, ‘Who cares?” as I read through the first few chapter outlines. In fact, I’d already read chapters of her book and I did care very much–this book has a large potential audience who is desperate for the powerful tools this author has to offer. It just didn’t come across in the chapter outlines at all.

If you write your chapter outlines with the following perspective in mind, you’ll avoid that problem and come up with a compelling and motivating outline for your book proposal.

As your write about what’s in each chapter, keep in mind your readers’ biggest problems, challenges and goals. What benefits or results are they looking for? You might start your outline with, “The chapter begins with a story about x that illustrates y.” In this single sentence, you can capture some sense of either the problem, the benefits of your solution or both.

Chapter Outlines Should Highlight Readers’ Takeaways

Make sure to highlight the takeaways of each chapter:

* Will your readers reach a new understanding or perspective? Clarify.

* What new tools will readers have and what results may these tools help them produce in their lives or work?

know your book reader — The more your understand your readers’ needs and who your readers are, the easier it will be to write your chapter outlines. [photo by David Donohue]

* What stories do you have to illustrate your points and make the material come alive? You can use the above format to simplify rather than trying to summarize the story, unless your book is more narrative in nature (this post assumes a more prescriptive self-help / how-to book rather than something narrative).

* What features are included in the chapter (a sidebar that describes the latest research? a quotation, several exercises?)?

For a prescriptive book, it’s fine to bullet point. You don’t have to capture absolutely everything in the chapter–focus on what’s going to empower your readers and be most important to them. Your chapter also doesn’t need to teach agents and publishers the material. They just want to know that you have enough material, fresh material, that you address the needs of your readers, that it’s well organized, etc.

Writing a book proposal? Share your questions about chapter outlines and other book proposal issues below.

Advice for How to Write a Book Proposal: An Interview with Literary Agent Miriam Altshuler

August 5, 2012 by Lisa Tener

Looking for what a top literary agent advises for how to write a book proposal?

Ever since Dr. Craig Malkin signed on with his literary agent, Miriam Altshuler, he’s been singing her praises to me, as well as sharing some of her specific takes on book proposals. So when I decided to interview several literary agents for my “how to write a book proposal” series, I immediately thought of Miriam.

While many agents suggest that book proposals are getting shorter, Miriam is not a big believer in trends. “How long should a book proposal be? Whatever will best sell it. That could be five pages and it could be fifty.”

Ignore Trends!

Lisa: You recently sold a book on a five page proposal. Can you say why it could be so short and effective at the same time?

Miriam: It was such a unique idea and the perfect author. A New York Times article introduced the subject and it didn’t need sample chapters. The chapter breakdown was very short. In the right circumstances, a proposal can be short.

Lisa: But you wouldn’t focus on making it short….

Miriam: No. You write a book proposal because you have to show editors in publishing houses the scope of the book. Often you spend more time writing the proposal than the book. It makes you do the work to make sure the editor and author have an absolute understanding of the book.

Lisa: You’re pretty firm about not looking for trends.

Miriam: Yes. I look instead at what each situation and each book warrants. Stay true to what your book is and who you are as a writer—reflect your voice in the proposal as well as sample chapters—voice needs to shine through in sample chapters. If an editor doesn’t respond to voice in the proposal, she won’t get to the chapter.

A Short or Long Book Proposal?

Lisa: So when can a book proposal be short and when does it need to be long?

Miriam: I think a book proposal can be short when the book is easier to define and has a real focus that does not need as thorough of an explanation. Also it helps when it is clear that the author is the perfect person to write the book and has a great platform. If a book is more complicated or the author is not well known, then the author will need to write more to convince publishers that the topic is saleable and that they can write the book.

Lisa: Where can you cut corners or shorten a proposal?

Miriam: If the proposal does a good job of introducing the book, you can skip the introductory first chapter and get to heart of the matter with your sample chapters. Some authors do a shorter proposal and use chapter 1 or the Introduction as part of the proposal, so you don’t have too much overlap.

Lisa: What are the longest proposals you’re having success with?

Miriam: 80 pages with sample chapters. One of my authors, Dr. Sue Johnson, author of Hold Me Tight, wrote a very thorough proposal with two full sample chapters. You read it and knew exactly the book you were getting and she delivered it. Hold Me Tight has gone on to sell well over six figures in hardcover and has had multiple printings. It’s still not in soft cover yet because it’s doing so well.

Lisa: How many queries do you get per week?

Miriam: 200-300 a week.

Lisa: Wow. And how many of those do you end up taking on as clients?

Miriam: It varies tremendously. Some months, I may take on nothing new, but a couple months ago, I had three projects at once. I’m always looking, but I only take on projects I feel I can sell and I keep my list smaller so that my authors get a great deal of personal attention.

A Literary Agent’s Advice for Aspiring Authors

Lisa: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Miriam: Research what each agent does and send queries only to agents who handle the work you’re submitting. If I didn’t get as many queries from people whose books were clearly not for me, I would have much more time to go through and read those that could potentially be right for my list. Also, I’m more inclined to pay attention to an author who says, “I’m coming to you because you represent this book or this author.”

Lisa: What do you think of longer queries?

Miriam: The query letter should not be much more than a page, but I like getting the proposal with it and I like getting the first chapter of a novel so I can get as sense of the writing. I don’t mind a longer query—I can read as much as I want and ask for the rest or just delete. Many authors send a very good query letter—they often hire people to help them write it, which is smart, but the work needs to live up to the query letter.

For Nonfiction, I don’t mind getting a proposal. If I really like that I can reach out to the author. Hiring a good freelance editor can help an author make sure their work is polished.

Book Proposal Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Lisa: That’s unusual. Many agents would not read an unsolicited proposal. What are the biggest mistakes you see?

Miriam: In addition to not researching an agent properly, what’s really important is to be very clear up front what your book is. This seems obvious but it’s not when you read the number of proposals I read. Often it’s a sign that the idea is not fleshed out enough to be a book.

Also, in the query letter, authors need to be clear what their book is about in one to two

David Donahue's Photo — In a crowd of writers, be sure you stand out. [David Donahue’s Photo]

sentences. That pitch line is very important to selling a book. It has to be focused and get the essence of the book. In the proposal, you need to get that pitch in a paragraph and up front. Authors sometimes take too long to say it. Then further information comes after to support the idea.

One thing that surprises me is choice of chapters used in a proposal. If you have a book that is both prescriptive and narrative, but more prescriptive, don’t send two narrative chapters. In nonfiction, pick two chapters that are most relevant to the topic and represent the book. If you will be using more than one voice in the book, send one chapter of each—show you can do both.

With books that are very prescriptive I see business people or psychologists with very successful practices—and often a large platform. They know how to help their clients based on their practice, they have definite ideas how to do something and a great platform. But when you get down to reading a prescriptive chapter, they haven’t figured out how to translate the personal communication they have when talking to a client. They need to capture that interactive quality.

Test Your Ideas

Lisa: How do you have people do that?

Miriam: Try it out on people—not on your patients or clients who are used to your system, but someone who isn’t familiar. Ask, “What did you get from this? What’s missing? Am I using the right case studies?”

Lisa: Any pet peeves that we haven’t touched on?

Miriam: Too much bulleting. You can bullet on the marketing side, but the heart of the proposal shouldn’t be bulleted. I don’t do the ten quick fixes kind of books. I like books with more substance in research, more narrative. I don’t want bullets to take away from voice. Voice is what I’m looking for.

Three Must-Haves in Every Book Proposal

Lisa: So, that might be different for a prescriptive book, but for narrative books, don’t bullet much. What are three must-haves in a proposal?

Miriam: Marketing section and author section are increasingly important. The first thing a publisher asks is, “What’s the author’s platform?” You may need to repeat some information sparingly. An editor may not read a proposal front to back so don’t miss a chunk about platform in About the Author. If you have a lot of platform, put it under one heading, “About the Author and Marketing” so an editor is sure to see both.

Lisa: Editors have so much on their plates.

Miriam: Yes, many of us who read a lot have short attentions spans. The minute they’re not connecting, they’ll stop reading.

Comparing Books

Lisa: How about the section on Competitive and Complementary Books?

Miriam: It’s important to research this well. I do have access to more recent deals so I will often help an author but they must research what’s out there. Your job is not to badmouth other books—they may be published by the publishers we’re submitting to.

Instead, focus on why your book is different (more up to date), but don’t turn it into a negative. Make it clear, “This book is great but you still need my book because…”

Lisa: Do you just compare your book to books that have sold well?

Miriam: An author came to me recently saying that there are only four books out there on a topic, mine is needed. They were all small presses, showing it’s not a big enough topic. I was on the fence whether it would be more academic or trade, but the four books from university presses didn’t bode well. For a trade book, don’t use four academic comparisons—show some trade books.

Success of another book can help a book—even if not on the same topic, but written in a similar way. Just don’t make it too disconnected.

Lisa: Any guidelines for how to compare your book?

Miriam: Be honest about books. Don’t pick only unknowns and not only the four bestsellers. Compare to books that have succeeded. An editor who loves your proposal needs the ammunition to go into her acquisition meeting and say, “I’m comparing this book to these books.” You do need to have books that have worked. But it’s also okay to have some books that were well reviewed but not huge bestsellers. A book might have had a good idea, but did not work—prove why your book is similar but will work. Be smart about comparisons.

Miriam Altshuler began her career as a literary agent at Russell & Volkening Literary Agency, where she worked for 12 years with such writers as Anne Tyler, Eudora Welty, Joseph Campbell, Nadine Gordimer, and Bernard Malamud.

She established her own agency in 1994 and focuses on literary commercial fiction and nonfiction, but most important to her is the quality of the writing and how the subject is approached. In nonfiction, she is interested in general nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, memoirs, psychology, travel, nature and biography. She represents a number of award winning and best-selling authors.

Get Lisa Tener’s free ebook: 10 Tips to a Book Proposal Publishers Will Love.

How to Write a Short, Successful Book Proposal: An Interview with Literary Agent Deirdre Mullane

August 2, 2012 by Lisa Tener

Wondering how to write a short book proposal? I get it. Book proposals can be daunting. Why write more than is needed?

This is the longest interview I’ve ever posted on this blog, but when you read it, you’ll know why. There is an art and a science to writing a book proposal. The market is more competitive than ever. And some truly solid tips about writing a great proposal can give you that edge you need in the marketplace.

There’s little room for a proposal that needs work. Agents don’t have the time to fix it. You need to nail it on the first try.

I first met Literary Agent Deirdre Mullane at Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course. When one of my clients and I spoke to her, we both knew she was the perfect agent for this client’s book. I also found out that Deirdre had compelling ideas for writing shorter proposals and asked her for an interview. I could have shortened this to typical blog length, but Deirdre provided such valuable and detailed information, I decided to post most of our conversation.

How to Write a Short Book Proposal

Here it is—so that you can write a short—and successful—book proposal—perhaps even shorter than this blog post!

Why a Short Book Proposal?

Lisa: Deirdre, I’ve heard you say that book proposals are getting shorter, because many acquisitions editors—who are pressed for time anyway—often read proposals on their Kindles, Nooks or ipads. Can you say more about that?

best business writing 2012 book proposal — One of Mullane Literary Associates more recent books represented

Deirdre: Everything is getting shorter. It’s easier to skim a written proposal, but when it’s being read—or skimmed—on an e-reader, or even a blackberry, it needs to be compressed.

Lisa: As an agent, are you apt to dismiss a proposal if it’s too long?

Deirdre: Sometimes. I recently received an eighty page proposal. It had all the right parts, but I said to myself, “There’s something here but I don’t have the time to work through this.” So, yes, a super-long proposal may turn someone off who might have been interested—both agents and editors.

Tips to Write a Short Book Proposal

Lisa: So, what are some of your tips to a short book proposal?

Deirdre: I used to send the proposal introduction, proposal t of c, sample chapters (intro and one chapter). Now, I tend to collapse the proposal and introduction so it’s almost the same thing. I have authors write the proposal introduction as the introduction to the book, which will cover a great deal of what a traditional proposal used to cover.

Lisa: Do you tend to include an executive summary?

yoga for depression book proposal — Another popular book represented by Mullane

Deirdre: Sometimes. When we collapse the book’s introduction and the proposal, it’s sometimes inappropriate to put certain proposal details into the introduction. The pitch tries to do some of that. Sometimes we put marketing bullets in the pitch. For instance, I wanted to make the case that a book had some timely aspects to it that needed underlining but didn’t fit comfortably in a book introduction.

Lisa: Do you use bullets more? Phrases rather than sentences?

Deirdre: No, I tend to keep to full sentences and use a nice structure/narrative. I do use bullets for the marketing section.

Chapter Summaries or Outlines

Lisa: I’d love your take on chapter summaries versus outlines. Some agents swear that it’s one or the other. What’s your preference?

Deirdre: Summaries—an outline tends to break a chapter apart; a chapter summary brings a chapter together and shows flow/shape/forward momentum.

Lisa: Are your chapter summaries shorter?

Deirdre: Yes. I like to keep them to either one really good full paragraph, possibly two, certainly not a page. When authors send page or page and half chapter summaries, editors won’t read that.

Lisa: So, how much detail do you share?

Deirdre: I do like to see some detail, but not every detail. Per chapter, if an author shares one pithy quote or one interesting fact or anecdote that makes it not seem generic, that’s enough. You don’t want every detail or it’s just too much—and too long.

Lisa: With a short proposal, what would you consider too short?

Deirdre: Sometimes in chapter summaries I get fragments—not enough information. It doesn’t tell me what I need to know. I want full sentences that do give me a story-like description. Chapter summaries can’t be shorter than a paragraph.

I do tend to combine the table of contents and chapter summaries, unless the chapter summary section is long.

How Short is Short?

Lisa: So, how short is short?

Deirdre: Certainly with experienced authors, going back to the same publisher of a previous and successful book, we can keep it very short—sometimes three to five pages.

Successfully Short Book Proposals

Lisa: Can you tell us about a few short proposals you’ve sold?

Deirdre: One was a book to Farrar Straus—a cultural history of Naples by historian Stan Pugliese whose previous book with FSG had been nominated for several awards. The book was a good fit but we needed something on the page. The author submitted more of an essay—four pages long and the first three pages were a beautifully written essay about the topic. We included chapter titles with no description—each chapter was a variation on a theme about Naples.

Another book by scientist Caleb Scharf also recently sold to Farrar Straus. The reaction to his first book, which hadn’t yet been published, had been very strong and we were able to sell the second on a short proposal—11 pages.

Lisa: How did those pages break down?

Deirdre: A two and a half page overview, 5-6 pages of chapter summaries: a very brief opening sketch of the first chapter—no sample material.

Lisa: And how about an author starting out fresh—not with a publisher they’ve been with before? When can they write a short, successful proposal?

Deirdre: If you’ve got a really hot subject and time is of the essence, but you need enough in the proposal to be convincing and the platform to perform. Soldier Dogs by Maria Goodavage is a great example of a successful, short (15 page) proposal. It’s about the dogs used in war, including the dog that helped capture Osama bin Laden. The Times did a photo essay on these dogs. The dog had been in a foreign policy magazine and got five million hits—which seemed extraordinary! I contacted the potential author on a Thursday. By the following Wednesday, the author had a very nice six-figure deal from Dutton and the book went on to become a New York Times bestseller. The proposal was all about her, her platform, the subject and the momentum.

Lisa: What was in the proposal?

Deirdre: Two pages on her platform—she was a former writer for USA Today and blogs on Dogster.com. We included links to articles on the subject. The overview was six pages long, chapter summaries another five pages, and then included some recent media about the subject and comps. The proposal was very market/platform heavy (60%) and 40% editorial content.

Tips for Specific Book Proposal Sections

Lisa: Let’s look at some specific proposal sections—how about markets for the book?

Deirdre: I keep it short. Many potential clients come to me with generic information about the market. My pet peeves are when authors say there are x number of books on Amazon about the subject. That’s not relevant. My other pet peeve? “There are 3.5 million nurses in America” (for book about nursing). That has no relevance unless the author can reach them because, for example, he/she is president of the American Nursing Association.

It’s not about the market as a raw bit of data. It’s about how you as the author reach the market. All the rest is of no interest whatsoever, unless the market is something a little less known. For example, arena football. You might say, “Surprisingly there are arena football leagues in every major metropolitan area.” A surprising fact about the market is useful. If the market is trending in one direction—grown x % in x number years—that’s useful. Now, sometimes it’s useful to share secondary markets for the book that aren’t obvious to an editor. But I wouldn’t give that more than a sentence or two.

Lisa: And how about the marketing plan?

Deirdre: I don’t put any plan out there—it’s pie in the sky. It doesn’t mean anything to say, “When the book is published I will do xyz.” Publishers are interested in what you have done—here’s my list of past speaking engagements all of whom will ask me back. Something speculative is not useful. If an author does a lot of speaking, we might include a twelve month rolling calendar—past six months and next six months.

Lisa: How about the comps section?

Deirdre: Don’t leave off comps—they’re more essential than ever. It’s all about the marketplace. If a publisher can’t position a book or see what it’s like, you’ve got a problem. It needs to fit a category, in general. Or a particular slot. If an editor can’t figure out what it is or who it’s for or who its close relatives are, you have a problem.

Lisa: And the author bio? Is there a way to shorten that?

Deirdre: All the extraneous stuff gets cut—personal info. It’s all about two things: the author’s relationship to the material and how can he or she can sell it (media, platform, live links (where the author writes). This section is tending to be shorter, too. I’d stick with a half page to three quarters.

How Many Sample Chapters in a Short Book Proposal?

Lisa: Do you suggest two sample chapters or just one?

Deirdre: I usually send just the intro (which is like a proposal) and one sample chapter. I only send without a sample chapter altogether if we’re going to the same house an author already published with. Of course, sometimes even with the same house, it’s a good exercise to write a sample chapter to make sure the author can do this—is there enough material there? Can the author write in this different voice?

Lisa: Any last tips?

Deirdre: Competition is fierce. Title is essential. Move towards shortness. Editors say more and more, “Is this a book I have to have?” Some proposals may hit all the marks and are good but not good enough (it can be function of subject or a question of platform).

Lisa: Do you have a favorite book on how to write a book proposal to recommend to authors?

Deirdre: I haven’t myself recommended a lot of those in some time. I like Susan Rabiner’s book, Thinking Like Your Editor, since I deal with serious nonfiction.

Deirdre Mullane founded Mullane Literary Associates in 2008. She is a publishing executive with more than two decades in the industry as a publicist, editor, publisher, editor, agent and author. She handles primarily serious nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, science, politics, sports, nature/environment, mind/body/spirit, narrative nonfiction and a small list of literary/commercial fiction. “What our clients share is passion, expertise, and a belief that books truly have something indispensable to say about our lives—past, present, and future.”