Lisa Tener

Book Writing Coach

nonfiction book proposal

Book Proposal: When to Send a Query Letter

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book proposal coach lisa tener
Your Book Proposal Coach Lisa Tener

I just got off the phone with an aspiring author (I’ll call him John) who’d sent out forty query letters expecting it would take a while to hear back from agents. Within a day he’d heard back from several with yay (send your proposal) or nay. Now what? He confessed that his book proposal was hardly in shape to send.

So, here’s my first bit of advice. Don’t contact a single agent until you have a polished book proposal. Ideally, you’ve had it looked at by a professional book proposal editor or book proposal coach and gotten some detailed feedback.

But let’s say you’ve sent your query letter too soon and you’re in the same position as John. Thank the agent for her interest. Let her know that you’ve decided to work with a professional editor and that it will be x weeks before  she receives the proposal. Not ideal but better than sending something half baked.

John told me he wondered whether the agent were any good to respond so quickly. A quick response does not necessarily mean that the agent has no work to do. He may be especially efficient and organized. A quick look at Preditors and Editors showed that this agent was, in fact, highly recommended. Another reason not to blow the opportunity.

Recommended Resource

As you may know if you’ve read my other posts about book proposals, I highly recommend Michael Larsen’s How to Write a Book Proposal. In addition, since the new edition of the book is not yet out, go to Mike’s website and look at the guidelines for the proposal on a page. Busy agents and editors often want to see an executive summary nowadays and Mike and Elizabeth have an excellent blue print for that in the proposal on a page.

Good luck. What are your book proposal questions? I’d love to hear from you (and am happy to provide an answer).

Ask the Writing Coach: In a Book Proposal, Do You List Unrelated Books & Articles?

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Todays question comes from Kathleen Burns-Kingsbury
Today's question comes from Kathleen Burns Kingsbury

Kathleen Burns Kingsbury asked how much information about previous publications to include in a book proposal. Specifically, she traditionally published a book called Weight Wisdom. Should she include information on this book in her book proposal? How about articles?

She asks, “When you are writing a book proposal is it best to just list the publications and articles that relate to the topic or is it more effective to list all the books and articles you have had published regardless of the topic area?”

In terms of articles, you generally want to mention the publications, not necessarily the specific articles by title. So, as long as the titles are national, I would include them, without saying the exact topic. For smaller or regional publications, I’d be more inclined to lump them together, “…published articles in dozens of regional and local magazines including (name the biggest ones)…” For online articles, I’d mention the traffic of the website or number of readers of the article, if you have access to that information, since the publisher may not know how impressive a credential it may be.

Kathleens first book is unrelated in topic to her new book.
Kathleen's first book is unrelated in topic to her new book.

Kathleen says, “Weight Wisdom is co-written and was well received. I am now in the process of pitching a new book idea that I will be writing alone and that is not directly related to the topic of the first book. My new book proposal is on money psychology and how we can use it to make more money and be more at peace with our dollars and cents.”

My biggest question would be, “How many books sold? Is it still selling?” Publishers will look at BookScan numbers to see how successful the book was. I assume she’s looking for a good-sized publisher.  If the book sold more than 10,000 copies, it’s probably worth mentioning. If it didn’t sell that many copies, even if it got good press, I would play it down. She should certainly mention any great press she got from the book (but she doesn’t necessarily have to mention the book).

If you do mention your book, it’s important not to confuse the issue. Distance yourself from subject of the first book a bit–play down the subject of the first book.

Bulk Book Sales: Can it Strengthen Your Book Proposal?

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Aftern honing her book proposal with me this year, Jeannette Samanen pitched her book to several interested agents.
Aftern honing her book proposal with me this year, Jeannette Samanen pitched her book to several interested agents.

It was great to see several blog readers at the Harvard Medical School Publishing Course, including Connor Moore, Jeannette Samanen and Dan Peterson. For those of you who couldn’t make the course, and I know a few of you expressed regret that it didn’t work for you, I’ll be sharing a few pearls of wisdom and some insider takes on the state of the publishing industry over the next few days.

I enjoyed meeting Albert LaFarge, of the Albert Lafarge Literary Agency, who shared with me the pros and cons of bulk sales as a book promotion strategy.
I enjoyed meeting Albert LaFarge, of the Albert Lafarge Literary Agency, who shared with me the pros and cons of bulk sales as a book promotion strategy.

I enjoyed meeting a new faculty member at the course, Albert LaFarge from Albert LaFarge Literary Agency, which handles general nonfiction, from documentary history to narrative journalism. I asked him about bulk sales on behalf of a particular client. His remarks were enlightening.

Albert agreed that publishers love bulk sales and that alone can make a publisher interested in a book. However, he pointed out that publishers are also quite skeptical about whether a bulk sale is truly likely. If you’re going to tout bulk sales in your proposal, you need to back it up with evidence. While you may not be able to get a commitment in writing (which would be ideal, but difficult), you can demonstrate your relationship with the company (the company president and the author are golfing buddies and spend time together every Saturday, for instance). If your plans for bulk sales predictions sound spurious, it may be better to leave it out altogether, according to Albert.

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