{"id":16604,"date":"2019-09-10T05:58:16","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T10:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisatener.local\/?p=16604"},"modified":"2024-09-30T08:56:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:56:35","slug":"what-makes-a-book-proposal-compelling-agents-publishers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2019\/09\/what-makes-a-book-proposal-compelling-agents-publishers\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes a Book Proposal Compelling to Agents and Publishers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’d already started writing this post on what makes a book proposal compelling to agents and publishers when this email hit my inbox:<\/h1>\n

“Friday I signed<\/span> my book contract!\u00a0 Thank you Lisa for helping me to get to this place. I still can’t believe this is happening.\u00a0 I have a feeling this will open so many doors for me, things I never even thought possible. Thank you so much Lisa for all your thoughtful guidance!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Lisa
Your Book Proposal Coach in “Summer Mode”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is “Jane’s” first book and she received a healthy advance on the\u00a0high end of the five figure spectrum with a dream publisher.<\/p>\n

Yay.<\/p>\n

And also “Whew.”<\/p>\n

It took a lot of hard work on her part to get to this point.<\/p>\n

It took “platform building” as well as brainstorming, writing, editing, rewriting, coming up with a marketing plan and more. It took learning to become a stronger writer. It took experimenting and trying new things.<\/p>\n

The Analysis<\/h2>\n

\"writingLet’s break down our analysis of what Jane did right into these categories:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The strategies Jane employed to build her platform<\/li>\n
  2. The actions “Jane” took when it came to the writing<\/li>\n
  3. The qualities she possessed or nurtured in herself<\/li>\n
  4. Jane had done original research and extensive personal interviews to bring new information to the market.<\/li>\n
  5. Jane demonstrated the need for her book, with a particular market<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Actions “Jane” Took to Make her Book Proposal Compelling to Agents and Publishers<\/h1>\n

    The Strategies Jane Employed to Grow Her Platform<\/h2>\n

    While Jane was in the enviable place of being contacted by journalists and documentary producers about her research, she still had a modest platform. So we went to work:<\/p>\n

    1. Agents and Publishers Like to See Strong PR in a Book Proposal<\/h3>\n
    \"\"
    On my website, I include logos from press that has interviewed or quoted me. You can do the same.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    I suggested that as a university researcher, Jane let the PR department of the university know she was interested in speaking to journalists about her research and in brainstorming ideas for pitches to the press, without necessarily giving away all the juice that was in her book.<\/p>\n

    This is usually important–to leave some of the exciting research or information for when the book launches, yet get some publicity for tangential work now and develop relationships with journalists before sending a proposal out.<\/p>\n

    2. Agents and Publishers Love to See a Healthy Speaking Schedule in a Book Proposal<\/h3>\n

    One of the best ways to sell books is in person at a speaking or training gig. Jane had spoken at a couple of conferences to very large audiences in the past. I encouraged her to contact the conference organizer to discuss being a keynote speaker in 2021, mentioning the topic of her book. I also suggested she line up additional speaking gigs. She did!<\/p>\n

    3. Innovative Research Grants Can Get Media Attention and Lead to Greater Visibility in Your Field<\/h3>\n

    During our discussion, Jane mentioned some grants she planned to apply for, including one to be a national model for cities. Seeing how this could help her platform, she moved this up in priority and has already been approved for one of the two new grants, and is eagerly awaiting to hear from the second.<\/p>\n

    The Actions Jane Took to Improve Her Writing<\/h2>\n

    As an academic, Jane needed to learn how to write for a trade audience in a conversational style. Early on, she had told me two very funny stories about herself that painted a picture in my mind. I added these two stories to her introductory sample chapter and helped her tell the stories in a humorous way. Here are the elements that helped make these stories so entertaining that publishers and agents could envision a very popular book:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n
      \"\"
      Paint a funny picture! Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      They painted a very funny picture. The descriptions helped readers see the scene unfold.<\/li>\n

    2. The stories were personal and showed a vulnerable side of her, her foibles as a parent, being challenged to take her own advice, advice that she provides other parents on a daily basis. This vulnerability and authenticity serves multiple purposes. It helps readers relate to the author and provides a connection. It makes the author believable–that she too felt challenged by the subject. It makes her trustworthy. They also added some self-deprecating humor, without eroding the author’s professional creds. It also helps readers feel that everyone struggles with this issue but they can overcome that.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The Value of Fresh in a Book Proposal<\/h2>\n

      Jane’s original research included extensive interviews. Being a researcher with very fresh information definitely added to the cachet of her proposal. If you don’t have your own fresh research, perhaps you can identify new research by others and highlight several scientists or medical researchers. Or you can have a researcher contribute to each chapter.<\/p>\n

      There are other ways to be fresh though:<\/p>\n