How Does a Book Proposal Work?
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What Is a Book Proposal?
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A book proposal is a book's business plan. Authors write them. Publishers or publishers' agents read them. The author's goal is to obtain a contract from a publisher to be paid to write a book. The publisher's goal is to prequalify and select future best-sellers.
What Is Included in a Standard Book Proposal?
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There are seven sections in the typical book proposal. The first section is the cover letter, a short statement about what is included in the proposal. Good cover letters start with a hook that makes the reader turn the page. Second is an executive summary or overview. This is a concise preview of the book that you might expect to read on the back cover. Next comes an outline of the entire book arranged by the chapter headings. Each chapter should be summarized with one paragraph. The fourth section includes the author's writing resume or background. Any publication credits or expert qualifications that the author has should be listed. In the fifth section, help the publisher to become familiar with the author's writing style by including several sample chapters. Usually the first chapter is one of the samples. The sixth section is about marketing. The author's ideas about how the publisher could successfully market the finished book should be next in the book proposal. This section should describe the intended audience and how to reach them. It should also explain any participation the author envisions in the post-publication sales and marketing efforts. In the final section, the book proposal includes a review of current books that are similar to the one you are proposing. For each competing title, include a summary that compares and contrasts your proposed manuscript.
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How Does a Book Proposal for a Work of Fiction Differ?
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A book proposal for a novel usually pitches the idea of the story, describes the key conflicts, themes, and characters. First send a short query letter or email, then wait for the publisher to request the complete manuscript. A section devoted to the author's ideas for marketing the story is vital to making the sale with a book proposal for a novel.
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