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How to Get a Book Deal

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From Quick Guide: Publish a Book 101

Summary: Getting a book deal usually involves knowing someone in the industry, but sometimes a story can catch the eye of a publisher and wow them. Getting published takes a strong will, patience and is a little easier with tips from a screenwriter in this free video on writing.

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By Nathan Boehme
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Nathan Boehme is a writer, director and editor who currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He has worked extensively as an independent filmmaker for more than 10 years, producing and...read more

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Video Transcript

"Alright folks, in this clip I'm going to teach you how to get a book deal. Its very simple actually. You either need to be someone's niece or nephew or you need to have an unbelievably brilliant idea. Very few people are going to get a book deal without having some sort of clout or just an amazing idea that people know are going to sell. It needs to be one of those things where literally the publisher picks up the summarized copy of your planned novel and says oh sweet Lord in Heaven, this is the greatest thing I've ever read, I cannot believe how brilliant this is, we need to sign this guy to a deal right now. So basically what you need, a rich, well connected uncle or aunt or a really, really great idea. So before you start shopping for a book deal, you need one of the greatest ideas that you've ever had in your life and you'll be able to summarize it in a treatment form or just a simple summary form and that is really the only way that you are going to get a book deal. So take the time to craft your story. Get it in as brilliant a package as possible even if you're trying to pitch it, even throw in some illustrations or examples of other work that the type of success that they have had, create yourself your own little business promotional package including the summary of the story. Excerpts of chapters that you already have written, everything. Get in to like a brilliant, colorful package and ship it off to your publisher or literary agent and at that point, you're just like throwing the bait out in the water and you're waiting for a bite and if its a great idea, a really great story that they feel is worth signing before they've even read like the full book, you've got yourself a book deal and its really as simple as that."

eHow Article: How to Get a Book Deal

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