How to write a nonfiction book proposal wolf literary. Sample book proposal from a professional literary agency. Give a fairly brief summary of your book here, using a few paragraphs. It includes information on the content, the author, the market, and the salability of the project. You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. A book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Nonfiction book proposals can top out around 5075 pages, not including sample chapters. Think of book proposal forms as similar to work proposal forms. Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items. Writing a nonfiction book proposal a primer for the firsttime nonfiction book writer by scott mendel updated february 2018 it will probably seem obvious to you that the nonfiction book proposal is a tool your agent will use to sell your work at the best possible terms, and to secure the strongest possible. The appropriate length for a nonfiction query is somewhere between 1 and 1. Many were great, but super lengthy and time consuming to read.
Instead of writing the entire book, then trying to interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels, you write the proposal first. A proposal is generally appropriate only for longer nonfiction books. Fiction book proposals are different than nonfiction proposals. The following is a template for completing a nonfiction book proposal. Tucker has sold over 5 million books as a 4x nyt bestselling author and is the cofounder of scribe.
How to outline a nonfiction book with free template. That was a two book deal, admittedly, so you can divide the numbers by two to get a per book amount. There are several books available on writing book proposals. They contain everything a prospective publisher needs to know about a book, including its contents, target market, how it will be promoted, and commercial potential.
Feel free to use the headings and format of the template below. Make sure your proposal is as polished as possible by including the following. Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items and should be attached as a single file to an email with submission. A book proposal is a document most commonly associated with pitching a nonfiction book. If youve had experience submitting novels to literary agents and publishersquery letter, synopsis, sample pagesyou may think you know all you need to know about submitting your selfhelp book or other nonfiction project. Michael hyatt former ceo for thomas nelson publishers, has added updated information reflecting evolving changes in the publishing industry. Feel free to utilize this pdf copy of my last proposal. How to write a nonfiction book proposal with template. Pdf writing a nonfiction book proposal a primer for the.
Contains the title, author byline, and contact information proposal contents. In my experience, the chapter breakdown often changes significantly between the proposal stage and the final book. In the process of writing my own nonfiction book proposal earlier this year thanks to my year of amazing pledge, i searched everywhere i could for tips and advice on how to write a nonfiction book proposal. Or enroll in the above book proposal course which includes a pdf, kindle, and epub version of the book as part of the class. I like this one because it contains ten reallife proposals that sold. How to draft proposals to childrens book publishers dummies. Writing a nonfiction book proposal a primer for the firsttime. In the case of a nonfiction book, the book proposal in written first before you write the whole book. It is by david sanford, a published author, editor, and literary agent for more than 300 books who now serves on the leadership team at corban university. Sample book proposal i thought about whether i should include a completely fictional book proposal sample, but one i believe to be an optimal book proposal or to include the actual one i used for getting holistic tarot published, which was a flawed, imperfect book proposal that you.
Such templates also contain key stuff that acquires the immediate attention of the viewers as to. If you start writing without a good outline template, the process will take forever and your book. A book proposal has a title page also called a cover page, a table of contents for the proposal, and several sections. Each heading within a book proposal answers a key question. A book proposal is created by a person who loves to read books, composing books, do research proposals or engaged into business of selling books. Have you got a nonfiction book idea and dream of securing a milliondollar deal all before. Writing a nonfiction book proposal by scott mendel. Ill start with the must haves and then explain the optionals. Overview describe your book in two or three paragraphs 500 wo. If you have the time and want more detailed guidelines, get one of the many excellent books on writing proposals from the writers shelf at your library or local. I m deep in the thrill of starting a new project right now, an 80s memoir about houses. A book proposal is an essential document used in publishing circles to describe the purpose and scope of a.
Thus far the outcome of this proposal was a contract for a second book. The real secret to securing a book contract is knowing how to write a powerful, compelling book proposal that leaves agents begging to represent youand publishers eager to sign you. As a sales document, it needs to convince an editor that your idea and approach will appeal to the publishing imprints readership. Writing a winning nonfiction book proposal 32 30 from my experience, a great book proposal needs to include five distinct elements see fig.
Included in the course are two sample proposal templates, one for fiction, one for nonfiction. Nonfiction book proposal guide ask yourself these questions and as you write your answers, your proposal will develop before your eyes. How to write a book proposal the creative independent. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure theyre useful for our readers.
To get your nonfiction book published, put together a strong proposal. If youre writing a general nonfiction book, we need at least one sample chapter that matches a chapter described in your annotated table of contents. Who is the target audience and what makes your book unique and worthwhile for them. You will likely be emailing your proposal in this format or as a pdf document. Book proposals are information packs used by authors to pitch their nonfiction books to publishers and agents. For most acquisition editors, this is a very important part of the proposal. This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. Overview describe your book in two or three paragraphs 500 words or less.
Each header is a necessary element in a complete proposal. Your book outline is the structure of your book, and thus incredibly important. A primer for the firsttime nonfiction book writer by. This ones short and tothepoint, and the last time i. If you can send the book proposal along with the query, you should. If your book proposal template convinces the publisher, then they will contract and pay you to write the book.
A book proposal is an essential document used in publishing circles to describe the purpose and scope of a potential publication. I also sold a book off the back of a nonfiction book proposal that had multiple publishers bidding for the rights, and ended up being sold to harpercollins for. A good place to find a downloadable nonfiction and fiction book proposal template is. A book proposal samples will explain the purposes and objectives for creating a book. A one page cover letter or query letter is sufficient. Sample new book proposal below is a sample of a complete and exhaustive book proposal for a christian nonfiction manuscript. How to write a nonfiction book proposal writers digest. A nonfiction book proposal most often contains some form of the following, although many publishers and. Writing a nonfiction book proposal a primer for the firsttime nonfiction book writer. Its primarily a sales and marketing tool for you, and for your book. The book proposal is both a sales document and a plan.
How to write and sell the novel of true events, by peter rubie quill driver books, 2009 the proposal is a description of, and sample of a proposed book. Submitting a textbook proposal to oxford university press guidelines for authors we are very pleased that you are considering writing for oxford university press. The truth is the nonfiction book proposal is an entirely different beast. However, one thing to consider now is your book outline template. Nonfiction book proposal template this template is designed to cover up all the significant elements that are needed when it comes to making a nonfictional book proposal. Nonfiction book proposal outline ted weinstein literary. Such templates also contain key stuff that acquires the immediate attention of the viewers as to why such novels will be a better choice. Every proposal has to have a standard set of sections, and then there are some that are optional. Elements of a successful nonfiction book proposal dummies. Publishing nonfiction books on spirituality benebell wen. In such cases, the query really ends up being a cover letter and doesnt have to be labored over that much. If work proposal forms suggest the type of job an employee will be doing and how theyll be doing it, then a book proposal form suggests what an author is going to write about and how long it should take him to go about writing and revising the drafts.
How to write a nonfiction book proposal with examples. When it comes to fiction, few agents or editors expect or require book proposals. Writing a winning book proposal a communications program. Although this is an academic textbook, the proposal demonstrates the basic requirements of a successful pitch for any nonfiction book, including an excellent chapterbychapter summary. I found this advice once offered by former writers digest publisher jane friedman who rejected and approved proposals over. In a novel, the entire book is written first, then trying to find an editor or publisher.
If i like those, then i read the synopsis to see, the rest of the story, especially if the proposal and sample chapters have left questions unanswered. Nonfiction book proposal guide creative media agency, inc. The following is my book proposal template you can use to write your proposal. There are a couple instances of being able to sell a fiction book on proposal. My book, book title will be a genre work which will center around the topic of book topic. You would never do a proposal for a board book, for example unless for some strange reason thats how the publisher youre targeting wants board books submitted.
Dont start writing your book without first creating the structure. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal by andy ross. What follows is a brief description of what the editors in the higher education department might expect of a proposal for a new textbook and how they will consider it for publication. Include any subhead or taglines that your book s title may contain. Last week, i was feeling really good about how much i had accomplished a sample chapter and prologue, an overview of the book for a book proposal until i decided to really map out what it. How to write a winning nonfiction book proposal colorado. If all is well, then the full manuscript is requested and the process starts again, this time taking a little longer because there is much more to read. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment. This is the section where you lay out the basic idea of the book and discuss. Here is a basic template for a book proposal, which many of our clients have used successfully. Dont worry about getting it all perfect at this stage. Your book outline will serve no purpose if you are not able to follow it. Use the proposal to sell your book to potential literary agents, editors, and publishers. Add in those samples, and youll have a complete proposal ready to be considered by a literary agent.
521 444 1136 1136 514 178 570 1341 479 661 1495 1045 512 440 393 1378 845 1161 511 54 1416 444 1319 1029 279 374 593 466 335 442 71