After these, at the bottom of the first page, suggest a reasonable book length, probably between 80100,000 words. The most important aspect of the submission of a nonfiction book to publishers is the book proposal. Your proposal on a page you will write the first page of your proposal last. This is pretty much the authoritative book on writing a book proposal. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal kindle edition by ross, andy. Centre the chapter title, even if its only chapter one or chapter 1, about onethird of the way down the page.
Heres an example from the memoir my family is all i have. She is a nonfiction book editor and doctor, proposal consultant, and an author coach and trainer as well as a book and blog coach. Hi shamrock838, when i submitted the proposal for my middle grade nonfic cryptic canada, i sent a cover letter explaining the focusslant of my book, the projected word count and my writing credentials. Card marketplace reload your balance amazon currency converter. Try to choose a title that describes the book as much as possible. The good news is, its never too early to write your nonfiction book proposal. You want to demonstrate that you know your stuff and that you are the right person to be writing and promoting books like this. As a hybrid author, she also has published 17 books independently.
The agent i ended up with asked me how many of these i had written before none, because it was a textbook example of a good book proposal. And the publisher will want to know how well positioned you are to do it. Only after you finish your proposal can you provide the following hooks for the first page of your proposal. Michael larsen cofounded larsenpomada literary agents in san francisco in 1972 with his partner elizabeth pomada. To aid us in our presentation of your book project, we ask authors to prepare a carefully detailed and compelling proposal regardless of whether you have a completed manuscript. How to write a nonfiction book proposal writers block party. In an email the attached file name should be descriptive author name fiction or nonfiction proposal logline. In such cases, the query really ends up being a cover letter and doesnt have to be labored over that much. Here is a basic template for a book proposal, which many of our clients have used successfully.
Nonfiction book proposal guide ask yourself these questions and as you write your answers, your proposal will develop before your eyes. This is one of the main differences between the fiction and the nonfiction book proposal. I found the book incredibly helpful and followed it closely. This free course will teach you all about creating a nonfiction book proposal, and how to submit it to the right publishers. Writing a proposal for a work of nonfiction may be intimidating and. He even clearly tells the reader how to avoid the slush pile. Dear pamela, memoir advice about your book proposal. 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 bookstore. Not counting your two to three sample chapters, your nonfiction book proposal should be no longer than 1015 pages.
Book proposal a business plan for your book and how you plan to ensure sales success keys to a great synopsis the steve laube agency july 27, 2016 i posted my ideas on some keys to a great book proposal, a few writers said they were challenged to write a. Michael clearly and concisely states what creates a nonfiction book proposal that will get noticed by agents. How to format a nonfiction manuscript book editing services. The book proposal is a 1550 or so page manuscript that a writer uses to. Many, if not most nonfiction books are sold to publishers as book proposals. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal. The proposal was for my nonfiction pop culture book about the history of black women on tv. Overview describe your book in two or three paragraphs 500 wo.
Nonfiction book proposal guide creative media agency, inc. Its a business plan youll need if you want to convince publishing professionals your book will sell and you can help it do so. I also had a onepage overview which included other similar books already in the marketplace and how mine was different. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. While proposal length varies tremendously, most are somewhere around 10. There are several books available on writing book proposals. How to write a nonfiction book proposal that will sell your book. Also estimate realistically how long it will take you to write your work of nonfiction. How to write a nonfiction book proposal writers write. How to write a good nonfiction book proposal for submission 17 mar 2014 christian jennings, who is currently writing a book about the last year of wwii in northern italy, entitled if i live to see the dawn at war on the gothic line 194445. Unlike a work of fiction, which must be completed before you send the query, a proposal is the correct way to approach a publisher for a nonfiction book. Unlike fiction, where an author must have a completed manuscript ready before they approach a publisher or agent, a nonfiction author only needs to develop a proposal to submit to publishers andor agents. I read a book about how to put together a proposal. The sample chapter ought to be the crown jewel of the nonfiction book proposal.
The nonfiction book proposal demystified by nina amir. This is intended for the readers to understand the essence of what they are reading. You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. Book proposal, 4th edition by michael larsen to create strongest possible proposal for your book. Nonfiction book proposal outline ted weinstein literary. The author, andy ross, is a literary agent who has worked with authors and publishers in creating proposals that have led to book contracts. Name generator epub to mobi converter independent publishers literary magazines. Five basics of nonfiction book proposals fresh ink book. Nonfiction book proposals in the digital age to sell an agent or publisher on your nonfiction idea, its more important. An elevator pitch tell us what your book is about in a single sentence. Writing quality counts in nonfiction book proposals. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal.
The bukowski agency nonfiction proposal guidelines. If you can send the book proposal along with the query, you should. Think about the latter carefully, balance your estimated speed of writing, research and output with your other commitments a day job, a. A book proposal samples will explain the purposes and objectives for creating a book. Ive seen many authors confuse the two and create extra work for. Have you got a nonfiction book idea and dream of securing a. 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. A nonfiction book proposal is the key document that allows an agent or publisher to determine the viability of a project. As much as you love writing, this is not designed to be an epic.
Since we recently discussed the role of a synopsis in a fiction proposal i thought it important that we address what the nonfiction author needs to provide. What is the ideal length for a nonfiction book proposal. Nonfiction submissions bear little similarity to fiction submissions. This book by michael hyatt is exactly what the title says it is. This is because of the enormous amount of research that must go into this type of book.
This week, well look at the form and function of a standard fiction book proposal in more detail. Your nonfiction book proposal convinces agents and publishers that your idea is marketable and that you will make a good business partner for your book. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal will lead you through the steps to constructing a convincing book proposal that will make the best case possible for your project. 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.
Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items. Submitting a nonfiction book proposal free course reedsy. Nonfiction book proposal outline the following are some guidelines to help you. I like this one because it contains ten reallife proposals that sold. The appropriate length for a nonfiction query is somewhere between 1 and 1. Platform is a crucial part of nonfiction book proposals.
I offer a comprehensive course on book proposals that takes you through the research and writing process in 10 steps agent ted weinstein outlines the necessary parts of a book proposal, and also offers an audio recording of his 90minute workshop on proposals my favorite comprehensive guide on book proposals is. When i was struggling with my own memoir proposal which seemed harder than writing the darn book, eric maisel, author of the art of the book proposal, suggested i write a miniproposal. Give the child a name the title on your proposal wont necessarily follow your work into book form, but its a great starting point. A one page cover letter or query letter is sufficient. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal by andy ross. Fiction editors focus on plot, writing, and mass market appeal, which means they will want to see sample chapters and a synopsis. How to write a nonfiction book proposal become a writer today. A good nonfiction book proposal should include the following things. Skip a couple of lines before beginning the text of the chapter. Within those 1015 pages, you must convince an agent, editor and publishing team that you and your book deserve a place on the shelf based on several key factors. Nonfiction editors require a full proposal, which means you will have to submit detailed chapter descriptions, explain how your book will fit into.
Think of your book proposal as a business plan that must make a. There are a couple instances of being able to sell a fiction book on proposal. How to write a good nonfiction book proposal for submission. Book proposals are used to sell nonfiction books to publishers. A great nonfiction book proposal will show that you have thought through your idea, and more importantly, it will show that you know how to turn this idea into a book. Last week, we discussed what a fiction book proposal is, and why you need one. Instead of writing the entire book and then try to find someone who wants to publish it, the design of a business plan can get you a contract for that book now so that you can have confidence in what will happen when it is finally completed. If you want to know how to write a book proposal, how to write a. Each heading within a book proposal answers a key question. A short list of books that helped me write my proposal.
Overview, endorsements, length and delivery date, competing and complementary books, target audience, about. Addressed to the appropriate agent with titlegenreword count and appropriate contact information in the letter, this letter should interest us in reading your proposal. How to write a nonfiction book proposal mary mackey. Writing a nonfiction book proposal by scott mendel. Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items and should be attached as a single file to an email with submission. How to write a nonfiction book proposal wolf literary. Members of aar the association of authors representatives, inc. She is the author of how to blog a book, the author training manual, and creative visualization for writers, all published by writers digest books. In this post, ill cover the critical elements of an average but thorough proposal.