Nonfiction book proposal outline the following are some guidelines to help you. How to write a nonfiction book proposal nathan bransford writing. Its primarily a sales and marketing tool for you, and for your book. An easyschmeasy guide to writing a business plan for your book. What would you suggest for an author who has already selfpublished a nonfiction book but is working on a 2nd edition and desires a traditional publisher. How to get a contract and advance before writing your book, revised and updated lyon, elizabeth on.
The following is a template for completing a nonfiction book proposal. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal by andy ross. The best nonfiction manuscripts come out of this process. So while a lot of the lessons in here are certainly applicable to other nonfiction proposals, this one skews a little heavier towards the cookbook. Most nonfiction is sold via a book proposal a structured outline of the book you intend to write.
When it comes to writing and publishing a book, there is one key element about the query process that separates the fiction writers and the. The core of the publishing process is the book proposal. Nonfiction book proposals can top out around 5075 pages, not including sample chapters. If you are writing a book proposal during write nonfiction in november, im posting this blog for you. The proposal is essentially a quick guide to your book that will enable a publisher to decide whether it is worth their time and effort, so make sure you spend time and effort writing your proposal. How to finally write your nonfiction book the new york times. Nonfiction book proposal outline ted weinstein literary. While fiction writers can simply write their book, and turn in a synopsis. 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. 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. A proposal is generally appropriate only for longer nonfiction books. Add in those samples, and youll have a complete proposal ready to be considered by a literary agent.
Writing a great book proposal is the beginning of the publishing process and the only way to get a publisher to look at your material. And the process of writing a good book proposal is a great exercise, because you become focused on what you want to write. What is this magic documentwhich can get you a book deal. Writing a nonfiction book proposal by scott mendel. As much as you love writing, this is not designed to be an epic. A book proposal is an essential document used in publishing circles to describe the purpose and scope of a potential publication. How to draft proposals to childrens book publishers dummies. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment. How to write a nonfiction book proposal wolf literary. How to write a book proposal that agents will love jericho writers. A book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Writing a great book proposal is how to sell your book to a publisher. Youll find that most other publishing professionals feel this way, too. Submitting a textbook proposal to oxford university press guidelines for authors we are very pleased that you are considering writing for oxford university press.
Guidelines for your nonfiction proposal hartline literary. 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. How to get a contract and advance before writing your book. And that, fellow scribes, is the overview and introduction sections of my christian nonfiction book proposal. In fact, for my travel adventure memoir, ive been working on the proposal onandoff for the last two years, and even then, my agent is asking for a rewrite. A book proposal is a document most commonly associated with pitching a nonfiction book.
Nonfiction book proposal outline here is a basic template for a book proposal, which many of our clients have used successfully. 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. Soon, ill post and link to the book proposal s other sections. Klems june 28, 2012 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. Unless its a serious or reference book, your title must tell and sell. The book proposal is a 1550 or so page manuscript that a writer uses to pitch a nonfiction book to publishers. With all of this information, youll likely end up with a book proposal thats dozens of pages long. Write a winning nonfiction proposal is a wellresearched, practical toola book proposal tutorialthat will teach you, stepbystep, how to create the kind of nonfiction proposal that gets you noticed by agents, editors, and publishers.
While some book proposals are 20 doublespaced pages in length, its not unusual to see book proposals that are three times that length. For the nonfiction writer wanting to find an agent and have their book published by a traditional publisher, this document represents a necessary evil. Instead, you write the proposal that describes what the book is about, why. We tell you exactly what agents want and how to deliver it. Your guide to publishing a nonfiction book ny book editors. 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. I like this one because it contains ten reallife proposals that sold. It includes information on the content, the author, the market, and the salability of the project. When you selfpublish, you dont need to write a book proposal. The truth is the nonfiction book proposal is an entirely different beast. A literary agent can often sell nonfiction books on proposal, meaning you write the proposal first, then sell the project, then write the book.
You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. Its a perk of nonfiction that you can sell a book on proposal before sitting down to the write the whole shebang, and often receiving an advance will help fund research andor travel, making the book possible. A one page cover letter or query letter is sufficient. Most believe its the step you need to take just before pursuing a book deal, which is often true. Id argue that a good proposal has the ability to do much. Each header is a necessary element in a complete proposal. Youre going to have to essentially sell them your book, sending them a document that contains details about your qualifications, a chapterbychapter outline, and most importantly, how your. Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items and should be attached as a single file to an email with submission. For detailed information on how to write a proposal read jane friedmans excellent article. Immediately after this anecdote, you should describe in two or three sentencesno morewhat the book will be about.
The 8 essential elements of a nonfiction book proposal by. This begins with a brief dramatic anecdote which is meant to get the reader, in this case the editor at the publishing company, interested in the material. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal. How to write a nonfiction book proposal with examples. I often say, you only need a book proposal if you want to get your book published. A nonfiction book proposal is the key document that allows an agent or publisher to determine the viability of a project. Write your nonfiction book proposal the get published. Agents and editors dont want to see a completed book nonfiction book. When nonfiction authors ask me, how can i write a book proposal or do i need a proposal if i write a howto book. The author, andy ross, is a literary agent who has worked with authors and publishers in creating proposals that have led to book contracts. To work with a traditional publisher, you are in effect asking them to invest a lot of money into your book, and a book proposal is the document that will convince them to do that. In todays competitive publishing industry, it is more challenging than ever to successfully pitch a nonfiction book. Ideas for books are as varied as the books themselves. While publishing a nonfiction book does take you on a long, arduous, and winding path, the final destination makes it all worthwhile.
A fiction synopsis is twothree pages single spaced which tells the whole story from beginning to end. When it comes to fiction, few agents or editors expect or require book proposals, but its an incredibly useful tool. Consequently, most want to give the author as much input as early in the writing process as possible. 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. How to write a nonfiction book proposal with template. Crafting the nonfiction book proposal with sam slaughter eric. Its called a masterly crafted nonfiction book proposal. The first book that popped into my head was anne calhouns liberating lacey. For nonfiction books, you usually dont begin by writing the book. It takes me months to finish writing a book proposal.
There are several books available on writing book proposals. Also, working on a possible workbook to go with it. Ive written and published four works of nonfiction and have been involved as a ghost or behindthescenes editor on a couple of other things too. Book proposals are used to sell nonfiction books to publishers. You want to demonstrate that you know your stuff and that you are the right person to be writing and promoting books like this. Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items. Sample book proposal from a professional literary agency. If you would like to submit a proposal, please read our author guide to ensure it. In no case, had i written more than about 10,000 words of text prior to the sales process. Your book hook includes three pieces of information. This ones short and tothepoint, and the last time i. They arise in all sorts of different situations, but generally a book concept is written down into a proposal form.
If you have an idea for a nonfiction book, its better to write a couple of chapters and then pitch a book proposal. Like a lot of things in the publishing industry, the nonfiction book proposal is a mysterious beast. Tucker has sold over 5 million books as a 4x nyt bestselling author and is the cofounder of scribe. I created a course, book proposal academy, which contains over thirty video trainings including transcripts, a closed facebook forum where you can get feedback directly from me and others in the community, and nine sample book proposals that won book. A nonfiction book proposal most often contains some form of the following, although many publishers and. Agents are looking for something more specific when it comes to nonfiction. Every single one of those books sold off the back off a simple book proposal.
470 320 1414 465 236 1244 696 771 155 274 979 465 1556 1458 1495 511 1550 1251 1361 200 657 420 1461 332 1538 800 555 1358 266 1310 198 124 740 1283 1043 755 1329 1153 1379 1221 1034 949 972 981 1029