Like many areas of publishing, there is no single way to create a book proposal. I’ve read almost all the various books on book proposal creation and each one presents a slightly different form of the book proposal. While there is no uniform book proposal standard, at the same time there are some common elements which must appear in each book proposal. These key elements are critical for you to understand and include with excellence in your proposal. If you slap something together and it is missing some of these key elements, then you risk rejection and don’t bulletproof your book proposal.
Your proposal begins with a well-crafted title or name of the book.
You’d be surprised how little energy some writers pour into their title, yet these few words are critical to draw the eye of the reader. If your title generates excitement to read your book, then I’m eager to read your opening paragraph. The opening paragraph is your “hook” or your method to grab the reader and pull them into your concept. In the “Overview” you will present the topic of your book and why it is important. In one to three pages, you want to show the importance of your tackling this particular topic in this unique way.
Next you need to define your market for the book and who will be the audience. In this section you will gather statistics which bolster your contention about the importance of this idea and why it is worthy becoming a book. Please don’t tell me that your book is for everyone because every book has a primary target then it has several secondary audiences. Be as specific as you can when you define your audience, and it will help you distinguish your proposal.
Who is the competition for your title and why is your idea distinct or different from the competition? Many writers attempt to “shrug” this area with the statement, “My idea is unique and there is no direct competition.” Such a statement is unrealistic and untrue and will land your book proposal in the stack for rejection. Every book competes in the marketplace.
Can you imagine your book in the bookstore?
Which titles will be around your book? Those titles will be the competition for your book. It is your responsibility as the author to select five or six titles which will directly compete with your book idea. In your competition section, you want to explain how your book is different or expand the topic to distinguish it from another book. Be careful how you write these words because you don’t want to put down any competitive title since your proposal may land on the desk of the publisher for that title. A thorough completion of the competition section will be a key part of your book proposal.
Another important section is to provide your background as the author about why you are the best person to write this book. As you put together this section, don’t be shy but in a clear and forthright way provide some details about you and your biography. Whether merged with this section or in a separate section, you will also include your plans for personally marketing your book.
Next your proposal needs to lay out the contents of each chapter in a summary format. It’s called a chapter-by-chapter summary and generally you write a chapter title along with a brief paragraph explaining the contents of the chapter. This chapter-by-chapter summary will provide you with a big picture blueprint of the overall shape of your book idea.
Finally, your proposal includes a sample chapter or two.
Each chapter should be well crafted and an example of your best work. Some editors and literary agents will turn to the sample and read it first. If it captures their attention, then they will turn and read the rest of the proposal. I suggest your sample chapters should be chapters one and two. Do not send non-sequential chapters such as chapter three and chapter seven. The chapter preference is for the first sequential chapters.
Each of these key elements must be excellent and polished. A good book proposal will take a lot of time and effort to craft and contain many elements which will never appear in your book manuscript. These elements are keys to convincing others about the importance of your book idea and selling your project to a publisher.
W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Get a free copy of his proposal book (follow the link). Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.
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