As you pull together the details of your book proposal, you want to take the time and read it cover to cover looking for one factor: any exaggeration or hype. Are you pitching anything that you can’t deliver? You would be surprised what slips into proposal submissions. If you are pitching something you can’t deliver, it will stick out in a glaring fashion to the acquisitions editor, as well as the members of the publication board.
When I received a proposal that promised an endorsement from best-selling author Beth Moore. I was skeptical. Then I picked up the phone and asked the author about it. While this author had never published a book, she was an active speaker, and it turned out she had a personal relationship with Beth Moore and access to get the endorsement. My skepticism turned into genuine encouragement for this author’s proposal.
From the massive amounts of submissions and the overall incomplete and poor quality, the editors become a bit jaded at some lines in proposals. Often proposals will promise an endorsement from some well-known religious leader such as Max Lucado or Franklin Graham.
I’ve worked with many of these leaders on different projects over the years and have a personal relationship with them—yet I would be hard pressed to get an endorsement or foreword for a book from them. It would be hype if I promised it in one of my nonfiction book proposals. I know that the majority of these prominent leaders lead nonprofit organizations governed by a board of directors. In most cases, this board has a blanket policy prohibiting these leaders from endorsing books or lending their names to various projects. While often asked for such endorsements, this prohibition from the board gives the celebrity a polite and impersonal way to decline. Unless you have a long-term friendship or unusual relationship with these people, I strongly suggest you don’t promise or even mention you will attempt to get their endorsement. Such a promise stands to be more hype than reality—and such hype will call the validity of the rest of your book proposal into question.
It is acceptable, however, to promise to pursue endorsements to the highest level of your ability and provide a willingness to work with the publisher to brainstorm endorsement possibilities and how to secure them. This gentle and generic expression shows you are in touch with the necessity of endorsements and your availability to use whatever moxie and connections you have to promote the book.
If you eliminate any hype or exaggerated promises in your proposal, the editor or literary agent will accept your submission on the face value and not raise unnecessary questions. Overall with every submission your goal is to capture attention and excitement from the publishing professional and not questions.
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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