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Crafting a book proposal is essential for authors to sell their book to agents or publishers. Non-fiction proposals require a vivid description, chapter outline, market analysis, author qualifications, and sample chapters. Fiction proposals require a synopsis, chapter outline, marketing, and author bio. A professional inquiry letter is also necessary.
Every author has been faced with the daunting task of crafting a book proposal. In essence, the book proposition is how an author sells his or her book to a potential agent or publisher. It is a difficult task and one of most writers wonder about the purpose. There are two different types of book submissions: one for non-fiction and one for fiction.
The advantage of the non-fiction book proposal is that an author doesn’t need to have a complete manuscript – just an idea. But, then, that means they need to be sure they’re crafting a book proposition that will make an agent or publisher willing to wait for the final product. The following are the essentials of the non-fiction book proposal:
Description / Synopsis: 1-2 pages. This is where you describe your project. Provide a vivid description of what your book is about, what you will include in it, why it is needed, your target audience, and any experts, depending on the topic, that will be included.
Summary: 1 page. This is important as chapter titles summarize what will be in each chapter. Make sure you create catchy and creative headlines that make your readers sit up and read.
Chapter Outline / Summaries: Approximately 10 pages or more. First list your chapter titles, then describe what will be included in each of those chapters. Be as descriptive as possible but also as concise.
Market Analysis: Here you have to address four main concerns to a publisher.
Cost: including page count, special additions like images, searches, and sneak peeks;
Demographics: Is there a need or want for your book?
Competition: Who are your main competitors and what do you have that they don’t have?
Promotion: who or what you have to sell the book?
Author Qualifications: This is biographical information about the author, which provides a focus on why they are qualified to write and publish this book. Include any pertinent information from articles you’ve written about people you know and any credentials you have that will help you sell the book.
Sample Chapters: While you don’t have to finish the book to sell nonfiction, you should have at least three sample chapters so the editor can get the concept of your writing style and suitability for the topic you wish to write about.
For fiction, you need to be sure your manuscript is complete before you even think about selling the idea. The following are the essential elements you will need to sell your fiction book proposition:
Synopsis: This is a summary of the entire novel. It’s usually about three or four pages. Publishers don’t want to be surprised, so be sure to put every detail in this document. They want to know what’s going on, who does what to whom and all the dirt and secrets. Don’t hold back anything.
The rest is the same as the non-fiction book proposition: chapter outline, chapter summary, marketing, and author bio. With fiction, however, the synopsis is your sell, so paying close attention to this will sell your book. With nonfiction, the most important aspect is the chapter summary and your marketing proposal. Either way, make sure you have a professional inquiry letter at the head of your book proposal. This is the letter you would use, with the synopsis for novels, to get an editor interested in seeing more. Following all of these steps won’t guarantee you a sale, but it will definitely steer you in the right direction.
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