A nonfiction book proposal is a summary of an idea for a book used to pitch to agents or publishers. It includes a summary, market analysis, author information, book structure, and sample chapters. The proposal must sell the idea in a compelling way and offer a market analysis. The author should include information about themselves, qualifications, and platform. Sample chapters are important to assess the author’s writing ability.
A nonfiction book proposal is a summary of an idea for a book that is used to pitch the project to an agent or publisher. Based on the proposal, the agent or publisher can decide whether it is a book they would be interested in selling or publishing. A nonfiction book proposal typically includes a summary, market analysis, author information, book structure, and sample chapters.
A nonfiction book proposal abstract explains the main thesis of the book. Explain what the author is trying to convey to the audience and what response or solution is expected. The abstract must also sell the idea in a compelling way. If the agent or publisher isn’t convinced with the idea via the summary, they won’t read the rest of the proposal.
The author is expected to offer in a nonfiction book proposal a market analysis of the need for the book and how it might sell. Comparisons to similar books that have sold well should be listed. The topic may not have been written about much, but it may be trending in popular circles. If so, the author should include it in the analysis and explain why the topic might sell well.
Once the author has used the nonfiction book proposal to explain the idea and why it will sell well, they should include information about themselves, their previous work, qualifications to write on the topic, and their platform. Platform is a broad term that describes the amount of built-in sales an author can bring to the table. This is usually calculated by looking at the amount of fans and followers the author has established through social media sites, previous sales, and other marketing and self-promotional activities.
An author will often include a draft of the book in a nonfiction book proposal. The outline is often considered an optional addition to the proposal, although some agents or publishers prefer an outline to see how the author intends to present her subject. Structures can range from simple point-by-point summaries to detailed chapter lists.
The last part of a nonfiction book proposal consists of sample chapters. While most non-fiction books don’t need to be completed at this stage, agents and publishers request sample chapters to determine if the author has the necessary level of writing ability. The author’s writing ability will be assessed on the basis of technical proficiency, such as grammar and sentence structure, and ability to relate ideas in a compelling way. After the table of contents, sample chapters are considered the most important part of a nonfiction book proposal.
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