Tuesday Tips: Dissecting The Nonfiction Proposal

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Tuesday Tips: Dissecting The Nonfiction Proposal

Understanding what's in the pile! (Copr. Steven Green Photography)

Today I continue my series on nonfiction book proposals. Over the next several Tuesday Tips I'll continue to cover some of the meat-and-potatoes of choosing topics, researching ideas, and putting together a winning nonfiction book proposal. While I write primarily about pets, the same ingredients for your nonfiction book stew are the same–it's just the seasoning and presentation that may vary.

The first week discussed the IDEA TREE followed by topic choice including where to find ideas and decide if they're viable. The third covered passionate picks and bio building–and then the holidays happened, so I took a week off. Last week the topic was to query or not, what goes in a query or cover letter and how to approach an editor/agent.

Today we get into the nitty gritty to learn what goes into a proposal package that you send out, and the components of the proposal itself. Sharpen your virtual pencils, folks! That proposal may seem like a warm-and-fuzzy cluster of CUTE-ICITY, but let's take a look at each individual component that makes up the whole.

THE PROPOSAL PACKAGE INCLUDES:

Cover Letter (learn how to put that together here)
Proposal (includes many components…patience, we'll get to that!)
Bio
Table of Contents/Outline
Sample Chapters (usually 1-3)

These are the basic ingredients in the nonfiction stew, but be sure to check with individual agents and publishers to learn their specific requirements. Some want only one chapter, or have specific requests for composing the outline.

What makes YOU uniquely qualified? (Copr. Rocky Mt Feline Rescue)

BIO Contains:

One Page Only
Written in 3rd Person
Expertise re: THIS book topic
Relevant publishing history
BIG-A$$ promo opportunities i.e., regular guest on Oprah (more details in proposal)
More about bio basics can be found here

To recap, you have only a very brief period of time to convince the editor that you know your schtuff and are the perfect/only person able to bring this project to fruition. Think in terms of opening the bio with the ONE SENTENCE tip of the iceberg take-away that prompts the person to google your name to find out more.

Mine would be, "Amy Shojai, CABC is a pet care expert, consultant to the pet products industry and the award-winning author of 23 pet care titles." One would hope those mysterious initials after my name might intrigue the reader to learn what they mean. Also notice it's written in 3rd person, instead of, "I am a pet care expert…" which sounds a bit boastful (even if true).

Tie your expertise to the topic of the book. Maybe you've had personal experience in the subject and that prompted you to learn more and become a lay-expert. Or maybe your profession has a direct link to the topic. By all means, list one or two specific articles or books that have a direct tie-in to your credibility for the proposed title.

This is the place to mention DELIVERABLE promotion opportunities, not maybe-sorta-kinda-in-a-way hopes. If you will appear on XYZ-TV program as a regular guest, or have speaking tour engagements already booked, mention it.

Hold all the components together--somehow!

PROPOSAL, THE CONTENTS

Probably a good time to remind y'all that you should always consider nonfiction proposals to be written in sand–or in my case, kitty litter. In almost every case, before I got an offer on one of my pet books, my agent put me in touch with the interested editor and we chatted about the book contents, format, and his/her ideas. This is the short list of what typically goes into the proposal.

Title Page
Overview (5 to 10+ pages)
Competition/Market Survey (1-10+ pages)
Format Description (1-3 pages)
Promo-Ops, both concrete and potential (1-3 pages)
Bio (1 page)
TOC/Outline
Sample Chapters
Attachments (vitae, other writing samples, book dummy, illio samples)

Next week, the magnifying glass takes a look at the opening pages of your nonfiction proposal, including the overview and competition sections. That's the meat-and-potatoes of the proposal.

What burning questions do y'all have about nonfiction proposals? Anything I've missed? Please share what's worked for YOUR nonfiction book sales, too.

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