How to Write a Winning Book Proposal
How to write a book proposal and what exactly it needs to include are two of the questions I am asked most frequently as a literary agent – and not just by new writers. Even seasoned authors and experienced journalists may not have written a book proposal previously. In any book submission process the competition will be immense and the turndown rate high, so it is worth taking the time to get a proposal right. But what does that mean?
People assume that there is a set format for a proposal but, in fact, they all differ in shape and form – there is no boilerplate. The structure and ‘personality’ of a proposal will be determined by the subject and the individual writer’s style. So proposals, or outlines as they are also known, can vary hugely, but all share the same objective. They need to convince an editor and sales and marketing teams on many levels for a publisher to offer an advance and invest in a writer when a book is not yet written.
Most writers are not inclined or financially able to complete a whole book without knowing they have secured a publisher – so writing a book proposal and sample chapters can be an effective way of clinching an advance. It’s also a useful way of planning the structure of a book from the outset. It is important to take the time to do your book proposal well. It needs honing and editing – but over-polish and it can become too dry.
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