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How to Write a Book Proposal: The Insider's Step-by-Step Guide to Proposals that Get You Published
THE ESSENTIAL RESOURCE FOR SELLING YOUR BOOK
If you want to publish a book, you must present it to agents and publishers with a knock-your-socks-off proposal. Whether you're seeking a traditional press to publish your self-published book or trying to win over an agent for your graphic novel, memoir, or nonfiction title, you need an irresistible proposal. The better your proposal, the better the editor, publisher, and deal you will get.
Nailing your proposal requires an understanding of how publishers work and how to brand yourself, build a platform, and structure your book. You'll learn it all in this breezy top-to-bottom revision of the classic 100,000-copy best-seller. Inside How to Write a Book Proposal 5th Edition, you will
Examples of successful proposals that earned six-figure deals
Guidance from agents, publishers, and writers
Ways to customize your proposal
Strategies for proposals in the Digital Age
Effective structures for narrative writers
A list of the "Top Ten Proposal Killers"
This sassy, thorough guide from industry professionals Jody Rein and Michael Larsen will become your go-to for advice about publishing.
If you want to publish a book, you must present it to agents and publishers with a knock-your-socks-off proposal. Whether you're seeking a traditional press to publish your self-published book or trying to win over an agent for your graphic novel, memoir, or nonfiction title, you need an irresistible proposal. The better your proposal, the better the editor, publisher, and deal you will get.
Nailing your proposal requires an understanding of how publishers work and how to brand yourself, build a platform, and structure your book. You'll learn it all in this breezy top-to-bottom revision of the classic 100,000-copy best-seller. Inside How to Write a Book Proposal 5th Edition, you will
Examples of successful proposals that earned six-figure deals
Guidance from agents, publishers, and writers
Ways to customize your proposal
Strategies for proposals in the Digital Age
Effective structures for narrative writers
A list of the "Top Ten Proposal Killers"
This sassy, thorough guide from industry professionals Jody Rein and Michael Larsen will become your go-to for advice about publishing.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2017
79 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 16, 2018
Writing a book proposal is an integral part of the publishing process, for any non-fiction title. This book will teach you everything you need to do, in order to nail this first step in obtaining your dream publishing deal. This covered a host of areas and could be an asset to both the novice, by covering the basics of what a book proposal must contain, and the experienced writer, by showing how to fine-tune these basics into the perfect proposal.
I found the writing to be clear, concise, and detailed. This provided any possible queries the reader could pose and answered them in an easily understood yet heavily detailed style. The physicality of the book also helped in this ease of understanding, as it provided images, text boxes, and a whole host of other devices to allow all types of readers able to obtain the information imparted. It kept the eye focused and the brain able to process.
Whilst everything is to be commended in this text I could not rate it higher for how personally suitable the bones of it were. I plan to write a fiction title and only two of the over three-hundred pages of this focused primarily on fiction. This is understandable as book proposals are, as detailed inside, rarely requested for fiction submissions. Due to having no prior knowledge of this a lot of the information was not needed and, apart from understanding exactly what a book proposal entailed for my own interest, I won't be able to use any of the information. Still a fascinating read and I would highly recommend to ALL non-fiction writers.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Jody Rein, and the publisher, Writer's Digest Books, for this opportunity.
I found the writing to be clear, concise, and detailed. This provided any possible queries the reader could pose and answered them in an easily understood yet heavily detailed style. The physicality of the book also helped in this ease of understanding, as it provided images, text boxes, and a whole host of other devices to allow all types of readers able to obtain the information imparted. It kept the eye focused and the brain able to process.
Whilst everything is to be commended in this text I could not rate it higher for how personally suitable the bones of it were. I plan to write a fiction title and only two of the over three-hundred pages of this focused primarily on fiction. This is understandable as book proposals are, as detailed inside, rarely requested for fiction submissions. Due to having no prior knowledge of this a lot of the information was not needed and, apart from understanding exactly what a book proposal entailed for my own interest, I won't be able to use any of the information. Still a fascinating read and I would highly recommend to ALL non-fiction writers.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Jody Rein, and the publisher, Writer's Digest Books, for this opportunity.
October 8, 2019
This fantastic, well written how-to writing book explains all parts of a book proposal, and what agents and publishers look for in each section in an easy to follow and detailed manner. It is a must-read resource for any writer needing to send a book proposal. I highly recommend it.
October 2, 2019
A nonfiction step-by-step guide to, well, writing a book proposal. Since there seems to be some confusion over this: a book proposal is a lengthy pitch (not uncommonly 50+ pages) used to sell nonfiction books to agents and/or publishers. Fiction mostly does not use proposals, or, at most, uses extremely short and simplified ones; instead, fiction is primarily sold via a complete manuscript. Nonfiction writers can get away with having written only one or two chapters of the proposed book and still have it picked up on the basis of the idea. As a result, How to Write a Book Proposal has almost no advice for fiction writers, simply because they're not a relevant audience.
How to Write a Book Proposal divides potential nonfiction writers into two groups: those who write what they dub "promotion-driven books" (things like inspirational books, cookbooks, business books, celebrity books; books where a great deal of the sales are going to come from the platform the author already has) and those who write "prose-driven books" (memoirs, historical narrative, literary journalism, science writing; books where the drive is less the author's name and more the power of the story itself). Although both groups need to write a proposal to sell their books, the proposals for each differ slightly, and Rein and Larsen go into plenty of detail on how to adjust an ideal proposal to your book's specific strengths.
How to Write a Book Proposal is organized around the potential proposal itself, with chapters going in-depth to each particular part of a proposal (author bio, comps, detailed table of contents, etc) and how to write it, what to include, how long it should be, and any other information a writer could possibly need. Rein and Larsen even offer advice on what order to work on the proposal – different from the order in which it should ultimately be assembled! – to provide the most efficient use of research, planning, and writing. It's wonderfully up-to-date (particularly compared to another proposal advice book I'm currently reading, in which emailing agents is a new concept), with plenty of links to websites for agent contact information, or further advice, or additional sample proposals. There are dozens of examples of actual proposals included in this book itself, which I loved; sometimes it's just so much easier to see something than to have it explained.
One drawback, for me, was that I felt How to Write a Book Proposal is slightly more geared towards promotion-driven books, whereas I was most interested in advice for prose-driven books. Though I suppose this is fair enough, since promotion-driven books require a more complicated proposal (prose-driven books, being a bit closer to fiction in appeal, lean harder on the sample chapters – which is also a bit like selling fiction).
Overall I would highly recommend this to anyone looking into writing a book proposal.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
How to Write a Book Proposal divides potential nonfiction writers into two groups: those who write what they dub "promotion-driven books" (things like inspirational books, cookbooks, business books, celebrity books; books where a great deal of the sales are going to come from the platform the author already has) and those who write "prose-driven books" (memoirs, historical narrative, literary journalism, science writing; books where the drive is less the author's name and more the power of the story itself). Although both groups need to write a proposal to sell their books, the proposals for each differ slightly, and Rein and Larsen go into plenty of detail on how to adjust an ideal proposal to your book's specific strengths.
How to Write a Book Proposal is organized around the potential proposal itself, with chapters going in-depth to each particular part of a proposal (author bio, comps, detailed table of contents, etc) and how to write it, what to include, how long it should be, and any other information a writer could possibly need. Rein and Larsen even offer advice on what order to work on the proposal – different from the order in which it should ultimately be assembled! – to provide the most efficient use of research, planning, and writing. It's wonderfully up-to-date (particularly compared to another proposal advice book I'm currently reading, in which emailing agents is a new concept), with plenty of links to websites for agent contact information, or further advice, or additional sample proposals. There are dozens of examples of actual proposals included in this book itself, which I loved; sometimes it's just so much easier to see something than to have it explained.
One drawback, for me, was that I felt How to Write a Book Proposal is slightly more geared towards promotion-driven books, whereas I was most interested in advice for prose-driven books. Though I suppose this is fair enough, since promotion-driven books require a more complicated proposal (prose-driven books, being a bit closer to fiction in appeal, lean harder on the sample chapters – which is also a bit like selling fiction).
Overall I would highly recommend this to anyone looking into writing a book proposal.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
January 16, 2023
An excellent book that I always recommend to clients and students who are writing a book proposal. A comprehensive breakdown of all the elements that prospective authors will need to include in a winning book proposal as well as answers to the kind of questions that authors often have about language (for example, should I use first or third person in my author bio?).
Dr Lizzy Tanguay (nonfiction editor/ writing teacher).
Dr Lizzy Tanguay (nonfiction editor/ writing teacher).
October 19, 2022
Tied for the best book I've read so far on proposals. The other was Ryan G. Van Cleaver's the weekend book proposal. Rein and Larsen also provide excellent info about the publication process. The sample proposals in the appendix are excellent.
September 19, 2018
Invaluable. Wish me luck! :)
September 30, 2018
Disappointed. Nothing much information for fiction at all, and a lot of the other information can be found in writers' blogs.
January 18, 2021
This was my constant companion and guide when I was writing my last book proposal. Whenever I got stuck I'd turn to the chapter on whatever I was working on and it always unstuck me. Every time.
January 23, 2024
Sometimes you have to stop researching and planning and just write already.
This book has some practical advice.
This book has some practical advice.
November 18, 2021
Wish I had read this much earlier in my writing career. The bulk of the book is dedicated to a very well thought out and achievable plan to write a book proposal (for all manner of books, including memoir), walking you through each step in a way that makes it much easier to accomplish well. Yet, it also contains fantastic hints on query letters, finding agents/publishers, and even self-publishing.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews