Writing Book Proposals that Win Publishing Contracts
By Jonathan Kranz
Think you have a great idea for a book? You don’t – not until you have a great idea for a book proposal. In too many instances, the real difference between a successful author and a wannabe writer is neither writing talent nor content expertise – it’s the ability to sell the book to a publisher.
The following are the essential components of a successful book proposal. Some elements, such as the table of contents and a sample chapter, are obvious. But others, especially those regarding the book’s positioning and its marketing platform, are frequently overlooked to the author’s disadvantage. To sell your book, you have to show a publisher why your book will have sales appeal. Here’s how:
Define your book. Begin with a page that literally states what your book is and why it’s needed. The first step is to make your positioning statement. Go beyond a mere description of content or subject matter to articulate the audience appeal: yours is the “x” book for “y” kind of people.
When I pitched Writing Copy for Dummies, for example, I defined the book as a copywriting guide for people who did NOT want to be professional copywriters. By doing so, I extended the reach of the book beyond the smaller subset of career writers to the much larger audience of entrepreneurs, marketing managers and small business owners. And I gave it a hook that distinguished it from hundreds of other current copywriting titles.
Articulate the need: It’s not enough that you want to write this book; to get published, you have to convince a publisher that there’s a reason why people will want to read it – and not one of the dozens of similar books on the subject that are already in print. What gap does your book fill? What need have you identified that hasn’t been satisfied by other books? And how will your book fill that gap and address that need?
Identify your target markets. The next page in your proposal should describe both a primary market – those most likely to be interested in your book – and a potential secondary market for additional sales. If you were writing a book on print-on-demand technology, for instance, your primary market might be agency managers such as art directors and account executives. Your secondary could be graphic designers or prints sales people.
For both markets, explain the nature of the audience, their needs, and why your book is positioned to satisfy their needs or attract their interest.
Paint a picture of your target reader. Take a page to describe your target reader: who they are, what they value, their hopes, fears and desires. Your goal is to show a publisher that you have a deep understanding of reader hearts and minds – and that you’re capable of writing with that reader in mind.
In my proposal, I elaborated key, defining phrases such as “…is not a professional writer, but needs writing skills to succeed professionally,” and “…is interested in immediate results, not a life-long devotion to writing.” Your key phrases may include things similar to, “…eager for career growth, but uncertain about next steps,” or “…wants to balance financial obligations with investment opportunities,” or “…needs to learn [subset] skills in a fast, convenient way.”
Make a short list of sales handles. You know the blurbs that go on back of the book? Pretend you’re writing your own. In essence, you’re telling the publisher how to sell your book. Take the title of your book and complete these sentences:
-
[TITLE] is …
-
“…the fast and easy way to master salesmanship in five simple steps.”
-
“…the most complete and up-to-date guide to home refinancing available today.”
-
[TITLE] will…
-
“…prepare contractors for their licensing requirements in just two weeks.”
-
“…help HR managers understand state and national workman’s compensation regulations.”
-
With [TITLE], you will learn how to…
-
“…manage your networks for optimal performance with minimum maintenance.”
-
“…control product development costs while accelerating time to market.”
Show a list of competitive titles. Publishers want to see that you’ve done your homework. And that you’ve positioned your book to be different from available titles. Make a list of eight to twelve books with a descriptive paragraph for each one. Don’t expose yourself as an amateur by slamming the books; instead, acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses and indicate how your book is meaningfully different, better, more complete or more appealing to a reader.
Create an annotated table of contents. If a publisher accepts your proposal, they’ll assign an editor who’ll definitely want a say in how you manage your content. But they still want to see how you’ve conceived your book. Break it out into chapter sub-titles with brief paragraphs and/or bullet points that summarize the content of each one.
Provide a sample chapter. Pick a chapter from the heart of your book that truly represents your central ideas, your format suggestions (graphics? worksheets? case studies?), your tone and point of view. Do NOT submit an introduction, which may only indicate your dream for a book; publishers want to evaluate your ability to fulfill your stated vision and objectives.
Explain your qualifications. Why are you the right person to write this book? This section may include either or both of the following: a resume or curriculum vitae that demonstrates your subject area expertise; a list of previous publications, speaking engagements and/or media appearances.
Describe your marketing plan. Unless you’re already a best-selling author, a former president of the United States, or an heiress with a compromising video circulating on the Web, chances are the publisher is going to do next to nothing to market your book. In fact, they want to know what you will do to promote it. Book signings? Speaking tours? Articles? Press interviews? A dedicated Website and/or blog? Tell the publisher what commitments you’re willing to make, and are prepared to execute, to sell more copies of the book.
In sum: the proposal comes first.
Before you write a great book, you have to write a great book proposal. Don’t leave the proposal as an afterthought; instead, start writing it before you write the bulk of the book itself. The effort will expose weaknesses in your book concept – and give you the opportunity to correct them – before you’ve committed too much time and energy to your vision. Likewise, a well-conceived proposal gives you a road map for a stronger finished work. Finally, a good book proposal tells publishers that you’re the real deal, an author worthy of their investment, and can help you negotiate a more favorable book contract.
#####
Kranz Communications
(781) 620-1154
This article originally appeared on RainToday . You may read it in its original format here.
