A book proposal is a marketing document designed to sell your book idea to an agent, who will then use the proposal to sell your book idea to a publisher (though some publishers, usually smaller ones, may take proposals directly from writers). Writing a book proposal, and the quality of the proposal you write, will ultimately determine whether a publisher even considers your book.
Fiction and creative nonfiction books are typically sold once the manuscript is completed, while nonfiction books are sold on the strength of their proposals. That’s right—most publishers don’t expect, nor do they want, nonfiction authors to complete their manuscripts before submitting. If you’re writing a nonfiction book, you must write a book proposal. And these days, many agents and publishers appreciate receiving a fiction proposal alongside a finished manuscript as well.
Book Proposal Template
Book proposals vary in length, but on average, you’re looking at ten to fifty pages of double-spaced text. Length, as you can see, varies widely based on the nature of your book concept, the size of your platform, how much detail you provide on what’s going to be in the book, and what you include under the expected basic sections, which are:
- Cover Letter: Briefly describe your book, your credentials, and why anyone should care to read your book. Sort of a reworked version of your query letter.
- Title Page: Title and subtitle of your book, your name and contact information.
- Sales/Marketing Handle: In fifteen words or less, explain what aspect of your book’s content will sell it. This is a written version of the “elevator pitch.”
- Overview: This is where you describe your book, its purpose, the themes you will address, the information you will impart, and your approach or style. It is an overview of the organization and content. If your book has a timely subject, you should also express what prompted you to write the book now.
- Special Editorial Features: Note here whether the book will include any special features such as sidebars, photos, anecdotes, interviews with celebrities or high-profile individuals, references to late-breaking research results, etc.
- Project Status: State the projected word count of your book in terms of a range (i.e. 60,000-70,000 words) and how long it will take you to write it.
- About the Author: What experience or professional credentials do you have that uniquely prepare you to write this book? What makes you marketable?
- Existing Marketing and Sales Opportunities: Do you have a list of clients or subscribers to whom the book could be sold? Do you have any contacts with the media that would help promote the book? Use your imagination and make your agent/publisher see dollar signs.
- Endorsements: If you know any other authors or relevant professionals who might offer to endorse your book, include their names here.
- Comparative/Competitive Titles: List two to five competing books and positively distinguish your book. If there are no direct competitors, list books on topics that come closest or address a similar audience.
- Outline: Include chapter headings, subheadings, and brief chapter summaries.
- Sample Chapter(s): Include as many sample chapters as requested, preferably ones that are representative of the overall tenor and nature of the work. These should be the first linear chapters of your novel or memoir, and for nonfiction should include your Introduction plus any number of chapters selected as strong representations of your approach, style, and any cutting-edge information in your book.
Why You Need a Book Proposal
A successful book proposal tells agents and publishers who you are, what your book is about, who wants to read it, how you intend to reach that audience, and what efforts you’ve already made toward building an effective marketing platform that will help sell your book.
Ultimately, your proposal has to sell your book—and you, the author—to a publisher, so that is the end goal. Agents will review your proposal as they believe their publisher clients will. A well-developed book proposal takes a lot of guesswork out of an essentially risky process for all involved. Your proposal must show publishers that you’ve thoroughly developed your book concept and that you’ve researched your intended audience. It conveys how well you understand book promotion, which is increasingly an author’s responsibility. It tells them where they can expect to gain some relatively effortless sales, or at least some valuable attention. And it gives them an indication of where the audience is—bigger audiences equal greater expected sales, which can get you a bigger advance. If no one’s ever heard of you, publishers may be more cautious—hence a smaller advance, if you get an offer at all.
The material you assemble into a book proposal—and the work you do in preparation for writing the proposal—remains important after you close the publishing deal. Marketing and publicity departments will look to your information on your target audience and ways that they can use your platform to design a promotion plan. The sales force that pitches titles to the major booksellers will use your outlines and descriptions, sometimes even your sample chapters, to get your book on the shelves and into catalogs. Dozens of people will review your proposal in parts or in its entirety between the day your concept is first pitched to them and the day it is launched into the world as a finished book.
The most important thing to understand here is that you may have the greatest idea for a book ever, but if your proposal is poorly written or lacking in critical information, no one is going to feel confident betting on you.
How to Prepare Your Book Proposal
When preparing to submit a book proposal, always research submission guidelines—these are often found on the companies’ websites. Submission guidelines will explain how you should prepare and submit material, including format types, mail vs. electronic delivery, reading dates, and more. You should always defer to your target audience’s expressed preferences. That said, a traditional book proposal includes certain types of information arranged in a certain way. Refer to the abovementioned list of expected sections for a good outline of a traditional, comprehensive book proposal.
So, now that you know what goes into a book proposal, and how publishers evaluate and use the information in your proposal, let’s look at some tips on presentation:
- Always double-space your text.
- Use an easily readable, 12-point font such as Arial or Times New Roman.
- If you send via email, consider uploading your PDF to the cloud and including a link for download in your cover letter (which will become your email message). This can help bypass Junk or Spam filters looking for suspicious attachments.
- If you send via postal mail, use plain white paper for the proposal body. Your cover letter can be on stationery if you wish.
- Never staple your proposal. Agents prefer that you use paper- or binder-clips.
- Send the entire proposal in a plain folder (the kind with pockets, so your material stays put inside) with a label on it that has your name, contact info, and proposal title (in case your cover letter gets lost).
As I noted earlier, it is always a good idea to find out the preferences of each agent or publisher before you submit. Some will want a query letter first; some will ask for sample chapters right off the bat. Some want one chapter, some want three. Some only read emailed submissions while others don’t do digital.
When no preference is given, however, this article will guide you toward creating a strong basic package.
