SPACE COAST WRITERS' GUILD

Topic: Book Proposal

Joyce Henderson - 7/18/2009 5:51:32 PM You can get married without a proposal, but most prospective grooms spend time and energy, and perhaps money for the perfect way to pop the big question. Likewise, it’s possible to publish a book without a proposal, but the effort you put into creating a book proposal can pay off handsomely in a positive response from an agent or editor. Elementary With fiction and nonfiction projects, the elements of the proposal vary, but the timing is the most significant difference. With a novel, you should complete the book first, unless you have reached the ranks of writers like John Grisham, Nora Roberts or Stephen King. With nonfiction, you can develop and submit the proposal with a strong outline and a couple sample chapters. Elements of a Nonfiction Proposal 1. Cover Letter 2. Title Page 3. Author Biography 4. Project Overview 5. Detailed Outline 6. Sample Chapter(s) 7. SASE Both genres require a cover letter-- a business letter addressed to a specific editor. A cover letter is different than a query letter (both will be covered in greater detail in Chapter 9). Key for Success Purpose of the Cover Letter: • Attract the Recipient’s attention • Introduce your project and yourself • Induce the Recipient to read more of the proposal A strong cover letter is brief and succinct, introducing your project in the first one to two sentences, then developing the idea into a paragraph. The next paragraph establishes your credentials to write the book, and mentions previous publications, special knowledge or education and membership in professional writing organizations. The final paragraph may include the working title, description of the intended or target audience, and approximate length (word count) and availability. Title Page Next is the title page with the working title of the book centered on the page, about 1/3 down from the top. Under it is the author’s name, followed by contact info: address, telephone numbers, email address. You can add a literary agent’s name and contact info as well. Getting to Know You After the title page, introduce yourself. Your biographical sketch is a one-page tool to market yourself as a writer. Tailor the information to meet the needs and interests of the editor/agent. (See Chapter 8 for more info about Bios and the Appendix for examples of ways to use your Bio to target the recipient.) Reflections: • Why are you the best person to write this book? • What unique strengths, experiences, talents, knowledge do you bring to the project? • How will you promote/participate in marketing the book? Overview A three-five page overview of the book offers your BIG chance to sell the book. Spend some time developing this marketing tool. A one-sentence description of your project gives the editor something for a quick pitch, an elevator conversation, an appetizer to attract the attention of the acquisitions editor or committee. Expand that single sentence into a paragraph which may become a back-cover blurb. Reflections: • Describe your book in a one-sentence : • Elaborate into one paragraph: Some of the steps of the book proposal will sound familiar as you have already begun working on the marketing plan for your book. Now’s the time to begin pulling all of those elements together into a package similar to your business plan, but aimed at the editor, the acquisitions committee and the publisher. Reflections: • Why is the book significant? • Who is the audience (primary audience and secondary audience)? • Are there any special features that will aid marketing? • Describe the book’s appearance, what size, how many pages, artwork, photos: • What sources have been used, research, any special permissions needed? • Who is your competition, how is the book different/similar to the competition? • How will you work to promote, are you available to travel, do book signings? Outlining I know you thought that once you graduated high school you’d never have to outline anything ever again. Well, surprise--outlining is a necessary step to sell a book. Actually, it’s much easier than the school version. The outline gives the editor an idea of where you are headed with the book since, remember, with nonfiction, it isn’t necessary to finish the book before you begin marketing it. Key for Success The Outline is a chapter-by-chapter description of what will be in the book. Think of it as an enhanced Table of Contents. For each chapter, list the chapter title (if you have any). Then, describe in one- three sentences what the chapter will cover. You can also mention any drawings, figure, photographs, tables, or artwork in each chapter. Bare bones brevity is the key here. Give the editor a general idea of the material you will cover, the order in which it will come and anything unique about each chapter. Are you stuck for life then? No. As you write the book, you may need to rearrange chapters, delete material or add more. If your changes are significant, let the editor know by submitting a revised outline or discussing with the editor, but, generally, you are not bound by the outline if changes must be made as you work. Likewise, when you send sample chapters, these are not the final, revised chapters you will send when the manuscript is completed. They should bear some resemblance to the finished product and they should be polished, edited, reviewed, critiqued and as perfect as you can make them, but there is still leeway for changes as you work on the project. Key for Success Always send the first 2-3 chapters as you sample. Even if Chapter 8 is your favorite and best, the editor/agent wants to see the first 2-3. SASE The best way to sabotage yourself is to neglect to send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The second best way to sink your proposal is to send the wrong SASE. Yes, sometimes the editor sends a response back in a company envelope. If your manuscript is accepted, you are likely to receive a phone call rather than a written response. Big deal…you’re out a fifteen-cent envelope and a little postage! But if you don’t send a SASE, your submission may go into the circular file without even being read. Nothing screams “amateur” more than an absent or improper SASE. SASE Rules 1. Use a fresh, new envelope for every contact with an editor/agent. • Do not use an envelope that came in the electric bill that you don’t use because you pay electronically. • Do not use an envelope on which you have crossed out a name or put a sticker over someone else’s name. • Do not peel postage from one envelope and glue or tape it on a different envelope. 2. Use the right-sized SASE and correct amount of postage. • U.S. postage works fine to get a letter to another country but doesn’t work to get a response back. If you are submitting something to another country (and yes, that means Canada), go to the post office and buy an International Reply Coupon. Do NOT affix the coupon to an envelope. It will be exchanged for a stamp at the post office of the recipient’s country. • You may choose to send a business-sized envelope with first class postage for the return of a single-sheet letter response. In your cover letter, let the editor know you do not expect return of the entire proposal. Your material will be destroyed appropriately. • If you do want the entire proposal returned, send the appropriate-sized envelope and sufficient postage. I would still send a business-sized envelope, along with first-class postage in addition. 3. You can use the book or media rate for postage to send a manuscript. This saves a few cents, but reminds me of a slow boat to China. 4. If you are sending a proposal, use regular first-class; priority/express isn’t necessary and is costly. Save priority/express for emergencies when you are up against a deadline. 5. Do NOT send anything that requires a signature on receipt. You would most likely get the signature of someone in a mail room unrelated to the editor. You can pay extra and track the path and progress of your package if so desired without the signature confirmation of delivery. 6. Insurance isn’t necessary. You should never be mailing your only copy. Dress for Success Your proposal is your “foot-in-the-door,” job interview. You’ve made sure the content is perfect, now work on the appearance. Never recycle a proposal, even if the first editor didn’t spill coffee on it, didn’t bend down the corners, or mark a page with red ink, didn’t saturate the pages with cigarette smoke or lose a page. Send a new, fresh one each time. Follow formatting guidelines. I know you are an individual, highly creative and artistic, but an editor/agent sees hundreds of submission a day. You want yours to stand out because of its professionalism and good writing, not because it’s written on yellow legal pad or came wrapped around a six-pack of the editor’s favorite beer. Key for Success Check the publisher’s website for specific formatting guidelines for submissions. Many publishers also have a tip sheet you can request by sending a SASE. Slingshot or Shotgun You’ve put together a dynamite proposal, assembled a list of target editors/agents. Now what? Do you send a package to everyone on the list at the same time? This dilemma faces every writer and there’s no easy answer. Multiple submissions (sending the same proposal to more than one person) are largely disliked, but necessary. If you send a proposal and the editor takes three-six months to respond, you cannot afford the down time, but, on the other hand, editors and agents want that exclusivity. How do you compromise? First, consider whether you want to use the slingshot approach of submitting the proposal to two or three editors at one time, or the shotgun method of scattering it to a dozen or more at the same time. Only you can decide your tolerance for waiting, and for rejection. Second, let the editors/agents know this is a multiple submission. Most of them understand the vagaries of the business. Yes, they will tell you they want an exclusive look, but they know it isn’t practical. When an editor makes an offer, be sure to immediately withdraw all other submissions from consideration. Tales from the Trenches With one of our books, we had submitted to three editors and two of them made offers within a day of each other. While it may seem to be a enviable situation to have two publishers bidding for your project, we ultimately had to decide which one to go with, and reject the other. I have to admit I secretly relished writing a rejection letter to an editor, but I have to live with the fact that that company will never consider another project from us. If I had been able to withdraw the proposal gracefully, we might have had an opportunity to work with them on something else in the future. Cover and query letters may always be multiple submissions. An editor may request an exclusive look at the proposal and you will need to weigh how serious the commitment sounds in deciding whether to remove the proposal from consideration by any others.. Submission Checklist • Proposal is free of grammatical and typo errors • Editor’s name, title, company name and address are correct • Your name, address, phone, email address are included on the cover letter and title page and SASE • Formatting is per editor or publisher guidelines • Appropriate SASE and returned postage is included • You have a record of each submission’s destination and date of submission Take home message: The proposal is your first opportunity to sell your book.