The outline concentrates on the basic idea and objectives of the proposal, together with key results and the impact. When crafting a proposal for your boss or upper level executives, remember that you. May 01, 2020 write a one or twopage synopsisabout 500 words, single spacedand use that as your default, unless the submission guidelines ask for something longer. Essentially, the book proposal is the way an author sells his or her book to a potential agent or publisher. A book proposal is a document most commonly associated with pitching a nonfiction book. It includes information on the content, the author, the market, and the salability of the project. Writing a nonfiction book proposal by scott mendel. That was a twobook deal, admittedly, so you can divide the numbers by two to get a per book amount. Apr 17, 2012 once you have filled out the worksheet, rewrite them on a fresh sheet of paper and try to eliminate words, tighten sentences, and variate sentence structure.
It proposes a specific action that will entice the client to say a yes for the business deal. A short abstract of your proposed book, which must include a summary of your premise, main arguments, and conclusions. Every single one of those books sold off the back off a simple book proposal. The cover letter one page 2 the proposal which includes, among other things, a synopsis of the book or story 3 sample chapters. Add in those samples, and youll have a complete proposal ready to be considered by a literary agent. By the way, we make a distinction between a cover letter and a query letter. Your proposal on a page you will write the first page of your proposal last. Onepage proposals can be defined as a singlepaged proposal that describes the project in a few words. For fiction and memoir, think about the world of your story, your. It is by david sanford, a published author, editor, and literary agent for more than 300 books who now serves on the leadership team at corban university.
Nonfiction book proposal outline ted weinstein literary. The idea behind the one sheet is to present your idea, not your actual writing. The unique contribution of the book and why you feel it must be published. In all that time, ive found that there isnt one, perfect book proposal. One thing writers hate doing but will inevitably have to do one day or another, at least is the dreaded synopsis. What this book the one page proposal does, is not only make the case for this concept, but takes you through stepbystep directions for creating your own one page proposal.
After you follow this how to write a book guide, youll have everything you need to prepare your next nonfiction book one page proposal so you can quickly get it written and accepted by your potential agent or publisher. An agent may request it in hisher submission materials, or an editor might. I think my next move is, after your suggestion, to write a couple of papers from my thesis, write a book proposal too, and just sit on the book proposal. So this book proposal template is meant to give you a birdeyes view of the process. If a publishers goal is to make money although very few editors will say that outright, then a book proposal needs to clearly articulate how the intellectual value of the work might translate into monetary value.
The anatomy of a compelling book proposal the bindery. Start with the working title of the project along with your name, email, and phone number. Some agents and publishers reference specific parts of the proposal before reading the entire document. Youre going to have to essentially sell them your book.
How to write a good nonfiction book proposal for submission. How to craft a one sheet onepage book proposal to present to publishers and agents how to write a powerful book proposal and every element of information that needs to be included how to prepare for a writers conference and confidently meet with publishers and agents to pitch your book. Oct 25, 2016 a book proposal is a document most commonly associated with pitching a nonfiction book. Select the sample academic proposals pdf in the media box above to download this file and read examples of proposals for conferences, journals, and book.
The onepage proposal goodreads meet your next favorite book. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment. In fact, for my travel adventure memoir, ive been working on the proposal onandoff for the last two years, and even then, my agent is asking for a rewrite. Only after you finish your proposal can you provide the following hooks for the first page of your proposal. A book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Every complete proposal should include all of the following components. The next step is to write a winning book proposal designed to persuade an agent to ask to see your manuscript and consider representing it to publishers. What this book the onepage proposal does, is not only make the case for this concept, but takes you through stepbystep directions for creating your own onepage proposal. How to craft a one sheet one page book proposal to present to publishers and agents how to write a powerful book proposal and every element of information that needs to be included how to prepare for a writers conference and confidently meet with publishers and agents to pitch your book idea. The truth is the nonfiction book proposal is an entirely different beast.
Manuscript information harpercollins christian publishing. When crafting a proposal for your boss or upper level executives, remember that you are asking the company to allocate time, resources, and often, money, towards a particular project or activity. Jul 29, 2011 there are several books available on writing book proposals. Summary the write life helping writers create, connect. Proposals are popular because oftentimes nonfiction books aren. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal by andy ross. Try to describe in a few words the essence and hooks that will convey your books content in the best possible way. Every fiction book proposal must include a synopsis. Remember to use these as hintsdo not follow them slavishly as if a literary agent is going to spend their time critiquing your cover letter. This ones short and tothepoint, and the last time i. C 1 page with a few lines on the five most recent competing and comparable books. How to write a better proposal introduction how to write. The outline concentrates on the basic idea and objectives of the proposal. Youll need a separate onesheet for each manuscript you are going to pitch to agents and editors, unless you are pitching them as a series.
In no case, had i written more than about 10,000 words of text prior to the sales process. For example, if chapter three ends on page 58, you should probably send all 58 pages. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure theyre useful for our readers. I also sold a book off the back of a nonfiction book proposal that had multiple publishers bidding for the rights, and ended up being sold to harpercollins for. Apr 24, 2020 essentially, the book proposal is the way an author sells his or her book to a potential agent or publisher. A one page summary of your book, focused on persuading the agent to solicit your manuscript. Agents are looking for something more specific when it comes to nonfiction. One page proposals can be defined as a singlepaged proposal that describes the project in a few words. It is a difficult task and one most writers wonder the purpose of.
Writing a great book proposal is how to sell your book to a publisher. Hints for a great cover letter the steve laube agency. The goal of the one page outline is to get other people interested. As clear, concise, and concrete as its subject, patrick rileys the onepage proposal promises to be the definitive business guide to getting your best ideas fully understood in the least. Make sure the page numbers match the content in book proposal. It takes me months to finish writing a book proposal. When it comes to fiction, few agents or editors expect or require book proposals, but its an incredibly useful tool. How to write a book proposal that agents will love. According to mary demuth, a one sheet is a document you bring with you that serves as a conversation piece between you and an editor or agent, explaining what your current project or projects is about. One page proposal template a tool for your horizon 2020 idea. Onepage proposal template a tool for your horizon 2020 idea see onepageproposal template for more information. Instead of writing the entire book, then trying to interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels, you write the proposal first. The one sheet is just thatone sheet geared to a specific book idea.
Fiction, on the other hand, almost always needs to be fully. How to write a book proposal that agents will love jericho. A book proposal serves as a brief but indepth overview of your book idea, your approach to the topic, the book s organization and flow, and a sample of the writing. Feb 05, 2010 with that in mind, id like to address one aspect of preparation. The one page proposal template is an outline for your proposal. This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. They arise in all sorts of different situations, but generally a book concept is written down into a proposal form. Youre going to have to essentially sell them your book, sending them a document that contains details about your qualifications, a chapterbychapter outline, and most importantly, how your. As clear, concise, and concrete as its subject, patrick rileys the onepage proposal promises to be the definitive business guide to getting your best ideas fully understood in the least amount of time today more than ever, business decisions are made on the fly first impressions can make all the difference. This outline captures the key concepts of your proposal idea in an easy to communicate way. When you hear book proposal, most people think nonfiction.
This short power packed guide covers the basics and more. The general rule for this portion of the book proposal is to submit the first three chapters or the first fifty pages, whichever comes first. If your synopsis runs longer, anything up to two pages again, single spaced is usually acceptable. Your fiction proposal should include the following items and should be attached as a single file to an email with submission. We would advise that you write the proposal in microsoft word, or similar word processor and when you are happy with the content you should then cut and paste onto the online application. Write a summary that draws the reader into your world and entices them to stay.
Manuscript submissions how can i submit my manuscript to zondervan to be published. This is obviously quite different than a full proposal, which can be upwards of fifty pages or so. Instead of writing the entire book, then trying to interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels, you write the proposal. There are several books available on writing book proposals. When someone is pitching a work of nonfiction, a proposal outlines includes information on the content, the author, the market, and the salability of the project. As clear, concise, and concrete as its subject, patrick rileys the onepage proposal promises to be the definitive business guide to getting your best ideas fully understood in the least amount of time. Since this guide and the book proposal template were meant to be complementary, we recommend perusing them sidebyside, or one after the other. Andy warhol, saint apollonia suite 1984 for all of these reasons, quite a mouthful will make a perfect gift for any general interest nonfiction reader. This abstract should not be longer than three pages, and if it is longer than one page. Jun 10, 2019 this is for the book proposal, not the book. One page sell sheet one sheet the one page sell sheet is like a mini resume.
My book, book title will be a genre work which will center around the topic of book topic. Bear in mind that this template is only a general guide. Crafting a convincing book proposal chroniclevitae. The introductory paragraphs of your book proposal are called an overview because they give the big picture and put your book in context. How to write onesheet book proposals a way with words writing. Today more than ever, business decisions are made on the fly.
Zondervan reflective books aim to be good, engaging reads that encourage deep reflection, inspire action. The one page proposal is part of your online entry, and can be no more than 500 words long. Ideas for books are as varied as the books themselves. I cover the essential elements regardless of length, including the overview, the target market analysis, the competitive title. You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. Description of the idea in no more than 35 sentences. If a literary agent doesnt read past the overview, if she isnt. Nonfiction book proposals can top out around 5075 pages, not including sample chapters. Your curriculum vita including your qualifications to write the book. Here is a sample of a book that landed a publisher. Book proposals vary in approach, length, and style, but certain key elements must be included for yours to succeed.
How to write a book proposal the creative independent. A 1 page minisynopsis highlighting with bullet points what makes the book new and special with proposed word count and delivery date. As clear, concise, and concrete as its subject, patrick riley. The core of the publishing process is the book proposal. Other terms used for this page are sell sheet or pitch sheet, which help to communicate its purpose. We currently accept unsolicited book proposals for the following imprints only. Develop the book proposal in a very intensive twoweek sprint with deadlines and calls 3x a week and unlimited email support. Those two to three singlespaced pages of agony will never be seen by anyone else but editors and agents, so why. Everyone who teaches on the book proposal says you need one. Its not that hard to write a great proposal introduction. The table of contents, including a two or three sentence description of each chapter. I have always used a one to fiveparagraph description of the project.
Include any subhead or taglines that your book s title may contain. Sample book proposal from a professional literary agency. Jan 17, 2011 here are a few suggestions for you to consider when approaching an agent. You just have to start off by saying something of value to the customer. This one s short and tothepoint, and the last time i. I like this one because it contains ten reallife proposals that sold. Today more than ever, business decisions are made on the fly first impressions can make all the difference. It also provides an overview of you as a potential author, with a focus on your expertise and qualifications to write the book. As mentioned in my discussion on how to get published, if youre interested in writing a book length work of nonfiction, you dont need to write the entire manuscript before you make the sale. This page will direct you to some examples of book proposal sections so that you can put together a winning book proposal.