Category: Finding an Agent

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: Mission Statement

These days many book proposals include a mission statement after the About the Author section. Here you answer the question: “Why do I feel compelled to write this book?” Or answer these questions: “What’s my purpose in writing this book?” “What’s my mission in writing this book (or how does writing this book fit into [...]

Wednesday August 24th, 2011 in Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | No Comments »

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: About the Author

At this point in the proposal process you must write down all the reasons why you are the best person to write your book. This section is called “About the Author.” It, again, falls under the Introduction. Sounds pretty simply, right? It actually is. Write a biography of your expertise and experience in the third [...]

Monday August 22nd, 2011 in Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | No Comments »

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: Necessary Resources

The next section in the Introduction is called “Resources Needed to Complete the Book.” Here you will detail all costs related to completing your book and discuss when you will complete your book. Here are a few resources you might consider including : Photos Art Permissions Foreword by a celebrity In this section of a [...]

Wednesday August 17th, 2011 in Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | No Comments »

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: Complementary Books

Sorry I didn’t post the next part in my series on writing a nonfiction book proposal last Friday. I’m in New York for the whole month of August with my son, the dancer, and things got a bit crazy. (For the last two weeks I thought I might actually  be moving to NYC for 10-11 [...]

Monday August 15th, 2011 in Agents, Author Coaching, Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | No Comments »

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: Competiting Books

Now we come to the Competing Books section of a book proposal. This is still part of the Introduction. Here you take a long hard look at what books already have been written on your topic and how your book compares to them. The reason for this is simple. You want to convince a publisher [...]

Wednesday August 10th, 2011 in Agents, Author Coaching, Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | No Comments »

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: Promotion

The fourth section in the first part of the proposal, the Introduction, is the Promotion section. This part of the proposal can make or break your chance to get your book published by a traditional publisher. The Promotion section constitutes a huge part of any book proposal. The Promotion section of your proposal equates to [...]

Monday August 8th, 2011 in Author Coaching, Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | No Comments »

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: The Markets

The second section in the first part of the proposal, the Introduction, is the Markets section. This part of the proposal describes large groups of average readers—actual markets. In this section you ask: Who would be interested in my topic? Who will buy my book? As you answer these questions, include demographic information if you [...]

Wednesday August 3rd, 2011 in Agents, Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | No Comments »

Demystifying the Nonfiction Book Proposal: The Overview

I work with a lot of aspiring authors and authors on their nonfiction book proposals. Despite the many great books written on how to write a book proposal, I’m always amazed at how little these clients know about how to write a book proposal. Most proposals I see contain little or nothing of what they [...]

Monday August 1st, 2011 in Agents, Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Proposals, Traditional Publishing | 1 Comment »

Subitting Self-Published Books to Publishers and Agents

I had the extreme pleasure and honor of spending two days with Dan Poynter, author of over 100 books including Writing Nonfiction. I’m the workshop chair for my branch of the California Writers Club, and I brought him in to do a workshop. I picked him up on Friday and spent the day with him. [...]

Monday January 17th, 2011 in Agents, Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Self-Publishing, Traditional Publishing | 4 Comments »

Why Don't You Promote Yourself and Your Writing?

More often than not, the clients who hire me to help them with their book proposals have plenty of passion about their subjects and projects. They may even feel a deep sense of purpose and determination. They really want to finish their books and get them published. Yet, most of them have not spent enough [...]

Friday December 3rd, 2010 in Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Platform, Promotion and Publicity, The Business of Writing | 2 Comments »