Category: Book Proposals

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: Spin-offs

The next section in a nonfiction book proposal is Spin-offs. This also falls under the Introduction and includes Subsidiary Rights. This sections helps make you, the author, more enticing to the publisher by showing you have more to sell than one basic idea. When you sell your book to a publishing house, the publisher acquires [...]

Friday August 5th, 2011 in Book Proposals, 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 »

10 Things to Do to Produce a Winning Nonfiction Book Proposal

I’ve looked at two book proposals recently for aspiring authors with agents eagerly awaiting their submissions. The writers came to me for what they considered a “cursory review” because they felt their proposals just needed a “finishing touch,” another set of eyes to glance over it before they attached it to an email and hit [...]

Wednesday March 2nd, 2011 in Agents, Book Proposals, Proposals | No Comments »

Are You a One Book Author?

Some of the best-selling authors on Smashwords.com are multiple-book authors. As Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, says, they write a good book, and then they write another good book. They also give away a good book for free. Recently I connected with a women on LinkedIn. I didn’t realize she and I had graduated from [...]

Friday February 25th, 2011 in Author Coaching, Book Proposal Process, Book Proposals, Platform, Proposals, Writing Coaching | No Comments »

12 Things to Do When a Publisher Wants to See Your Proposal

The next best thing to getting a call from an agent saying they are interested in representing you is getting an email or call from your agent telling you an acquisition editor at a publishing house wants to see your proposal. (Of course, the very next best thing is getting a call from your agent [...]

Friday February 11th, 2011 in Agents, Book Proposals, Proposals, publishing, Traditional Publishing, Writing Tips | 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 »

How to Guarantee You Write a Successful Book

As the number of books published each year increases, the number of people who buy them decreases. The average nonfiction book sells less than 250 copies per year and less than 3,000 copies over its lifetime. Yet, millions of aspiring nonfiction authors continue to dream of self-publishing or traditionally publishing a nonfiction book. If you [...]

Tuesday November 9th, 2010 in Book Proposal Process, Book Proposals, Creating a Bestselling Book | No Comments »