One of the most exciting moments for nonfiction writers is sending in a book proposal for approval. This moment is usually a ‘ go big or go home’ moment for writers. It determines if your book gets to ever see the light of day (particularly for traditional book publishers).
Undoubtedly, every writer wants to have the perfect book proposal that impresses their book agents and ‘snags’ them a good deal. However, it is probably best not to overthink the process, to avoid being consumed by anxiety.
Knowing what a book proposal is takes you a step ahead in writing a good book proposal.
And in this article, we explore this as well as seven essential elements of book proposals.
So, let’s take a brief look at what a book proposal entails, to gear you up for the ride.
What is a book proposal?
A book proposal is typically a document, usually 10-15 pages long, sent by a nonfiction author to pitch his book idea to publishing agents. This is a very important process for traditionally published authors who seek to land a juicy book deal. However, to even catch the attention of a publishing agent, your proposal must stand out.
A good book proposal should contain a brief overview of the book, an author bio, a chapter outline, marketing strategies, and a sample chapter.
Most authors often mistake a book proposal for a manuscript; however, they are not the same. Book proposal instead, is an author’s chance at impressing their publisher, it is a means to pique your publisher’s interest to consider your book worthwhile.
There’s no need to worry about the right kind of format for a book proposal as most publishing houses have their preferred formats. However, there’s a similar structure guiding the process.
Let’s take a quick look at seven common and essential elements of a book proposal.
Elements of a Book Proposal
- Overview of the Proposed Book
Your book overview is the first and most important part of your book proposal. Here, you give it your best shot at captivating the attention of your publisher. Overviews are tagged “elevator pitch” because this is where you sell your book idea to your publisher and get them interested in your book project.
Your book overview is essentially the coverage of your book theme, key factors of your book, and your intended target audience. It is a two-page long document explaining the significance of your book, what makes your book unique, the information value that your book holds, and how important your book is to the market.
The overview provides an insight into the subject matter of your book alongside comparable titles, and what problems your book intends to solve.
An author is expected to properly pitch their book idea in the overview to avoid having their book rejected.
- Market analysis
This section of your book proposal is where you are expected to extensively analyse your target audience. Here, you highlight those that would possibly be interested in your book.
Would it be children, parents, single parents, cooperate, professionals or educators?
In your quest to give a detailed market analysis, it would be the best score in your favour to attempt quantifying your market research; showing how many people that could be interested in your book. Quantifying your market analysis gives you an advantage – the inclusion of the demand for your book or your book idea should make its notice here – as this plays a large role in validating your book idea.
Additionally, it would do your book a huge favour to also include what makes your book different from existing books in the same niche.
- Author bio
Every author needs to have an author bio handy and ready to go. Your author bio gives you credibility and a more professional look. The segment for an author bio is usually a page long but should shed you in a very professional and poised light. The things to include in your author bio are;
- Educational and professional background
- Any awards or accolades received
- Social media presence (handles to your social media pages)
- Inclusion of previous publications (if any)
- Speaking engagements (if any)
- Any previous press releases
- Endorsement and recommendation from industry experts/leaders
- A photograph
Lastly, your author bio should be brief and concise, as well as appealing.
- Marketing Plan
It’s time to get practical.
Here, you are expected to give a detailed outline of actionable steps they intend to take in the marketing processes of their book. All processes involved to create the right engaging publicity for your book should be looked into thoroughly. This ranges from speaking engagements you intend to secure, interview appearances, and all the media rounds put into your book’s publicity.
In drafting a marketing plan, most authors seek out the help of a marketer for proper market insights. You are expected to also make an inclusion of how you intend to leverage any existing audience you may have, in ensuring a successful book launch.
- Chapter Outline
This segment is dedicated to your chapters and the general structure of your book. You are expected to be as detailed as possible, providing an in-depth chapter-by-chapter breakdown. The breakdown should comprise all that concerns your book chaptesr, taking into cognizance each chapter title, summary, word count, and the subject matter discussed.
To pass the right message to your publisher, don’t play the game of ambiguity – be as concise as possible. Specificity matters a lot in your chapter outline. This is needed for your publisher to know and understand what your book entails, thus making them feel assured about your book.
- Sample chapter
A sample chapter is the provision of a well-written chapter, deeply expressing the tone of your book, and should be of high quality. It is safe to not hold back when writing your sample chapter as this is not a draft and shouldn’t be treated in such light.
Your sample chapter needs to be as close as possible to the final product of a published book. It is advisable to work with a professional editor when writing your sample chapters, to look out for all grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, giving your piece a professional look.
- Conclusion
This segment should be brief.
Your conclusion is a brief insight into the estimated timeline of your project. It contains the current stage of your writing process (how many chapters were written, the completion of your manuscript, word count already written, or simply the stage of your drafting).
With these tips, we hope you have a better understanding of how to write a proposal for your next book project.
Pay attention to the aforementioned guidelines so you can get it right. The writing market is saturated with many creative and competitive authors vying for the same attention of publishing agents, so you have to do what will make you stand out. With the pool of writers seeking to get their books published, your book proposal should stand out and be unique.