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July 29, 2005
The Book Proposal
So the lady from the book publishing company (see my previous entry) asked me to submit a book proposal. Specifically, she said I needed to include a working table of contents, information on my background, the perceived audience for the book and their needs, and any marketing promotional activities I would undertake to promote the book. She ended the e-mail with "well, you know how to write a proposal, so..."
OK, yes, I do know how to write a proposal. But somehow, a book proposal seems very different and more intimidating. A friend who wrote a book recommended that I purchase a book called "Write the Perfect Book Proposal" by Jeff Herman. So I picked it up at Borders. It's a very good book and it includes 10 sample book proposals.
But yikes! All of the sample book proposals include quite a bit more info than what the book publishing lady told me. Specifically, they all include fairly detailed summaries of each chapter of the proposed book. Some even include an actual sample chapter. I have come up with a fairly detailed table of contents for the book, but now I have to prepare chapter summaries! And the book I bought says that these should be 1-2 pages each. Since "my book" has 18 chapters, that's maybe 27 pages of text. How do people get time to work on stuff like this in between their other work?
Plus, I need what the book calls a "catchy title" and "catchy chapter titles." I wonder how long it will take to think those up.
All I can think of now is "why did I ever agree to do this?"
Posted by Deborah at July 29, 2005 05:15 AM
A book proposal is an extremely important part of authorship. Most publishers want to see one. Even if you don't intend seeking a traditional royalty publisher, a book proposal is valuable. It tells you whether you have a book at all, who your target audience is and what is the best way to market this book. When you finally write the book, there will be fewer surprises when it comes to promotion.
A successful book proposal is a business plan for your book and authorship IS a business. It is also a guide for writing your book.
I am the president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), a 9-year-old networking organization for those interested in the publishign process. I am also a full-time freelance writer and the author of 23 books.
My latest book is "How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less." You might be interested in this easy-to-follow, compact, fully packed guide to writing a book proposal.
Learn more about it at http://www.matilijapress.com. It will be on Amazon sometime next week.
Patricia Fry
www.matilijapress.com
To visit SPAWN www.spawn.org
Posted by: Patricia Fry at September 24, 2005 09:04 AM
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