How to Write a Book Proposal

In the process of trying to find a royalty publisher for your book, editors are going to want to see a book proposal before they want to see your completed manuscript.

Why?

Because publishers will spend anywhere between $25,000 and $100,000 to publish your book. They want to be part of the creative process. They also want to make sure you understand who your exact target market is, who your competition is and how you plan to market the book once it is published. 

So, how do you get the ball rolling? How do you actually write a book proposal? What are the key elements that go into one? Before we get to the list, understand that the elements below don't have to be in any specific order (with the exception of the Title Page). You just need to make sure you have included all of these elements. Also, make sure to single space the proposal, except for the sample chapters (those should be double spaced). 

Okay, let's get to the key elements:

• Title Page: Should include the name of your book, your name and all of your contact information.

• Overview: Generally follows the Title Page. The Overview should be at least half a page long up to a full page and it will include your hook (the element that draws readers and keeps them). If you can answer these two questions, you’ll have the basis for your Overview: Why would readers in your defined target market be interested in reading your book? Why or how is this book unique?

• Synopsis: For non-fiction books, your Synopsis will include a one paragraph summary of each chapter. This is your one opportunity to tell editors what you will cover, as specifically as possible, in each chapter. This is no place to hide details from the editor. If you have four points to make in a chapter, then list them all. For fiction, your Synopsis will be a two to three page narrative summary of your novel. Think of it as a condensed version of your novel. Do not break your fiction Synopsis down by chapter.

• Author’s Bio: You need to tell the editor what you’ve written, taught, studied, etc. that makes you qualified to write such a book. This section can be up to a page long. This matters considerably more for authors who are writing non-fiction books than it does for those who are writing novels.

• Comparative Analysis: This section needs to include a breakdown of other books that are similar to yours—listing each book individually, with a brief blurb describing the contents of each book, followed by the reason why your book is different (not necessarily better, but just different). Christianbook.com and Amazon.com are good resources to use in your research for this section, but make sure you verify the information you find on these websites because they aren’t always accurate. This section can, and often will be, several pages long.

• Marketing: What will you do to promote the book? Which organizations will you contact? Are you willing to do radio interviews or write articles about your subject? Will you speak about it in churches? Do you have a website or a blog to promote the book? Let the editor know what you are willing to do. You can just write this in a bulleted format and it should be about a page long.

• Target Market: You need to tell the editor your specific target audience. The more defined your market, the better chance you have of catching the eye of an editor. Make this section no more than a page long. If you have statistics, facts, or quotes from experts about your topic that will help the editor to see that you understand your target market, include them in this section.

• Manuscript Particulars: This is the section in which you will tell the editor how many words your manuscript will be and how long it will take you to complete it after you’ve received a contract. Less than a half a page.

• Sample Chapters: Some publishers ask for one sample chapter, some ask for two or three. While the rest of your book proposal will be single spaced, make sure your sample chapters are double spaced (Times New Roman, 12-point font).

An average book proposal is at least 20 pages and as long as 40-50 pages.

Here are a couple of extras you may choose to include in your book proposal:

• Endorsements: Being able to include solid endorsements in your book proposal can be a big plus. It means you have connections in the area of your expertise. It also means that your peers have reviewed your work and approve of it. How is it possible to get endorsements for a book that isn't even written yet? You simply send your Synopsis and Sample Chapters to prospective endorsers along with a cover letter telling them about your project, asking for their endorsement.

• Affiliations: What companies, ministries or other organizations might be willing to offer you guaranteed sales if you'll include their logo and/or endorsement? For example, let's say you are writing a book about caregiving. Is there a caregiving organization that you are aware of that has an established presence? Would they be willing to commit to purchasing 2,000 or maybe 5,000 copies of your book to give away to donors in exchange for their logo going on the cover? If you were to arrange such an agreement and included those facts in your proposal, you've just increased your chances of getting a book contract.

This article is meant to be a general guideline. Follow the specific writer's guidelines found on each publisher's website.