How to write a book proposal that sells

Anatomy of

a book proposal

by Tim Bete

When I first began sending out query letters, I hadn't written a book proposal or even any sample chapters. The first agent to request a complete proposal and chapters got me working quickly. I already knew I had the content for many parts of the proposal on my Web site. Many of the same elements you should use to create your Web site are also elements you'll need for a book proposal. Often, writing the book proposal takes as much time as writing the book. Creating your Web site first saves you a lot of time and effort when it comes time to write your first book proposal.

The goal of a query letter is to get an agent or editor to request a book proposal and sample chapters. For non-fiction, the goal of the book proposal is to get the agent to represent you or the editor to give you a contract. Unlike fiction, most non-fiction books are sold before the book is written. The proposal doesn't need to tell the agent or editor everything about the book. It needs to sell the concept of the book.

The proposal should answer questions such as:

* Why will people buy the book?

* Who will those people be?

* Why should you write this book?

* What are your credentials?

* How will you help promote and sell the book?

* What is your platform?

There are many formats that can be used to write a book proposal. Some publishers provide guidelines on their Web sites.

The sections I used in my proposal included:

1) Overview and chapter outline

2) Marketing & public relations support

3) Market analysis

4) About Tim Bete

5) Publishing history

6) Reader testimonials

7) Editor testimonials

8) Tim in the news (media clips)

9) Sample chapters

Of these sections, the most difficult for most writers are the first three. Many writers think they should be left alone to write and the marketing and promotion should be left to the publisher. While some publishers may provide significant marketing support, most do not. They rely on the author to promote the book. If an author is unable to provide any marketing support and cannot clearly define the market for the book, it is unlikely publishers will be interested. There are hundreds of humor writers and columnists who could write books. What differentiates them is not their writing as much as their ability to sell the book. Publishing is a business and publishers will go with the books they think will sell best.

Overview

I used the following overview in my book proposal.

FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISH -- WHAT, NO TARTAR SAUCE! (MINOR MIRACLES IN THE LIFE OF A FAITH-FILLED FATHER) provides a laugh-out-loud look at Christian parenting that isn’t preachy but illustrates how we often overlook the little miracles right under our noses. The book will be based on my award-winning parenting humor column, although it is not a compilation of columns.

Unlike major miracles (e.g., the creation of the world, parting the Red Sea), minor miracles are everyday occurrences that can be even more astonishing. Minor miracles defy known laws of nature and often occur in unlikely places. For example, successfully changing a diaper in an airplane restroom or the spontaneous regeneration of boxer shorts in my underwear drawer.

The book will include approximately 50 percent previously published material (reworked to fit the chapter format) and 50 percent new material. Two sample chapters are attached.

Marketing & public relations support

Past success is a good indication of future success. Include information about how you have promoted your writing and yourself in the past. In my proposal, I included items such as:

* Media clips in which I'd been quoted

* Connections to the media (i.e., reporters I know and their publications)

* Statistics from my Web site (number of monthly visitors and subscribers to my column)

* Info about past radio appearances

* Book signings (e.g., locations and events) I could hold when my book is published

* Clips of my writing

Often, agents and editors will ask about your "platform." What they want to know is what is the foundation from which you will sell your book. In a way, they're asking you how well known you already are. They want to know if you already have an established audience who will buy your book. For example, if you do a lot of public speaking and could sell your book at events, that might be your platform. If you write a regular column for a large newspaper or have a radio program, that might be your platform.

In my case, my platform is being the director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. It's that position that allows me to get media attention. It is contacts through that position that have allowed me to get book testimonials and put together a plan for getting my book reviewed.

Most publishers would rather sign a mediocre writer with a great platform than a highly-skilled writer with no platform. The former is more likely to sell more books and requires a smaller marketing budget. A writer with a strong platform provides a lower risk of failure for the publisher. When Hillary Clinton got an $8 million book advance from Simon & Schuster for her book, Living History, it wasn't based on her writing ability. It was based on her platform. Celebrity sells. What if you're a great writer but don't have a platform? Develop one.

Market analysis

Your proposal needs to tell the agent or editor who will buy the book and what the competition is like. Below is the "market analysis section from my book proposal.

With more than 60 million Catholics in the Unites States and another 120 million Christians of other denominations, the market for FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISH -- WHAT, NO TARTAR SAUCE! (MINOR MIRACLES IN THE LIFE OF A FAITH-FILLED FATHER) is enormous.

In the 2003 Christian Writers’ Market Guide, author Sally Stuart surveyed Christian publishers about the topics in which they were most interested. Since book publishers want to sell books and periodical publishers want to sell magazines, the survey results predict what Christian publishers think readers will buy. The chart below shows the topic areas into which FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISH... fits.

FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISH... falls in many highly-ranked topic areas -- a strong indication that it will sell well.

Other Catholic humor books have sold well, too. Growing Up Catholic (Broadway Books, 2000) has sold more than 700,000 copies. Catholic School Kids Say the Funniest Things (Paulist Press; 2002) is also popular.

In their comprehensive analysis of domestic humor writers from the 1920s to the present, (Merry Wives and others: A history of domestic humor writing), Penelope Fritzer and Bartholomew Bland write that most Christian humor writers do not go mainstream because they "...become tedious in constantly recalling their religiosity..." Because of my tone and style of writing, FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISH... is much more likely to have a cross-over mainstream audience.

For instance, the 5,000+ e-mail subscribers to my column include Catholics, non-Catholic Christians and the general public. My writing style has attracted people of faith as well as those who are lukewarm and wouldn’t usually be interested in Christian topics. My writing is popular among a wide cross-section of Christian denominations and has been featured in places you wouldn’t usually find Catholic humor, such as public radio. Perhaps that’s why Charles Henderson, editor of About.com's Christianity section, includes me in "the best Christian humor on the net" and says "Who said Catholics can't be funny? (Not me!)"

FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISH... will sell equally well in the humor and religion sections of bookstores.

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