How to Write a Book Proposal That Commands 6 Figures

How do you write a book proposal that will ultimately lead to a large advance?  

If you want to get a book deal, it’s likely you’ll need to write a book proposal first to demonstrate that you are the one who should be writing this book – and indeed if you are capable.

A book proposal is simply a letter to a book publisher.

It’s that simple… and that complicated.

Writing a book is never easy – and publishing it is even harder – but when you are passionate about it, with a little knowledge you can achieve your goal.

First, you should do some research, learn and apply ideas/tips in your writing and publishing.

Publishing a book by a publishing house can potentially help you to get more sales and a wider distribution.

However, if you want an agent or publisher to look at your manuscript, you should first write a book proposal to them.

Here you can read further to know the points to keep in mind while writing a book proposal.

Unfortunately, there’s more to writing a book than unravelling your inner creativity and brilliant mind.

The writing part is what most aspiring authors look forward to, but not everything is enjoyable.

If the goal is to have your book published, then you must come up with a book proposal.

The quality of your book proposal spells the difference between making money out of a published work and not being able to publish the book at all.

In other words, your hope of becoming a financially successful author depends on the success of writing the proposal.

The objective of writing a proposal is to convince a publishing house to publish your book.

It’s a document that includes the summary of your book, including sample chapters as well as a comprehensive marketing plan.

Writing a book proposal is not just an option – it’s something you do to persuade a publishing outlet to subsidize your creation.

Don’t mistake a book proposal for a query letter since the latter is merely intended to pique the interest of a literary agent.

A book proposal is a broad approach, and there are times when the author even sends the entire draft to multiple publishing houses.

If you want a guide to becoming a better writer click HERE

Why Do You Need a Proposal?

Even if you plan on self-publishing, preparing a book proposal still makes sense.

Making one for traditional publishing is almost like an insurance policy.

No reputable agent or publisher reads your manuscript unless it comes with a solid book proposal.

The reason goes beyond that you’ve already done some of the legwork involved in creating and selling your work to publishers.

A proposal helps you structure your thinking. It can also give you the confidence to know that you’re ready to proceed with your book after making necessary revisions. Most importantly, it creates the ideal outline for your manuscript.

Since you’ve spent a whole lot of time writing your book and may have attempted to self-publish before, the proposal will take you in the right direction in terms of using your limited resources efficiently.

This means that if you hire a ghostwriter, you’ll have a good handle on what you want to accomplish with your book.

What to Write in a Book Proposal?

Publishing has become increasingly competitive, and many publishers aren’t willing to take risks on projects they aren’t convinced are economically viable.

Your proposal, therefore, shouldn’t be an assumptive, idealistic presentation of your brilliant idea.

It should be a good, persuasive document convincing the publisher to spend their time and money on your book idea.

A book proposal is a document that acts as a business case for your book.

It is a sales pitch designed to convince a publishing house that your book is economically viable and worth publishing.

A book proposal doesn’t contain the entire book; it only presents a summary of the book’s idea, the specific chapter contents, and the reasons as to why the book should be published.

If the publishers get impressed by your proposal, they contract you and pay you to write the whole book.

Book proposals are developmental tools that will greatly help you as an author.

Writing one enables you to clarify your thoughts and express your book idea clearly.

It helps you understand your project’s essence better, helping you communicate it better and with ease.

The length of the proposal varies widely, but the average range is 10-50 pages.

When you are writing a book proposal that commands a 6 figure advance you should write in clear, commanding language.

You should write the answers to the queries a publisher will have on his mind before investing his capital in your book.

Ultimately it all comes down to sales, sales, sales.

If you want a six-figure advance then you need to be a good salesperson and demonstrate you can move those books off the shelf.

Focus on why readers will buy your book on how it will benefit the readers.

You have to come up with outstanding writing and an unusual story.

Show the publisher’s need for your work, and why you are the person to write this book.

You have to write about your target audience and what your marketing plan is.

(The misnomer is that the publishing house will do all the marketing for you. Unfortunately, that’s not the case!)

Showcasing your marketability (in other words your popularity) to your proposals and the unique angle you wish to take on a certain subject is a must.

Finally, you should search and submit your proposal to an appropriate editor, agent, or publisher.

The book proposal has to summarize your ideas, but it has to do it in a way that shows the market value for your valid ideas and you are ready for them.

You can get book proposal templates and samples online, but don’t copy them.

Why do Publishers Request a Book Proposal?

Many authors often question why they should write up a book proposal first instead of diving right into book writing.

This is a legitimate question that makes sense in theory, but in practice, things work differently.

It is hard for people to see this from a different perspective from the outside, but if you understand how things work in the publishing world, you will see that a book proposal makes perfect sense.

Publishers require that authors demand their book proposals for these reasons:

Reduce publishers’ risk by demonstrating that you will sell copies

The top thing that all traditional publishers want to see in any book proposal is a definitive plan and proof that you intend to move many copies of your book. The publishers may be good at selling books to bookstores, but they aren’t good at selling books to readers.

With that said, publishers want to see that you can manage to do the job they can’t do, which is selling your copies. Have this clearly outlined in the book marketing section of your proposal.

Signals your understanding of traditional publishing and media

A book proposal’s irrationality is that it is not a bug but a feature.

This unusual process requires understanding all the intricate unspoken rules of the system, with the step acting as a filtering mechanism.

When an author fails to follow the proper format, the publishers see this as a lack of social connections that would have shown them the right way of doing it and disregard the proposal.

The logic behind this is that if the author cannot figure out their way of doing things, they aren’t the right persons to work with.

Wide view image of male hand assembling a light bulb drawing on wooden pegs in a conceptual image. Over yellow background.

Judge the quality of the book idea

To most publishing houses, the book’s idea matters a lot.

However, the bottom line in all traditional publishing businesses is to produce results, which translates to book sales.

Your idea should be good, but it should also be good enough to sell copies, and the publishers need to know that it can.

The point behind writing up a proposal is to show the publisher that your book can actually sell, convincing them that you are a safe author worth publishing.

No two book proposals are the same since the content depends on pre-determined factors, i.e., subject matter, publisher’s submissions guidelines, genre, and others.

Here’s an overview of the usual parts that make up a great book proposal:

Title Page

The title page is where you place your name and the book’s proposed title.

Nothing fancy in here, just straightforward information presented in a recognizable font that fits the genre but isn’t too outlandish.

Book Overview

The overview is where you put the summary of the book.

The key is to provide a clear picture of what your book is all about, including the content, subject, and intention.

This part is where you do much of the “convincing,” generating a tremendous first impression towards the publisher.

In writing the overview, put yourself in the shoes of a publisher and your target audience.

If you read the contents of the overview, is it enough to convince yourself to buy the book?

Author Bio

The book proposal talks about the person behind the story.

Depending on the genre of your book this can be the most important part of the entire book proposal.

The author’s bio is brief and concise, but don’t leave out the crucial details such as previously published books and a photo.

The author bio must contain enough information to convince the publishing house that you’re qualified to write a book on a particular subject.

You must tell the publishers why you are the person who should write this book.

If you are writing about COVID then are you a doctor? What sort of qualifications do you have?

If you are writing a book about marketing then what companies have you worked for and what is your track record?

Your bio isn’t simply a list of accomplishments or what has occurred in your life.

It’s a sales pitch and should be treated as such. Dont’ bore the publisher with where you grew up or what influenced you. Get to the meat of the subject!

This section will likely be the make-it-or-break-it section so spend some time on what you should include.

Don’t be afraid to rewrite it several times and get people in your industry to look over it!

Book Outline and Table of Contents

Everything in this document is a proposal, including the book outline, list of chapters, and titles of each chapter.

The outline is a short description or summary of the content of that chapter. It should no more than one paragraph.

Here’s a blog post on how to write an effective book outline.

Title Analysis

The purpose of a title analysis is to explain why the book is appealing to an audience that has shown interest in books with a similar subject matter.

This part includes a list of at least five published books that you consider as your competition. Include an explanation that distinguishes your book’s content from the others.

The competitive list of titles must incorporate the author, title, publisher, year of publication, and the ISBN for those books.

Target Audience

At this point, you already have a clue about your target audience, but you must relay that information to the publishing houses.

Talk to them about the target market and the reasons why the audience will buy the book.

Marketing Plan

The marketing plan explains the fail-proof steps in marketing the book. Like all other parts of your book proposal, this one is a pitch to the publishing house.

You hand out suggestions on how to generate interest in the book using different mediums.

What To Add To Your Book Proposal

1. 6-8 pages of the proposal- A book proposal should include all the descriptions of your ideas, topics, chapters, marketing plans, and popularity in it. No matter how long or short it is but you should give a clearance of your idea of writing this particular book. Also the answers to the queries of a publisher like why to publish your book.
2. An annotated table of contents for the books-. You must add diagrams or any data chart or some colourful or arranged table to show your ideas in a much better and understandable state. It will ease the readers to get attracted and to get the reason to publish it.
3. 2 samples of chapters- You should not of course give the entire book to your publisher or agent. They simply don’t have the time or the inclination to read it. Discussing a small idea of the chapters and the topics the chapter contains in it will do it all. You should write a couple of lines regarding denoting every chapter so (no more than a paragraph) so the agent can understand what the chapters contain in it and why.
4. Your CV- Adding a CV of you while submitting a book proposal is important. It will show your education, profession, experience of yours to make your book worthy. We do not take advice from unprofessional people. If you are writing on any of the topics you should be educated or experienced in that particular topic.
5. Cover letter- A cover letter will give your words to the publisher of the overview of your work.

Writing the Query letter

Writing a  query letter is more like you do when writing a cover letter for that job application.

Here, the only difference is that you are looking to be selected by an agent rather than impressing an employer.

Since this will be the first thing the agent reads before they dig into the other details of your proposal, you must make a good impression.

Your letter should be a one or two-page document that summarizes your expertise and demonstrates your unique qualification to be this book’s author. It should include these points:

• How your book is different from all the other books already on the market.
• How your book uses a unique angle to approach the topic.
• The people that will want to buy and read your book.
• Why you are the most qualified author to write the book.

The best way to go about it is to write your cover letter last, even if it is the first element of your proposal.

Complete all the other parts first and have your proposal come together before writing it up.

That way, you will be well aware of your book’s most significant selling points and strengths that you will need to highlight in the cover letter, making it easier to write.

Read 10 Critical Steps to researching your book HERE

The Structure of a Book Proposal  

Cover Page

The cover page section is where you should include your book’s title, subtitle, your name, and the estimated word count for your book (ranges between 60,000 to 80,000 words on average). Don’t forget to include your contact information (phone number, email address, postal address, website URL).

Introduction

The introduction section is one of the most important part of your proposal as it is the starting point for the publisher to think about whether your work or ideas are unique and interesting.

The readers (agent, publisher, editor) should get the idea of your thoughts to complete it in the market.

The purpose of deciding to write a book or the inspiration you find to write a book on a particular subject should be written in the introduction part. Professions related to your topic will add a boost to your sale statistic.

We do not give importance to the advice of an unprofessional person talking about something.

For example, if you are giving any medical advice or answers to the queries, but you are not related to any of the medical fields who will believe you.

No one will pay you for your book if you are not writing your professional in it.

Chapter Outline/ Table of Contents

A chapter outline comprises a list of chapters, their titles, and a summary of each chapter’s information.

When writing a chapter outline, you should remember that this is more of a sales document and not an informational document.

As such, you shouldn’t dive deep into explaining every detail in the chapters. Instead, write the outline in a way that leaves the reader wanting to read more to get an in-depth understanding of what’s covered.

If your book is text-heavy and is estimated to be at least 80,000 words, a chapter outline will work well for you.

If your works aren’t meaty and including a chapter outline may seem redundant, you can choose to go with a table of contents. However, using both a chapter outline and a table of content in a book proposal is completely acceptable.

Ideally, a chapter outline shouldn’t extend beyond 3,000 words.

For each chapter, write a summary of the idea behind it, information, or the presented story. The most important thing here is to see how your book’s concept flows from the start to the end, strongly conveying the range and scope of material covered.

Keep each chapter description interesting and engaging by themselves. Keep them fun to read by including interesting tidbits, open loops, assertions, and engaging questions.

Your focus shouldn’t just be summarizing the chapters and giving a brief overview of each one from the beginning to the end.

Think of this section as an interesting way of walking the publisher through your book, making them see it just the way you do.

Sample Chapter

We should note that not all editors will require a sample chapter but craft it well to grab the reader’s attention when requested.

You only need to include just about one to three sample chapters with the knowledge that this is where your writing takes center stage.

You have to include an actual chapter as written in your manuscript, so ensure it is one of your very best chapters before you add one here.

The sample chapter should be good enough to stand on its own and grab the reader’s attention.

So take your time when picking one and if you aren’t sure, ask a few trusted friends to read through your top chapter choices and have them share feedback on what they found most compelling.

Focus on three things here: keep it interesting, keep it engaging, ensure you leave the reading yearning for more.

This section mainly works with non-fiction books.

If you are working on a fiction project, you won’t be required to submit sample chapters.

Instead, you will be required to submit the first few pages of your manuscript, usually 40- 50 pages. As you craft the pages to grab the reader’s attention, don’t forget that quality of work is much more critical.

About the Author

We’ve covered this topic already but it’s important to go over it again.

Some authors find this section challenging since they need to write about themselves, but it is indispensable.

Your bio as an author should be more than a standard professional bio, highlighting your unique qualifications for writing this book. The goal here is to prove to the publisher that you have the expertise needed to win the readers’ trust.

Include everything from your educational background, work experience, and you might even add your personal background.

If you are recognized in some way in your field, please be sure to mention it all here.

Mention any academic papers you have written, articles you have published, your media appearances, lectures you have given, and even include statistics on your social media followers.

These details demonstrate your potential audience reach and boost your credibility on the topic.

Please don’t list your hobbies here or any other irrelevant information.

Stick to demonstrating your authority on the subject matter that you are writing about.

You are making an argument as to why you are the right person to work on this project and that you have the means to reach a buying audience.

Get a little braggy, but make it convincing and in line with the context of the book.

Don’t forget to include your photo.

Book Details

Here is where you describe all the details about your writing project.

Give an approximation of the number of pages you estimate the final book will comprise.

If you envision having images in the book, you might want to list how many you plan to have, indicating whether they will require a budget or be free to use.

Also, show other details like whether your book will be an SEO-book with optimized keywords.

Indicate whether it will be coloured or in black and white.

You should also zero in on all book writing logistics.

Give your publisher an estimate of the duration that you believe it will take you to write the book and whether or not you will require any assistance in your writing process.

Assistance can vary widely from needing a research assistant, designing graphs and tables, or even photographic material to go with your content.

While you can discuss these after you seal the order, it is essential to give the editor a heads up on what to expect.

Target Audience

The keyword here is “primary audience”.  Describe the people that are likely to be convinced to read your book.

Answer the question, “who is likely to pre-order the book and spread the word about it to the world?”

You need to draw a clear image of the kind of person likely to be interested in the information that you are looking to share without generalizing.

While it may be tempting to generalize your audience and make it sound like everyone is a potential reader, it will not work with the publisher.

Be as specific as possible in identifying the type of reader you believe will be interested in buying your book, stating their estimated figure too. Demonstrate your reach in this section.

Topic 

Your topic should be a competitive one but also unique and not common.

The unique ideas or solution/answer of most of the people searching for that topic will make your book worthy.

The market value for the topic will affect the sale of the book.

Summary and Chapter Breakdown

The summary or chapter breakdown will help to know the overview of your book to the publisher.

As mentioned, you should not extend your chapter description to more than a couple of lines to a maximum of a paragraph.

How long your chapter breakdown is will depend on the length of the book and how many chapters you have.

A couple of lines of description for every chapter is ideal and will help to give your publisher a review of your ideas.

Timeline

Writing about your timeline in your proposal will add an idea of your complete submission of your work.

It will help to build excitement and anticipation for your book in the market and allow the publisher to put your book in the appropriate queue.

Marketing Plan

This section highlights how you plan on marketing your book after it has been published.

It is one of if not THE most important aspects of the book proposal.

Why?

Because ultimately the publisher wants to know how many books you can sell.

Bottom line… end of story.

Publishing is a business like any other and so you have to prove to the publisher that you can sell books.

Avoid discussing your marketing approach in terms of what you hope to do; only state what you can do and will do with your current resources.

In short, avoid using tentative language in the marketing section of your proposal and adopt a confident, direct, and firm approach.

State everything realistic and concrete that you plan on doing to market the book, with or without the publisher’s help.

This section can make or break your proposal as the publishing house will be relying on you to sell the book.

As much as the world has changed, traditional publishing houses have stuck with just one customer- bookstores.

This puts the author at a tight spot where they have to demonstrate they have a large audience out there waiting to buy the book.

Today’s publishing environment is very different from how it used to be years ago.

Now, anyone can self-publish their book, and everyone can access almost every book published online.

The high competition in the market saw publishing houses scaling down operations to cut off bookselling and only focus on publishing.

Therefore, the author must convince the publisher that they have a built-in audience waiting to buy their book.

This is the reason traditional publishing houses mainly work with:

• Topical books that are a hit on a specific subject.
• Famous people like musicians or celebrities.
• Well-known persons like politicians, business people, or published and successful authors.
• People with an already built-in audience that is likely to buy the book.

There are specific details that every editor will be looking for in the marketing section, namely:

Metrics about your audience. This is information on the forms of social media the author has, the number of followers on each channel, the size of their mailing list, etc.

Your network, organizations, and memberships that you belong to, and how you intend to use them to help market your book.

Show if any of them have shown willingness to back you up with the book and the specific action they plan to take.

Details of your media presence, public appearances, and speaking. Highlight how these will interact with the book and how you plan to utilize them to sell the book.

If you have any published books that did well in the past, include them and, if possible, share the sales numbers. If you have a book that didn’t sell well, explain why it didn’t.

There are many strategies that you can employ to market your book.

Some of these include marketing the book through your own website, reaching out to book reviewers, going on a book tour, using ads on Amazon, or even using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to create awareness.

You need to explain in great detail what you intend to do in order to sell your book.

Here are some ideas that you can build into your plan:

• blog about your book
• social media posts
• social media ads
• giveaways
• blog tour
• use Amazon promotional tools
• build a website

You should also talk about your marketability (a fancy way of saying your popularity ).

If you get a lot of traffic to your website, that should be included, if you have a large fan base, that should be included, and anything else you can think about that will help promote your book.

Competitive Title Analysis

While some authors consider this section optional, it is very important when your book has a different positioning or an unusual angle.

Most editors will only stick to specific confines and trends already set.

So, if your book doesn’t fall into any of the standard categories, it is necessary to show them examples of books whose story is similar to yours and have succeeded.

Have a list of 5-10 books published with a subject matter close to yours.

The list should include the book title, subtitle, author’s name, publisher, year of publication, page count, price, and ISBN.

Follow up the list with a blurb that compares the approach used in those books to yours to show why the audience interested in those comparable books is likely to find your book appealing.

Competitive title analysis attempts to show how your book is suited to succeed in the marketplace.

Resist trashing your book’s competition as if there’s genuinely no competition; then your book must be too weird or too specialized to sell.

If you are writing a Memoir, read how to write one HERE

Tips on How to Write a Book Proposal

The goal of submitting a book proposal to multiple publishing houses is to grab their attention.

So, figure out a way to make it stand out.

Copying a downloaded template won’t cut it because your output looks pretty much like everyone else’s.

For a book proposal to stand you, be sure it’s exciting to read, well-researched, and free of any grammar errors and typos. Here’s a bunch of tips:

1 – Bestsellers are those books that tell a unique story. One way to convince publishing houses to consider your book is by conveying the distinctiveness of your story or subject.

Tell them that there’s only one person who can write it in a book and that’s you. A broad or sprawling subject matter doesn’t pique most publishing houses’ interests.

2 – Put in the effort to build an audience. You need it, especially if you’re a first-time author or the only experience you have is self-publishing.

Use the web and social media as your platform for building an audience right before you talk to prospective publishing houses.

An author platform may consist of different avenues, including blogs, website, social media profiles, and you can even reach out to your fellow authors.

Having an existing platform attracts publishers and gives them a reason to be interested in your book.

3 – Be honest. Some aspiring authors come up with crazy stuff to build a name for themselves. The last thing you need at this point is padding up your resume with false claims of fame.

Be upfront about your expertise, experience, and accomplishments. There’s nothing wrong in being a newbie. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Should You Use Outlining Software?

If you already use and love Scrivener, then great, keep using it.

But for most first-time authors, it can be a huge waste of time to learn and use.

The Scrivener templates are fine, but nothing you can’t do in Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

If you have a writing partner or a collaborator we suggest you use Google Docs. It’s easy to collaborate and add suggestions but otherwise just an old fashioned word document is fine.

How Much Does It Cost to Write a Book Proposal?

The cost of writing a book proposal is daunting, to say the least, for many authors who are seeking publication. And there’s no way to figure out how much money you’d spend if you’re clueless about how it works.

If you’re well-versed or have years of experience writing a proposal, then you wouldn’t be here asking this question. But because it’s your first attempt, then get you’ll learn everything you need in this post.

Before you even write a book proposal, it would be wise to do your research and look at the publishing company’s guidelines that they attach with their submission form. It’ll give you an idea about what they’re looking for in a query letter, book synopsis, each chapter outline, among other things. Publishing companies vary in how they want things presented, so familiarize yourself with them first.

What makes up the cost of writing a book proposal?

When you’re writing the proposal yourself, the cost isn’t that much of a concern.

But it’ll be a significant factor if you’re paying someone else to do it for you. Yes, even the most prolific writers hire an editor or ghostwriter to create the book proposal.

The cost depends on the length of the proposal (the longer it is, the more you’ll have to pay), content, style and quality. An established writer, i.e., novelist, may spend $4,000 to $15,000 for someone else to write a book proposal.

Meanwhile, a first-timer or new writer may have to shell out $2,000 to $10,000.

If you can write an entire book, why should you hire someone else to write the proposal?

Well, it’s not that simple. For one, you’ll be too close to the material. You know what your story is about, but you may neglect some crucial details because of your emotional attachment.

The editor or ghostwriter has an unbiased look at your book, which allows them to give accurate feedback on improvements needed.

There are many advantages to letting someone else write your book proposal.

First, the ghostwriter or editor will have a clear idea of what a book proposal should look like and how it can appeal to publishers and agents.

You want to work with an expert in the publishing industry who knows what the publishers want – whether they’re looking for nonfiction or fiction books, how many words it should be, what type of report or study needs to be included and what kind of tone.

You’ll get a lot more positive feedback if you’re working with someone who knows exactly the right words to use in your proposal.

Common Mistakes Authors Make in the Book Proposals

1.   Assuming the book’s proposal should only discuss what the book is about

Well, this is definitely a mistake. Rather than just focusing on the book’s contents, focus on the reasons why your book matters to the intended readership at this time. Focus on how it resonates and addresses an urgent need and whether what it offers is new and exciting like nothing they have seen before.

2.   Assuming an in-depth content discussion should be the selling point

Some authors assume that a comprehensive discussion of their topic should be their selling point, but this is hardly ever enough. Instead, they should focus on why their book makes a new and compelling argument and how it challenges the readers in unexpected ways.

3.   Assuming a short treatment is the best selling point

The assumption that an audience is only waiting to buy a short, accessible, and less complicated book compared to alternatives can pose a challenge.

4.   Failing to demonstrate the relevance

Your book’s topic may have some sense of urgency, but you still need to demonstrate the content’s relevance in the market. The information should not only be relevant to the readers today, but it should also show relevance to the target audience for many years to come.

5.   Getting lost in the book’s ideas

It is easy to get lost in your book’s weeds of ideas and content that you forget the target audience. Always discuss your book’s audience with the reader’s need in mind, showing why the book matters to them now and later.

6.   Assuming your personal experience with the topic should be a selling point

Just because you have a personal experience on the topic you are writing about will not make your book an instant hit. Such an approach is only likely to work if you already have an established platform that brings editors and agents to your door or is a famous author. You shouldn’t only concentrate on your own experience; focus on the book’s appeal and benefit to the marketplace.

7.   Coming up with a general concept, nothing unique

Your proposal is less likely to capture the attention of the publishers if the concept is too broad with no unique angle, and there are a million other ideas similar to the concept. This is to say nothing is compelling in the book to set it apart from all the others. Articulate and define the market or need clearly, while ensuring that it doesn’t become too niche that a commercial publisher will not want to pursue it.

8.   Approaching big publishers for small projects

If a publishing house tells you that your target market isn’t big enough, chances are you approached a publisher too big for your project when you should have gone to a smaller one. The difference lies in the target sales that each publishing house may be targeting to justify the publication. If you are looking at selling a few thousand copies in the first year, then a smaller presser would be a better bet.

Tips for Writing a Book Proposal

Be Specific

Your book proposal should clearly show your specialty and expertise in the subject matter that you are writing about.

The most successful books are those that told a story in such a unique way that it felt like only that author could have said it that way.

Avoid too broad subjects and narrow down to a specific angle on the subject matter, distinctively telling your story.

Don’t be self-effacing.

When presenting your book’s proposal, always remember that this is not the time for you to be self-effacing and modest.

You are looking to convince the publisher that you are worth having your entire manuscript published.

Be assertive and upfront with your expertise, skills, and past accomplishments.

Build an Audience

Building an audience as a first-time author isn’t easy, but it isn’t impossible either.

You can use several avenues to build your author platform and build an audience like social media, guest blogging, and creating a network by reaching out to other authors.

You can set up your website where you post regularly to build an audience and even attract the interest of potential publishers.

Careful with the bestseller comparison

When putting down your competitive title analysis section where you compare your book to other titles, be careful about using global bestsellers written by renowned authors.

You need to be realistic about your book’s prospects for the publisher to take you seriously.

Overstating your book’s selling potential will not put you in good books with the publishers.

What’s Next After Drafting Your Book Proposal?

When you finish drafting a book proposal, it means that you have solidified your book idea.

So now, what’s next after this?

The very first step should be to think about the best publisher who is a good fit for your book. At this stage, you will be required to conduct a lot of research and brainstorm.

Start by checking if there are any books in the market similar to yours.

If there is, find out who published them and take note. Sometimes it might be that you are just a big fan of a particular publisher, and you feel they are perfect for publishing your book.

Either way, come up with a list of two or three probable publishers and find a way to make a personal connection with them. We shall be looking at how to go about this in the next section.

If you have no idea where to start to get a publisher, you might consider enlisting the help of an agent to help get you one.

Agents usually have personal contacts in the publishing houses that help ensure that your proposal gets seen and read by the right people.

They also help you craft your proposal in a more convincing and commercially appealing way since this is their area of specialization.

Most agents have good editorial skills and can also help you refine your manuscript before submitting it to the publisher.

An agent will negotiate better deals with the publishing house on your behalf, that is, in terms of money and working terms, and act as the middleman for your press interactions.

The only downside to having one is, of course, the fact that it will cost you a portion of your earnings.

However, this is negligible when you look at all the benefits they offer.

When you choose to work with an agent, you can leave it to them to handle your book’s publisher, press, and marketing aspect while fully focusing on bringing your ideas to life with words.

After submitting it to the acquisitions editor, they will check it for completeness and then send it for external review.

The editor requests experts in your field of work to assess the marketability and provide suggestions on how you should develop the book.

Your book proposal is presented at the publishing acquisitions in-house meeting if the peer reviews are good.

Here, your proposal undergoes an internal review by various stakeholders, who then make the final decision as to whether to proceed with the book’s publishing or not.

After your book gets the green light from the stakeholders, the publisher contacts you with an offer.

Once you have the publishing contract secured and signed, you can go ahead and start writing your book.

Steps to Submitting Your Book Proposal to the Publishers

Step 1: Create a shortlist of potential publishers

Finding the right publisher for your book is never an easy task.

You can start with book sites like Amazon and make a list of publishers from the books on the site to get started. Start with those you have listed under comparative titles in your book proposal.

Then, there will be suggestions under the books mentioned in the “customers who bought this item also bought” section.

Next, go to the specific category section under which your book is likely to get listed.

At this stage, you should have some SEO-book knowledge and the keywords that your book is most likely to be associated with.

Search for books listed under keywords similar to yours and check their authors.

If this doesn’t work for you, check out the many other sites dedicated to helping authors locate publishers like Published to Death and Authors Publish.

Step 2: Refine your list of publishers.

Once you have collected the names of probable publishers that you would wish to work with from all these sites, work on refining your list. To do this, you need to answer these questions:

If you are unagented, does this particular publisher accept any unsolicited manuscripts? If they don’t, no matter how great your book may be, your efforts to reach them will be in vain. Most publishers have submission guidelines on their websites; go through them first.

Has the publisher figured out how to reach your target market? Well, all publishers feature their own titles on their websites, which can give you an idea as to whether they already know how to reach your target market. Browse through the book titles and check if other books or authors by the publisher are aiming at the same market as you and see if your book will fit in.

Is the publisher legit? It is easy to fall prey to scammers when blinded by the fantasy of becoming published. Take your time to review the publisher in detail before engaging them. The internet has made things a lot easier today. Checking their reviews online on what other authors have to say about working with them would be an excellent place to start.

Will your book offer the publisher something new for their existing market? You don’t want to submit content or a topic that the publisher has already nailed. Before sending that proposal, read or skim through the published books similar to yours and see what they offer. It is great to have a book published in your field, but if you find ten-plus books on the exact topic you are writing about and the authors are famous figures, it may not be good news for you.

Step 3: Submit your proposal.

When you have your list of potential publishers figured out and your proposal on the other side all ready, you are set to go.

The rule here is as simple as following the publisher’s guidelines on how all book proposals should be submitted to the latter.

Most publishers will indicate the kind of books they publish, how they receive submissions, who to direct the proposal to, the documents required to go with the proposal, and whether they respond to all submissions and return materials submitted if they choose not to work with you.

When you are ready, read about how to hire an editor for your book HERE

Should I Hire a Ghostwriter for a Book Proposal?

The principle behind a book proposal is to make your case persuasively to the publishers. You might be asking yourself, “Why would I hire someone to do what is my right and responsibility?”

The process of writing a book proposal, unless it’s your business to write proposals, certainly feels like an uphill journey. It sure is when you don’t have the answers to these questions:

• Are you committed?
• Do you have the time?
• What do you have that makes this book different from all the books in print?

Might it be because you need someone to write the proposal for you? It can also be that you’re ill-equipped or under-qualified to do the job yourself. If that’s true, there’s no shame in hiring a ghostwriter.

The key thing is to get your book out there.

You might think it’s different when you do all the writing yourself instead of hiring someone else to do it for you. To an extent, that is true, but if ghostwriters are good at their jobs, they’ll save you time, money, and effort.

Hiring a Ghostwriter for Your Book Proposal

If you managed to write an entire book, shouldn’t you be skilled enough to write the proposal yourself?

That’s a valid question, yet it’s not as simple as it seems.

Writing a proposal is no easy task. You need to convince others that your book idea is worth their while and money.

And you want the publisher to be convinced enough to invest in your concept and efforts so they can take full responsibility for promoting and selling it.

It’s quite an undertaking because publishers know that writing a book is just the beginning of its journey to the hands of readers.

A ghostwriter eases your burden. The process is typically divided into two parts:

The first step starts with the ghostwriter giving you some insights on how to market your book effectively.

It’s like holding out a map for you; it doesn’t mean that you’ll follow its instructions to the letter, but it certainly provides an excellent guide. It’s up to you to make the most out of their suggestions.

The second step is the book proposal itself.

You’ll give some general information about your topic and its scope, but it’s up to you to provide details that convince publishers that it’s a sure-fire winner.

It’ll take time for them to review your work, but you want them to be sure of its merits when they do.

The main thing is that when your proposal makes sense, it’s easier for publishers to see your concept in print.

There are commonalities among book proposals, but there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. As both you and your ghostwriter learn more about the process, they’ll be able to adapt their methods to suit you.

It makes perfect sense to have your proposal ghostwritten because it allows for a fresh perspective.

It’s like having an aura surrounding you; it blocks your vision from seeing what lies ahead.

If you’re writing it on your own, you might be too close to your work to see the flaws and weaknesses.

Ghostwriters will detach themselves from your project because they’re not emotionally attached to it.

They’re also impartial, which allows them to provide a clear-eyed assessment of your book.

Ghostwriters are also great editors, even if you’re handling the writing yourself, but they will give you the encouragement that you need to see it through.

Your proposal is just a small part of your journey towards publication, so handing off parts of it to someone else makes sense.

When In Doubt, Hire a Ghostwriter

It may be cheaper to write the proposal yourself, but hiring an experienced writer is more cost-efficient.

You’ll end up saving time and money in the long run if you let someone else do it right from the very start. This is quite true if you haven’t done this before.

There’s no shame in hiring a ghostwriter to develop an effective proposal because publishers have a particularly high standard, and you’ll need to come up with something that will catch their attention.

A book proposal is a business plan for your book and should include everything an agent or publisher needs to know about the project before deciding.

Your proposal should answer what makes your book original and show agents and publishers why they should care.

Keep in mind that publishers receive thousands of proposals, so you’re up against an ocean of competition.

The more professional your proposal looks and reads, the more likely a publisher will request a full manuscript for their review.

To make your proposal stand out from all of the rest, have an expert write it for you.

Some of your peers will tell you that ghostwriters cost a lot of money, but the reality is that you’ll get more value for your buck.

You’re not just buying time because ghostwriters are fully aware of what publishers look for in book proposals.

They’ll give you a realistic assessment of your chances of being published.

Furthermore, they have a wide network of contacts who can provide you with valuable information – the stuff that you usually don’t have access to.

Ghostwriters know their way around publishing companies, so they’ll provide you with the edge that might make the difference between success and failure.

They use these contacts to make sure your proposal is handed out to the right people.

Writing a proposal is indeed one thing.

Pitching it the right way is quite another. It’s important to identify each publisher’s needs and adjust your proposal accordingly.

It’s also necessary to know what they look for in book submissions so you make the most of your proposal since this information isn’t readily available.

A ghostwriter may provide you with this information since they know who to contact and how to reach them.

Last Thoughts on Writing A Book Proposal 

Last but not least you should add a conclusion to your proposal to wrap everything up.

Writing a book proposal is only the beginning, but it’s easier to complete when a ghostwriter is on your side.

They’ll work closely with you to ensure that the proposal is in its best form, no matter how tedious and time-consuming it seems.

If you’re looking for someone to work with you on your proposal, then hiring a ghostwriter is a no-brainer.

Your book is a small part of a larger project as they see it. They won’t be as emotionally attached as you are since they’re not the ones who’ll reap the benefits of its publication.

It is to conclude your whole idea and the benefits for the publisher to publish your book.

Above all, every publisher wants to publish a book that will actually hit the audience’s attraction and you are the person to do it.

Even when you follow all the guidelines to the latter, there is no sure way that is guaranteed to get you that book deal.

Even a well-written proposal may get declined by publishers.

The reasons may be anything from it is not the best fit for us, it is too similar to another title, or even that it faces too much competition from a dense list of similar books published.

Rejections may be frustrating, but they will still get you closer to getting published.

The more you keep at it, the more you get enlightened on what publishers are looking for.

Keep your eyes on the prize, bring in some expert eyes if need be, and have that proposal reach the best publishing fit for your book.

Further Reading

How To Write A Nonfiction Book Proposal

How To Finally Write Your Nonfiction Book

Start Here To Write A Book Proposal

Non-Fiction Book Proposal Templates

How To Write A Book Proposal