How do you write a book proposal? Why might you write one?

A book proposal is basically a marketing tool similar to a business plan for your book.  This tool is used to get you a contract to write your non-fiction piece.  It does not require that you already have the entire book already written, although it definitely won’t hurt if you do. In fact, if you are a new author, an agent may ask to see the entire book to be sure that you are capable of what you say you are. 

Many literary agents require a book proposal as part of their submission guidelines. This is not to be confused with a novel proposal, which is a different process.

Book proposals give the literary agent key information which they will use to decide whether or not to contract you to write the book and if the book is necessary. A properly constructed proposal will include the following elements:

A cover page and table of contents.

This is especially important if you are writing something lengthy, such as a large textbook.

Overview

This section of your proposal will give a summary of your entire proposal.

Target Market

This section will be used to show you have done your research regarding your intended audience and that the book you are proposing is, in fact, marketable.

Competitive Analysis

Here is where you give provide a list of similar books by your competitors and tell the literary agent why YOURS is better. Do not use this time to start flaming about how other works already available suck.

Author Biography

Tell the literary agent in this section why you are the best person to write this book and list your qualifications and areas of expertise.

Marketing and Promotion Plan

Discuss how can help in promoting and selling your book on your own.  Only say what you are actually capable of doing on your own without the publisher.

Chapter Outline or Table of Contents

Briefly outline each chapter of the book.

Sample Chapters

Include one or two strong chapters you’ve written that best display why the literary agent should contract you to write it. 

As your book proposal will determine whether or not someone wants your book written, you must pay close attention to detail and really put your full effort into its writing.  Most book proposals are fairly complex and take significant time to write, often months.  This is your time to show off your sparkle and catch their eye; make your proposal the document that sells itself and your future book.

For further information on book proposals, please see the following links:

http://publishing.about.com/od/BookAuthorBasics/a/Book-Proposals-About-Book-Proposals.htm

http://janefriedman.com/2012/11/09/start-here-how-to-write-a-book-proposal/

http://www.prlit.com/bookproposal.htm

http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2010/01/27/resources-for-writing-a-book-proposal/