by Joe Nassise on September 3, 2009
I’ve had a request to do a series of posts relating to putting together a book proposal. As the vast majority of the books I’ve sold have done so on the basis of a proposal – and I use that same proposal format for everything I do – I think such a series would be an excellent idea. It will also fit well with the series we presently have underway dealing with how to sell to a foreign publisher as the techniques discussed in this series can also be used for that endeavor as well.
Before I jump into the actual mechanics I use to craft and present a novel proposal, I wanted to touch on the way in which a book is actually acquired first. Knowing the process the publisher uses to acquire a book can help you immeasurably when you are putting together your proposal and can, in turn, increase your chances of having that proposal accepted.
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by Joe Nassise on September 4, 2009
In order to craft the most effective proposal possible, we first need to understand just what goes into a proposal and, perhaps more importantly, the purpose of each section. Understanding how each section works in conjunction with the others is crucial to preparing a proposal that will catch an editor’s eye.
Please be aware that this isn’t the only way to craft a proposal. It just happens to be the way that has worked for me time and time again. You are more than welcome to take what I have done and rework it to fit your own style – in fact, I suggest that you do.
I’m going to list each of the proposal components and then discuss them all in detail. The last post in this series will be the actual proposal for my novel, THE BOOK OF COMING SORROWS, (sold to a publisher in Germany last year in a nice deal for trade paperback publication) so that you can see the components actually being utilized. This way you will be able to ead the explanations regarding each section and then refer to the proposal to see them in action.
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by Joe Nassise on September 9, 2009
Theme is a tough subject. It is perhaps one of the most common reasons writers go awry in the midst of their writing. Theme is, at its most basic, the reason you are writing the story. It is part of our voice; your unique perspective and expression. It is what your book is about.
Read that again – It is what your book is about.
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by Joe Nassise on September 14, 2009
A summary sheet is a one page summarization that forms the skeleton of your proposal and contains basic information about the work on offer – size, genre, intended audience, completion date, summary logline, and the like. It is the first thing that the editor sees when opening one of my proposals. When done correctly, it should allow the editor to classify your project at a glance so they know, to some extent at least, what to expect when they get deeper into the proposal.
Let’s examine each element one at a time.
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