More on Writing Nonfiction Book Proposals

*Source: Bulletproof Book Proposals by Pam Brodowsky and Eric Neuhaus

Idea: What you want to write about; what you have to tell, sell, teach or explain.
-Frequently, ideas come about because someone is searching for information that they have been unable to find elsewhere.
-Idea must be engaging enough for you to spend 6 months - 2 years of your life researching and writing about it
- You need to have access to the people that you will need to interview
- What makes you the best person to write this book? Do you have something new, important or definitive to say?
- Is the subject complex enough to be worth an entire book?

Hook: How you put that idea into words that immediately interest your potential readers
-The hook presents a powerful reader benefit
-Understand the rhetoric; the different ways you might present something to different people
-Needs to be concise and convincing (brief, sharp and accurate)

Book proposal: Test the power of your idea
-Strong hook
-Condensed version of your thesis / theme
-Convincing argument of book's importance
-Why the book will sell ($$)
-How can your book compete with others on the market

How to get sales figures:
1.) Copyright page of a competitive book tells you how many printings that book has undergone since its original publication
2.) Paperback copies of books sometimes feature sales claims by the publisher
3.) Mention any times the book might have spent on NY Times bestseller list
4.) Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble list the current sales ranking on titles that they warehouse. (Only lists sales that pertain to that particular bookseller)

Writing your query letter:
-Take your book proposal and cut-and-paste the best parts of it into your query letter.
-A query letter is just the high points of a well-written book proposal.

Research similar books on the market

Thornton, Matthew. Big YA Deals. Ashley Rhodes-Courter's Three Little Words.

Agent Joelle Delbourgo just wrapped up an auction for 20-year-old Ashley Rhodes-Courter's memoir Three Little Words; Simon & Schuster's Elizabeth Law won North American rights.

It took 44 caseworkers, 23 lawyers, 19 foster parents as well as the determination of the author to get herself out of the foster care system and adopted into a stable home at age 12.

Now a college senior, Rhodes-Courter is a national crusader for the rights of foster children. S&S will publish in spring 2007 and plans to cross-sell the book into the adult market.

Tips on Writing Personal Essays

Think beyond yourself: You must do more than share a personal event, you also need to universalize what you are saying so that other people can relate to it.

Think of what the market is and who your audience is: Find ways to make your story meaningful to others. Don't talk about yourself unless you have found a way to let the reader in...

Ask yourself these questions:
-What are the readers thinking?
-What are the readers feeling?
-What can the readers identify with?

Your writing will be successful when it touches a nerve or feeling in order to elicit an emotional reaction from the reader. Your audience has to identify with you and your story, and see a part of themselves in the picture.

Anchor the reader in the scenes that you are painting. Keep your essays tightly focused, in order to maximize the emotional impact.

Market awareness: Go to the newsstand and see who is publishing what. Measure the complexity and the tone. Are these essays that require depth of research, or do they come directly from the author's personal experience?

Consider:
-Women's magazines like Family Circle, Women's Day and Redbook
-Parenting publications
-General interest magazines, such as Newsweek's 'My Turn' column
-Regional and local publications
-Religious publications
-Newspapers: op-ed pieces and essays
-Web sites such as www.salon.com

Books to read:
Bender, Sheila. Writing Personal Essays: How to Shape Your Life Experiences for the Page.
Holmes, Marjorie. Writing Articles from the Heart: How to Write & Sell Your Life Experiences.

Building a literary platform

Notes from this source:
Formichelli, Linda. Pick Me: The old rules don't apply anymore. So what's an author gotta do to get noticed around here?

It's all about the money:
- Seven out of 10 new trade books in the United States lose money
- Big-chain bookstores order just enough of each book to test the waters and return anything that doesn't sell
-Used books are more accessible than ever on the Internet
-Because of this, publishers are looking much harder at their bottom lines.

Blogs: what they can and can't do
- Agents and editors need to see a completed and polished book that will appeal to readers
- Blogs can and do target potential audiences

Tech-savvy authors
- Interact with readers
- Post audio and video clips on their websites to entice readers
- Consider posting pages or chapters of their works
- Reply to readers' comments and questions as often as they can
- Are involved with online forums, which build credibility as an expert

Building a platform:
- Agents desire a national level of exposure already in place
- They want you to appear regularly on a national TV show, or have a syndicated column, or be on a radio show with a national audience

Creating an online platform:
- If your website generates a million hits per day
- If you outreach and become a prominent member of the online community
- If you appear in the local news or have published articles on this topic
- If you have a unique story, expertise in a subject or exclusive access to important people in the field

... then you might be a redneck - excuse me - then, you might build a platform.