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.