Nonfiction Book Proposals

Additional tips on writing book proposals from Peter Fedorko. Please note, this is just a summary of information that was especially helpful to me; you will want to contact him directly to purchase a copy of "How to Prepare A Nonfiction Proposal."

Overview
Provide the agent with a sense of the book’s purpose and its significance. The language you use in this section should be engaging and non-academic and non-technical if possible. It should be a simple narrative treatment describing the book.

Author Profile
Tell the agent about yourself, listing any and all previous writing credits.

Marketing Opportunities
What are the book’s key selling points?

- Provide a brief snapshot of the target audience and subsidiary audiences.
- Current list of any and all media appearances you may have made, including radio, television, the internet, newspaper and magazines as well as speaking engagements.
- List of books on your subject. Where does your book fit in?
- Any other marketing opportunities you will bring to the publisher.

Supplementary Materials
To “beef up” your proposal, include any of the following:

- Magazine or newspapers articles on your topic— written by you or not.
- Articles, stories, profiles about you— anything to show that you are qualified to write your book