Non-fiction book proposals are much larger documents. My agent also wrote her own pitch for the project, when she sent it out (this was a short introductory email).
Chapter Outlines (detailed and with a paragraph for each).Author Bio / Platform (including published works).Synopsis / Overview – and this included comparative titles and a sense of where it would sit in the marketplace.You need to show the potential publishers that you have the chops and the know-how to finish this book and do it well.īecause I’d already published a memoir when I wrote the proposal for A Letter From Paris (so my first memoir did the ‘heavy lifting’ of showing the potential publishers that I could deliver a manuscript), my book proposal was a little shorter than many I’ve seen for unpublished authors.įor my literary agent to sell A Letter From Paris to potential publishers, my book proposal included: If you’ve never published a book before, your proposal will need to be much meatier and extensive. Because selling a memoir is more connected with the author’s writing style, the hook and the voice than the author’s expertise, the sample material is much more important in the memoir proposal. But many editors and agents are happy to work with an author to shape the material, if the proposal shows enough potential.
#I WRITE LIKE BY MEMOIRES FULL#
Many publishers like to see the full manuscript before commissioning a memoir, particularly if the author has never published a book before. Non-fiction book proposals are much more sales and platform-focussed, where with memoirs it’s much more about the writing style. While non-fiction books such as health, spiritual, self-help etc typically are sold on proposal-only, a memoir is slightly different. You’re proposing a project to a publisher, showing them how you would approach it, ‘selling’ them on why you are the best person to write it, in the hopes that they will agree and commission the work! Non-fiction book proposals vs memoir book proposals The stakes are higher (a 4,5 or 6 figure deal Vs a $500 or $2K story commission), but it essentially does the same thing. The book proposal is simply a longer pitch document. When I was a freelance journalist I learnt very quickly that getting a story commissioned was all about crafting a great ‘pitch’. The size and scope of book proposals varies wildly, but I’ll take you through the basics of a memoir book proposal, because that’s what I’ve written and sold. You also need some ‘skin in the game’ so-to-speak, and writing a book proposal is that skin. (YES I’ve had writers ask me why they can’t do this?!) You need to show that you’ve considered your book idea deeply, and you do this via crafting a book proposal. It’s not enough to just say “I have a great idea for a book” and expect someone to send you some money to write it…. It also shows them a valid sample of your writing style. To publishers, agents and editors, the book proposal is their ‘proof’ that you’ve thought the idea through and considered all aspects involved in writing it. The value of writing a book proposal is that it will help you clarify a lot about your book, the way you’ll tell the story and where it sits in the marketplace. If you’re pitching a non-fiction book (which includes memoir) to a literary agent, publisher or editor, you need to put together a book proposal.Ī book proposal is both a sales document and a chance for you to envision the full scope of the book and outline how you will approach it.
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