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Page 1 of 3  A Primer for the First-Time Nonfiction Book Writer
It will probably seem obvious to you that the nonfiction book proposal is a tool your agent will use to sell your work at the best possible terms, and to secure the strongest possible commitment from your publisher to promote and sell your book. What many first-time writers for the trade publishing market do not usually appreciate is how much the book proposal is a tool for the interested editor who wants to acquire your book. That editor is in the difficult position of not only choosing those projects she is convinced her company should publish, but also of making the case to her colleagues who, in many cases, must collectively authorize her to make an offer for your book.
Among these colleagues are fellow editors, her editorial director, possibly her publisher, and an array of other people in the sales, marketing and publicity areas of her company. In addition to answering questions about the inherent value of your as-yet unwritten nonfiction book, she needs to make the case that you understand what the publisher needs from an author when it decides to commit substantial capital and professional resources to publishing that author’s book. She needs to be able to make the case that you will deliver a great manuscript on schedule, that you will be an effective spokesperson for your own book, and that you have already done substantial preliminary work to establish yourself as an expert in the subject areas relevant to your book and its potential readers. To help an interested editor in making this case, you need to present your agent (or prospective agent) with the best book proposal possible. What follows is a short sketch of the components of a complete book proposal, and some comments about the importance of good formatting and presentation. In most cases, you should have this proposal in hand before approaching a prospective agent about your project. Every complete proposal should include all of the following components: 1. A short abstract of your proposed book, which must include a summary of your premise, main arguments, and conclusions: This abstract should not be longer than three pages. It should make the case for your book’s original ideas or approach, and it should itself be a good read. Don’t describe your book in passionless, bureaucratic prose but, on the other hand, don’t engage in breathless hyperbole. 2. The proposed book’s Table of Contents and a chapter-by-chapter description of its contents: Usually, a description of 150-400 words per chapter is sufficient to cover the proposed book’s contents and make clear to the reader how your presentation will proceed. 3. A description of the shape and format of your proposed book: You should estimate the length of the completed manuscript, either by word count or by the estimated number of double-spaced manuscript pages. If they are necessary to the project, you should include an estimated number of pictures, diagrams, figures, etc. Should you have particular illustrations in mind, the samples of those illustrations you provide should be very clear, high-quality reproductions that are integrated into the text of the proposal itself. If these particular illustrations are not in the public domain, you should include an estimated budget for clearing permission to use these images. 4. A schedule for completion of your project: Every agent or editor who reads your proposal will need to know how long it will take you, once the book is under contract, to deliver your complete manuscript. This estimate of time from contract to delivery can range fairly widely, from just a few weeks to more than a year. You should give a timetable that seems reasonable to you. You might decide to explain how quickly you could deliver the manuscript if time were of the essence and the financial terms of the offer made by the publisher enabled you to work full-time to complete the manuscript.
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