Above All Else, Proofread Everything That Goes Into The Envelope.
“Regular” (or “Prescriptive”) Nonfiction:

1. Sold via a “proposal,” not a complete manuscript. Proposals are generally 15 to 40 pages
long, not including sample chapter(s).
2. A nonfiction proposal is a business proposal. You’re asking the publisher to advance you a
sum of money so you can afford to write the proposed book.
3. Topics to cover include:
• Summary of the Project: 10%. Helps to have a one-sentence hook that explains what
the book is about. 1-3 pages.
• Your Credentials: 20%. 1-2 pages (or more) about you: who you are, why you are the
best person in the world to write this book, what your educational background is, and so
forth.
• Competing works: 15% (or more). Fill in the blank: “My book is the first book that
___________.” What other books will compete with yours, and how yours is better or
different. Don’t destroy the other books – differentiate yours from theirs, but make it
clear that your book will fill a necessary gap on the shelf. 1-2 pages.
• Marketing venues: 15% (or more). The publisher may know better than you what
markets to pursue, but s/he may not. Who is your audience, and how will you reach
them? Be sure to mention any specialty markets that the publisher may not be aware
of.
• Outline: 20%. One page (approximately) per chapter, chapter-by-chapter outline of the
entire book. Make it as concrete and clear as possible, so a publisher will get a clear
idea of how the book will be laid out, and what will go into each section of it.
• Sample chapter(s) (20%). 1-3 sample chapters, the best and tightest you can write. 10-
25 pages each.
4. Some secrets:
• Assume that you’re writing for the “TV” generation. Use sidebars graphics, tests,
charts: whatever you can to make the proposal visually interesting, but not
overwhelming.
• Teach an editor/agent something new on the first page, and try to scatter other useful
tidbits throughout the proposal.
“Narrative” (“Creative”) Nonfiction (including Memoirs and Essays):
• Authors must have excellent credentials.
• Narrative must be extremely well written.
• Events narrated should somehow have bigger, more universal implications.

Manuscript Guidelines

A manuscript should always look professional.
It is typed.
It is proofread.
Here are some suggestions on what a "professional" manuscript looks like:
• Print on 8½" x 11" white paper.
• Double-space the text.
• Do NOT add an extra space between paragraphs. Doing so actually slows down the
reading.
• Use an easy-to-read font – Times Roman 12 or Courier 12 are the most recommended.
• 1-inch margins minimum; maximum 1.5-inch margins.
• On the title page, at the top, include your name, address, and telephone number.
• On all successive pages, at the top right, include your last name, title of the manuscript,
and page number.
• Format the manuscript thinking about your ease of reading it – for example, editors are
used to seeing italics where necessary – so it’s not necessary to underline multiple lines
of text.

[SAMPLE QUERY LETTER]

13 August 2004
Re: My Dog Eliot
Dear Ms. Agent:

[The hook] You may remember that we met yesterday at the water cooler. [or, next
best] I recently completed a novel that is similar to The Memory of Running, which I know your
agency represents, and I thought you might want to take a look at it. [or, next best] I read your
listing in Literary Marketplace, and thought that you might be interested in taking a look at a
novel I just completed.

Professional, or interesting personal, background of the author that make it clear why the
author is the best person to tell this tale] I have been writing for the past twenty-seven years. My
short stories have appeared in Playboy, GQ, and Martha Stewart Living. [or] I am an avid dogowner,
and have owned the same dog for the past twelve years.
[Information about the novel] My Dog Eliot, a novel of 97,000 words, tells of these
experiences. [possible comparison to another novel] It is similar to The Great Gatsby only in
that both novels are written in English.

ince I know you are an avid dog fan, I am writing to ask if you would be interested in
representing me. I am enclosing an outline, synopsis, sample chapter(s), press clippings about
my other published works, and, of course, a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient
postage if I want all of my materials returned to me.

submission information] This is on a multiple submission. If you are interested in
reading the entire manuscript, however, I will be happy to give you exclusivity for six weeks.

Sincerely yours,
Name
Title
Author
Genre (and word count, if a novel)

Jeff Kleinman is one of the principal agents of Folio Literary Management, LLC . He’s a graduate of Case Western Reserve University (J.D.), the University of Chicago (M.A., Italian), and the University of Virginia (B.A. with High Distinction in English).

As an agent, Jeff feels privileged to have the chance to learn an incredibly variety of new subjects, meet an extraordinary range of people, and feel, at the end of the day, that he’s helped to build something – wonderful book, perhaps, or an author’s career. His authors include Yolanda King, Philip Gerard, Barbara Holland, and Ron McLarty.