Marti pieper, a professional writer, editor, and book doctor, can help you increase your nonfiction book proposals appeal to agents and editors along with its chances of finding a publishing home. And if youve already finished your memoir, youre still going to need to write a full proposal to. While that proposal will address a number of factors the content of the book. When i wrote my first nonfiction book, in one of more than 200 interviews, i grilled a woman about why she quit a soughtafter job in washington to live in paris. In that sense, a memoir is not a typical nonfiction book, such as a how to book, or other forms of nonfiction. Dear pamela, memoir advice about your book proposal. Platform is a crucial part of nonfiction book proposals. Andrew lownie literary agency how to write a good non. Writing a nonfiction book proposal by scott mendel. Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items and should be attached as a single file to an email with submission. To write a nonfiction book, start by choosing a topic thats related to real events, figures, or practices, like history, art, or health and fitness. Nonfiction book proposals anybody can write gave me the structure i needed to produce a coherent, organized proposal.
If the chapters convey your message, everything else you write must attract, inform, clarify, or sell. Its a perk of nonfiction that you can sell a book on proposal before sitting down to the write the whole shebang, and often receiving an advance will. I was able to send my proposal within a week, and three months later, my agent was responding to bids from four large publishing houses. So you want to write a nonfiction book a few tips for those writers intimidated by the idea of writing something that contains many pages and a spine. The disadvantage is that a memoir book proposal may be up to 25 pages in length just to cover the business proposals and market research that youll need to present. C 1 page with a few lines on the five most recent competing and comparable books giving author, title, publisher and date of publication together with a note on. In these days of digital printing, printondemand and small print runs, you can achieve your. Writing a nonfiction book isnt hard author website. Advice that i find myself giving out again and again as an agent is guidance on how to write a nonfiction book proposal. Nonfiction book proposals anybody can write by elizabeth lyon.
After this course, you can get oneonone help through nonfiction book proposal doctoring. How to write a nonfiction book proposal nathan bransford writing. I am looking for complete examples of nonfiction book proposals. The marketing section is the sweetener for your book description, and it does more than satisfy a publishers desire to make money. Everything my agent wanted to see in my proposal was there because of elizabeths book. Marti uses her years of writing and editing experience to help you discover common errors and suggests practical ways to improve them. A stepbystep plan to write your nonfiction book, from first draft to finished manuscript morgan gist macdonald.
A literary agent can often sell nonfiction books on proposal, meaning you write. If the writer is a person with a recognized name or title, you might. Writing proposals for nonfiction books how to write a. Here is a basic template for a book proposal, which many of our clients have used successfully. A nonfiction book proposal is the key document that allows an agent or publisher to determine the viability of a project. Nonfiction book proposal classes in nyc and online. An outline can be asked for my publisher had asked one from me for the fifth nonfiction ghost book coming out august 2015. Addressed to the appropriate agent with titlegenreword count and appropriate contact information in the letter, this letter should interest us in reading your proposal. Your first step, of course, in pursuing the publication of a nonfiction book is not to write the manuscript, but to create a proposal youll use to pitch the book to agents or publishers before you write it. It shows your literary agent and acquiring editor, and most importantly the publishers inhouse marketing team, that your book will sell. Memoirs, however, are sometimes sold with proposals, and sometimes sold after the complete work is written. Nonfiction book chapter outlines a way with words writing.
How to write, publish, sell and promote your own book. You can get the contract first and then write or finish the book. Nonfiction book proposal outline ted weinstein literary. I am also curious about the actual format in which these are generally submitted ms word, pdf, etc. The art of writing a nonfiction book proposal is sort of like cooking lasagna. How to write a nonfiction book proposal wolf literary. Factual accounts jazzed up with a creative approach, or a little supposition, they retain the innate relevance of real life events while adding the entertainment value of a welltold tale.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device. This is an optional, alphabetically arranged dictionary of. A 1 page minisynopsis highlighting with bullet points what makes the book new and special with proposed word count and delivery date. The good news is that almost every nonfiction book published is sold by a proposal. Nonfiction book proposals anybody can write revised and updated kindle edition by elizabeth lyon. Since we recently discussed the role of a synopsis in a fiction proposal i thought it important that we address what the nonfiction author needs to provide. Let the publisher know if you plan to include appendices or a glossary or sidebars. Writing a nonfiction book proposal a primer for the firsttime nonfiction book writer by scott mendel updated february 2018 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. Ive seen many authors confuse the two and create extra work for. You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. This book shows them how to take advantage, with topics including subject matter research, creating marketing plans, and writing a strong about the author section. This page will direct you to some examples of book proposal sections so that you can put together a winning book proposal.
Instead, you write the proposal that describes what the book is about, why its interesting, and why it has an audience. How to write a nonfiction book that doesnt suck 3 keys to writing a non fiction book duration. Although this is an academic textbook, the proposal demonstrates the basic requirements of a successful pitch for any nonfiction book, including an excellent chapterbychapter summary. A one page cover letter or query letter is sufficient. If 82% of people want to write a book, how many of these consider it a life goal worth achieving. Writing a nonfiction book is quite different from a novel and so is the process of getting it published. Ive already read larsens book, and it does have some samples in it. Thus far the outcome of this proposal was a contract for a second book. As mentioned in my discussion on how to get published, if youre interested in writing a booklength work of nonfiction, you dont need to write the entire manuscript before you make the sale. One of the most powerful motivations to write a nonfiction book in the first place is the. If there will be photographs in your book, a couple of them might be nice. A straight biography is one thing, but stories thrive on the little moments and there are times when you simply wont have the information for these.
My suggestion, however, is to take time to prepare a thorough and wellthought out. Buy nonfiction book proposals anybody can write 1st, first edition by lyon, elizabeth isbn. A book proposal without a marketing section is like a cup of coffee without sugar. Where can i find examples of nonfiction book proposals. Nonetheless, i personally believe that, while not every nonfiction writer can become a novelist, any good fiction writer can learn to write good nonfiction. Writing nonfiction book proposals archives write his answer. Nonfiction book proposals anybody can write revised and. The system of writing proposals works to your advantage, since you saves you from having to spend many long months if not years writing a book with no guarantee it will sell once its finished. Your nonfiction proposal should include the following items. Often its best to write the complete memoir, but this course can help you discern the scope and marketability of your memoir. How to write a good nonfiction book proposal for submission. I offer a comprehensive course on book proposals that takes you through the research and writing process in 10 steps agent ted weinstein outlines the necessary parts of a book proposal, and also offers an audio recording of his 90minute workshop on proposals my favorite comprehensive guide on book proposals is how to write a book proposal by. What you do need to do is form a comprehensive plan of the layout of the book and what it.
For a nonfiction book, create a list of chapters, where you give each chapter a catchy title possibly also a subtitle and the page on which the sample chapter can be found later in your proposal. This is good for keeping you on track, but it can also color your reading of the final product. Much of this will already exist in your book proposal and can easily be. You may also want to organize your book further into sections or parts. How to get a contract and advance before writing your book, revised and updated elizabeth lyon on. So you want to write a nonfiction book the washington post. Visit her website to download a free book media checklist and afree ecourse on how to create a bestselling book design from the inside out. Preferably, these would be proposals that resulted in actual published works. Many, if not most nonfiction books are sold to publishers as book proposals. This is one of the main differences between the fiction and the nonfiction book proposal.
How to get a contract and advance before writing your book 9780399528279 by elizabeth lyon. The first thing to realize is that you dont have to actually write the book until you secure a contract with a publisher. In an email the attached file name should be descriptive author name fiction or nonfiction proposal logline. Overview describe your book in two or three paragraphs 500 wo. Its usually at least 20 pages long, often much longer. For a lot of writers, the biggest challenge in life is to avoid boredom. How to write a nonfiction book with pictures wikihow. The harsh reality of nonfiction writing the globe and mail. Some agents do not ask for memoir proposals because, like fiction, memoir is fundamentally about narrative, storyline, characters, and voice. Nonfiction book proposal outline the following are some guidelines to help you. You dont need anyones permission or a lot of money to publish.
Five basics of nonfiction book proposals fresh ink book. Writing creative nonfiction how to stay safe and legal. Unlike fiction, where an author must have a completed manuscript ready before they approach a publisher or agent, a nonfiction author only needs to develop a proposal to submit to publishers andor agents. As much as you love writing, this is not designed to be an epic. Many writers, and aspiring writers, dont realize the opportunities that exist in the nonfiction book market. Writing nonfiction gives you an excuse to learn about different subjects. No book, no matter how good or useful, appeals to everyone, and. Nonfiction book proposals in the digital age to sell an agent or publisher on your nonfiction idea, its more important. As you write an essay or a book of nonfiction, you probably have a clear picture in your head of what your project is going to cover, as well as what the final product will look like. Writing a nonfiction book proposal writers and artists. Toms glossary of book publishing terms thomas christensen.