There are hundreds (at least) of books on writing book proposals. There is also a multitude of workshops, classes, and consultants to help. For years, I wrote proposals on behalf of large corporations seeking contracts with government agencies. There are a lot of similarities between the two types of proposals. The following are a few guidelines and sources.
There will be rules to follow. FOLLOW THEM. If the submission guidelines state that the proposal should include the first three chapters, don’t submit two chapters and hope for the best. Face it—you will need to have a significant amount of work completed on your book before you can start looking for publishers.
I know a few writers who, discouraged after rejections or overwhelmed by the proposal process, have leaped into self-publishing. For many writers, self-publishing is the perfect answer, but if that is the case, do it instead of the proposal process, rather than as the last resort.
If you have never done a successful book proposal or have never taken a course on producing one, I highly recommend that you get some professional assistance. One of the many excellent sources of the professional assistance sources I know is You-niversity. They offer a class designed to help you get your book published. Check it out at http://stores.authorsmart.com/Page.bok?template=bookpropyou Note this depressing statistic that headlines the site: “It is estimated that from 90% to 98% of book proposals are rejected by publishers.” Don't add to that statistic! If you are ready (i.e. have at least a draft of a proposal, first chapter, and outline), then get some expert advice.
There will be rules to follow. FOLLOW THEM. If the submission guidelines state that the proposal should include the first three chapters, don’t submit two chapters and hope for the best. Face it—you will need to have a significant amount of work completed on your book before you can start looking for publishers.
I know a few writers who, discouraged after rejections or overwhelmed by the proposal process, have leaped into self-publishing. For many writers, self-publishing is the perfect answer, but if that is the case, do it instead of the proposal process, rather than as the last resort.
If you have never done a successful book proposal or have never taken a course on producing one, I highly recommend that you get some professional assistance. One of the many excellent sources of the professional assistance sources I know is You-niversity. They offer a class designed to help you get your book published. Check it out at http://stores.authorsmart.com/Page.bok?template=bookpropyou Note this depressing statistic that headlines the site: “It is estimated that from 90% to 98% of book proposals are rejected by publishers.” Don't add to that statistic! If you are ready (i.e. have at least a draft of a proposal, first chapter, and outline), then get some expert advice.
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