Book Proposals for Fiction and Nonfiction

Lindsay A., Writing Center tutor

Please keep in mind that these are only general guidelines; always defer to your professor's specifications for a given assignment. If you have any questions about the content represented here, please contact the Writing Centers so that we can address them for you.

A few weeks or months ago you submitted a query letter about your book and to your delight, an editor or agent has just contacted you to tell you they are interested in reading more about it! Now it’s time to craft a book proposal for that editor or agent to give them a fuller picture of your future award-winning, bestselling book.

A book proposal is a brief representation of your manuscript and is meant to sell your book to a prospective editor or agent. However, you would generally only provide an editor or agent with a full book proposal if the editor or agent has requested one after having received and read a previously submitted query letter (see the section on query letters). The book proposal is longer than a query letter since it includes sample chapters from your manuscript as well as a detailed synopsis of your work. Anywhere from 45 to 65 pages a book proposal includes:

- A cover letter
- A detailed synopsis
- Sample chapters
- A SASE to receive any further replies

The Cover Letter is like a longer query letter that includes more detail and a few more technical pieces of information. The Synopsis outlines your novel from beginning to end and is followed by a few Sample chapters that demonstrate the strength of the beginning of your novel or the overall strength of your writing.

The Cover Letter

The cover letter contains many of the same elements as the query letter, though it tends to be longer than a query letter since each element might take a few paragraphs to fully develop. The cover letter, 2 or 3 pages in length, is written in a formal business letter format and should include:

- Proper format
- Introduction (one or two sentences)
- Overview of the book (one-line hook, one to two paragraphs of unfinished synopsis)
- Marketing strategies (one to three paragraphs)
- Promotion of the book (one to three paragraphs)
- About the Author (one to two paragraphs)
- Conclusion (one or two sentences)

Format

The cover letter should be written in the style of a formal business letter, with letterhead, date, address of the editor/agent, single spacing, and block paragraphs.

Introduction

The introduction is where you briefly greet and remind the editor or agent that they have requested a book proposal from a previously submitted query letter or a previous face-to-face meeting.

Overview

The overview in a book proposal should give the editor or agent a quick glimpse of your book’s main interest and, like the query letter, includes a hook and a few more sentences about the book’s plot or subject. The hook should engage and intrigue (see the query letter hook section above); the rest of the overview should read like the back cover of a book, explaining succinctly the direction of the book—in the case of fiction, it should not give away the ending. You should also write if the manuscript is finished and if not when it will be. Also, depending on the editor or agent’s specific requirements, you might also include an approximate (or projected) word count.

Marketing

The marketing section of the cover letter describes at least two things: 1) the potential major and minor markets for the book (e.g. women aged 25-40) and 2) comparable and competing books and how your book is different. For the major and minor markets, explain who would want to read your book and why. What does this market read already and what kind of media do they access? How are these markets reached?

When discussing comparable and competing books, list a few published and successful books that are similar to yours and explain why your book would appeal to the same markets. Why is your book different? Why is it better?

Promotion

Promotion is where you as the author come back in. This section details your platform, or basically what you are willing to do or have already done to help sell your book. Describe your platform in concrete terms. What contacts do you have in your target markets? Have you already created a website or blog to promote yourself as an author, or to promote your book? Are you scheduled for any speaking engagements at bookstores, colleges, libraries, appropriate conferences? What else are you willing to do to sell your book (go on tour, talk shows, radio shows, book signings)? Since an author’s publicity can greatly aid in book sales, editors and agents often look for sellable authors as well as sellable books.

About the Author

Unlike in the query letter, the information you provide about yourself here can be more detailed. Include relevant publishing history, education, awards, or other qualifications that add credibility to your career as an author. Are you a zoologist writing a layman’s guide to animals of the Serengeti? Have you already published pieces of short fiction to critical acclaim?

Conclusion

Finally, remember to write that you have enclosed a synopsis and some sample chapters and to thank the editor.

Detailed Synopsis

The synopsis, around 2 to 6 pages in length, explains in detail the plot of your novel, including the ending, or the main points of your non-fiction piece. Some authors of fiction choose to write their synopsis in chapter-by-chapter sections, while some choose to describe the major plot points and beats in a more fluid fashion—which method you choose is up to you since one may fit your book better than the other. Authors of non-fiction tend to follow the format of an outline, with headings, subheadings and many breaks, since this is how the book would probably be published.

Sample Chapters

The last part of your proposal (besides the SASE) is a sample of your manuscript. The length of the sample can vary from publisher to publisher—anywhere from 15 to 60 pages ending at a natural chapter break—but the sample chapters should always be polished and dynamic. For fiction, the chapters should generally be from the beginning of your work (though there are some who feel the first chapter is too introductory). For non-fiction, the chapters should generally include the Introduction and a few beginning chapters. Research what the publisher, editor, or agent is looking for but if all else fails, use your authorly discretion and intuition as an author in selecting the sample chapters. Choosing sample chapters can be tricky, but a good rule of thumb is to choose chapters that show off your content or writing style to your absolutely best advantage. If you wrote a killer beginning, then choose the first few chapters; if the middle is where events crystallize, then by all means choose a few middle chapters.

General Tips

Be engaging.
Be professional.
Be money-minded—market your novel.
In general, do not bind your book proposal—most editors hate dealing with paperclips, staples, binding, or other fancy clips.
Use high-quality paper to print your cover letter, synopsis and sample chapters.

Links

Rachel Gardner is a literary agent with first-hand experience with authors and their book proposals.

This website by William Cane is dedicated solely to the art of writing a book proposal, from the first sentence of the opening letter to the last period of the sample chapters. This site also includes examples of all the elements that comprise a book proposal. Some of the information on this site contradicts (often directly) the information on Rachel Gardner’s site, which demonstrates how the structure of book proposals is at times fluid and dependent on the author’s intuition or other publisher requirements.