Top 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Book Proposal
For Fiction and Non-fiction Authors
Julia McCutchen

1.      Make time for proper preparation before you begin. It’s no good sitting down to write your book proposal before you have established your foundations as a writer. I recommend an approach which includes what I call The Foundation of Four:

i.     Access your true writer’s voice

ii.   Nurture your creative spirit

iii. Develop and deepen your writing practice

iv.  Name your motivation, objectives and outcome

2.      Think about who you are writing for and do some research on the market. Your writing needs to come from the inside out. This means that you start with what you are passionate about - the information you are inspired to communicate and/or the story you simply must share. Then you need to consider who will be interested to read what you have to say. There needs to be a relationship between the two.

3.      Be clear about the essence of your message or the highlights of your story and write a Compelling Key Sentence. The agent or publisher reading the material you send to them will be very busy and have a short attention span. They will want to find out straight away what your book is about. The best way to address that is to write the equivalent of an ‘elevator speech’ as a succinct summary ideally in one sentence, or perhaps two or three for fiction writers.

4.       Be prepared to answer the question, ‘what makes your book different?’ This is especially the case for non-fiction writers where often books already exist on the same subject. That’s fine as long as the market isn’t already saturated and you can identify the new ‘angle’ you are presenting. With fiction, aim to highlight the original features of your story which I am sure you will discover when you think creatively about it.

5.      Inform yourself to some degree about the world of publishing and understand what is required of you as an author. This will enable you to write a proposal which includes relevant information for all of the people who are concerned with making publishing decisions. It will also make you feel more confident to know a little about how the process works and how decisions are made.

6.      Remember that the book proposal is written for the agent and publisher to read, not the reader. Your sample chapters do the work of showing your writing style and the ‘flavour’ of your book. The rest of the information you supply in your submission package should be pitched to the publishing professionals assessing the material.

7.      Include your ideas for marketing and promoting your book yourself, over and above what the publisher may do. I can’t stress enough how important this information is for non-fiction writers and increasingly for fiction writers also. Publishers are looking for authors who will be actively engaged, to some degree or another, in raising awareness of their books in the marketplace. Spend time here and you will reap the rewards at every stage of your book’s life cycle.

8.      Write a superb covering letter. This may well be the last piece you write but remember that it is usually the first information which publishing professionals will read. So spend the time it takes to craft a punchy, concise but comprehensive, one page letter which includes all of the most important information about you and your book.

9.      Do your research properly regarding which agents or publishers to approach.  You can find information through many different sources, including the internet and relevant websites, to identify who might be interested to read your proposal. Look for other similar books on the agents or publishers’ lists to identify an interest in your category or genre.

10.  Keep an open mind about the right way forwards for you and your book! The ultimate book proposal should open the door for you to the world of publishing. However, the reality is that many writers are not destined to be published by a traditional publishing house. However, there are many effective routes to market for writers these days. The work you do on your book proposal will stand you in good stead whatever way ends up being the right one for you to reach your readers. So do invest the time and energy into writing your ultimate book proposal and don’t forget to enjoy the journey!

Julia McCutchen is the creator of the How to Write the Ultimate Book Proposal Online Masterclass Course and the author of The Writer's Journey: From Inspiration to Publication. A former managing director and publisher, she now works as a writers' coach, mentor and professional publishing consultant.

 She has over 20 years' experience and a publishing track record which includes UK # 1 and international bestsellers. Julia is passionate about opening the way for you to find your true voice, discover your self in the process, and write consciously, creatively, successfully and with soul!

For more information and to access free articles and audios for writers, visit www.JuliaMcCutchen.com

© Julia McCutchen 2009. All Rights Reserved.