Why you need to write a book proposal

Step forward on the journey toward publication by clarifying your thinking

Maybe you’re thinking about writing a book, or you’re already working on one. But as you write, or think about writing, you find yourself feeling stuck. What exactly do you want to say? Beyond your topic, what specific ideas do you want to share? What stories do you want to tell?

And more importantly, who needs to hear your ideas? Who is your target reader, and why do they need to read your book?

In my work as a writing coach, I find that many writers get stuck because they have not yet fully developed their ideas. They want to write about, I don’t know, God’s love, or marriage, or parenting. Those are big topics, my friends. Or they want to write their own story and what they learned from, well, surviving that story. Great—but a memoir needs to not just tell your story but connect with the reader. That can be harder.

As A.J. Harper has wisely observed and taught, “A book is not about something, a book is for someone.” Figuring out who that someone is, what that someone needs, and how your book can help that someone get what they need—that’s the essential first step. And it’s information you must include in a book proposal.

If you want to publish, you need to clarify your thinking. You need to crystalize your ideas, and figure out who wants to read those ideas. If you want to get your book published, you’ll need to start with a proposal.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki: https://www.pexels.com/

In addition to my work as a writing coach, editor, and self-publishing guide, I also write my own books. (See all my titles here). The last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on a book proposal. I recently signed with a new literary agency (yay!) and my agent wants a proposal she can then present to an editor at a publishing house.

A proposal is the first step toward royalty publishing. (as I’ve written about here before)

A book proposal is a 30 or more-page document that “sells” your book to a publisher. As writer Jane Friedman so wisely points out: “It’s natural to assume the book proposal should discuss what your book is about. But this is a mistake. Rather than focusing on the content, focus on why this book matters right now to the intended readership.”

Photo by Vladimir Gladkov: https://www.pexels.com/

However, a proposal does also have to clearly spells out what your book is about. It must clearly spell out who the target reader is, and why that reader would be interested. It makes the case for your book: what makes it unique or interesting, what other books are already out there on the topic, who you are and what you’ll do to market your book. It also contains an outline with summaries of each chapter, and a sample chapter or two.

You can find templates online for book proposals. I’m not going to instruct you on how to write a book proposal, but I want to look at how each element helps you to move forward in your writing journey.

So let’s look at a few important elements in a proposal:

Hook: Your book’s hook is the main idea, the unique blah that grabs the reader’s attention. It is short and to the point but makes the reader curious enough to read on. If you’re writing non-fiction, you can use the “what if I told you…” sales pitch language for a hook. “What if I told you that you could organize your home and get rid of clutter in just five minutes a day?”

Here’s why it’s important to wrestle through clarifying your book’s hook: many writers struggle to explain what their book is about. A hook is a one liner that describes what your book is about, in a way that makes readers want to read it. If you can’t explain what your book is about in one sentence, you need to do some workshopping on your book’s hook. And it of course a hook clearly communicates who (target reader) will get hooked.

Chapter summaries: This part of your proposal is a detailed outline. It tells what each chapter is about, shows the narrative arc and organization of your ideas. It forces you to decide which topics will go where in the flow of your book.

This can be hard for folks who are “seat of the pants” writers. You know, the ones who just sit down and write without an outline or plan. The best advice I can give you if this is you? Just write the book, but once it’s done, go back and reverse engineer an outline.

I do recommend, if you can, to create an outline first, especially if you write non-fiction. Just listing the topics you’ll include in each chapter is a challenging exercise because it forces you to clarify your thinking.

For example, here’s a summary of just one chapter in a book I’m working on which is about welcoming, or hospitality:

A practice, not a gift. People sometimes refer to hospitality as a “spiritual gift” that some have, others don’t. Chapter opens with a story of a conversation with a friend about how she “hates hospitality” because it feels so pressured. The Bible doesn’t say it’s a gift, but rather, commands everyone to engage in it. This chapter will discuss how we can deconstruct the misappropriation of hospitality to see it as a practice, do it differently, let go of the shame and intimidation that keep us from practicing it. The reader will feel relief that anyone can offer hospitality, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. They’ll shift from seeing it as entertaining to seeing it as a spiritual practice that will allow them to experience growth.

Competing titles: Another element in a book proposal is an annotated list of competing titles. It includes publisher and publication date, a quick summary of the book, and how it differs from your book.

We may think our book is unique. And it is—but figuring out how requires some thinking. Other books on your topic exist. A list of competing titles will also include a few sentences about how each one differs from yours. This comparison helps the agent or editor understand what makes your book unique. It will also demonstrate that there is a market for your book, because people are buying and reading books on the same topic.

New writers can sometimes feel discouraged by researching competing titles. What will they have to say that hasn’t been said. But it helps to think of your book as a way of joining an important conversation.

Reading the books on your competing titles list will help you as you research your topic.

For example, when I wrote a book on overcoming fear (coauthored with Michael Hingson), one competing title entry in our book proposal looked like this:

Courageous Faith: A Lifelong Pursuit of Faith over Fear Hardcover by Debbye Turner Bell

(Our Daily Bread Publishing, August, 2021)

This book is a memoir by Miss America 1990, blended with some self-help. It focuses on her story and her faith, which is narrower than our book will be. The goal of this book is inspiration; ours is coaching. Obviously, the point of view of a beauty queen and a blind businessman are quite different.

So, if you’re seeking traditional publication, start with a book proposal.

A note to self-publishers

Some writers want to self-publish. They don’t want to spend the time to pursue an agent and then go through the long and arduous process of working with that agent to find a publisher. That’s fine. I recommend self-publishing for many authors, and I help them do it. If you self-publish, you don’t need a book proposal, because you don’t have to win over an agent or editor.

However. If you want to assure that your self-published book will be a quality product that readers will want to read, I would still recommend that you create a book proposal for yourself.

The exercise of creating a proposal, even if only for your own information, will help you organize your book. It will prepare you for marketing, as it should include a marketing plan. It will help you clarify your message and your target reader. It will help you craft a specific marketing plan.

Read all of Jane Friedman’s advice on book proposals here:

As I’ve reminded you in recent weeks here at A Powerful Story, you need to treat your writing like a business. Creating a book proposal, even if you end up self-publishing, will boost your confidence, and the professionalism of your work.

P.S. Questions about book proposals? Leave a comment and we’ll talk about it!