Writing a book proposal is one of the most daunting—and undocumented—parts of the publishing process.
When is a proposal necessary? What is proper proposal etiquette? Do you need a proposal at all?
These aren’t easy questions to answer, because publisher’s an agents tend to play by their own rules. However, we’ve compiled these 5 key points to help guide you as you write your book proposal.
1. Publisher’s Don’t Want To Be Book Mailed
Each publisher is unique; some specialize in historical fiction while others might publish a wide variety of work from middle grade to fantasy. The same way you wouldn’t approach a law firm and a public relations firm with the same job application, you’ll want to avoid mass-pitching publishers at all costs.
The reality is that publisher’s spend a lot of time reading through piles of unsolicited submissions on top of the solicited work they already have to read through, so if they get a hint of a standard, form letter, they’re not going to waste their time reading it. It may sound harsh, but it’s true! Going the extra mile to sell why your book would be a good fit for their house or imprint can make all the difference in getting your proposal passed along up the chain.
Tips & Tricks: Research! You can almost always look up previous season book catalogs through the publisher and see how your book fits into their larger vision of what kind of book they want out in the world. If you’re getting a good feeling about your book fitting into that list, make sure you touch on that in your query letter.
2. Not All No’s Are Created Equal
There’s no getting around the fact that rejections are discouraging, but as an author who is competing with hundreds, if not hundreds of thousands of other writers, you should take every opportunity to improve your book, even if that comes in the form of a rejection.
Sometimes publishers will write a brief sentence or two on why they rejected your manuscript, which can be extremely helpful, but in the case that they don’t, email them back thanking them for getting back to you in a timely manner and ask if they’d be willing to give you a few sentences on what you could do better moving forward.
Take their feedback and ask yourself some admittedly hard questions about your book moving forward: does it do what you want it to do? What’s the message? Does it communicate that message effectively? What makes it different from other books in the same field that might be trying to achieve the same thing? What have you seen some of your favorite writers do to make their writing stand out? Have they written on how to do this?
Tips & Tricks: Always be gracious and measured: the person who read your manuscript is usually in a situation where they’ve read at least the first twenty pages of your submission, and on top of all of their other likely responsibilities, that means they’ve taken the time go through it. Thank them for that seriously (and briefly — not many people do!) it will make them more likely to give you the feedback you’re looking for, and they’ll pay attention next time your name pops up in their inbox.
3. Every Publisher Has Their Own Rules
Like any industry, every profession has their own rules. If your accountant asks you for a few specific tax documents to submit at the end of the fiscal year, you’re not going to just give them three random receipts and hope for the best.
Guidelines are there for a reason, they cover everything from niches preferred to formatting preferences to ways to submit manuscripts, whether to write a query letter or not, how many pages a publisher wants at once, and if they want an overview written up with it. If you don’t have all of these boxes checked, I promise you that a publisher, or agent, won’t bother even reading your submission.
Tips & Tricks: Be patient! Most publishers will list how long their wait time typically is and will indicate whether or not they usually respond to unsolicited submissions if they choose not to go forward with it.
4. You Don’t Always Need An Agent
Agents are great resources to help you navigate the world of publishing. They’re usually insiders for everything from negotiating to marketing (and as of recently, a lot of our friends in the agent-world even do major editorial work with their authors to try and make your submission the best it can be for placement at a top publisher).
But that doesn’t mean that they’re always right for your campaign. It’s true that a lot of publishers in New York including the big five don’t take unsolicited materials, which means you almost always need an agent to get your foot in the door there, but that doesn’t really guarantee anything besides a pair of eyes on your manuscript.
Plus, it can be really daunting to even secure an agent, they usually have their own guidelines and a massive audience who want to be represented by them (if you don’t believe us, just look at #PitMad). There are plenty of publishers, including university presses, that take unsolicited manuscripts and actually might even be a better fit for your manuscript. Additionally, with a little research, you’ll be able to find plenty of resources you can easily find online to direct you to niche publishers, how to pitch without an agent, et cetera.
Tips & Tricks: Always seek advice within your own network. People who have published both with and without agents are great to get advice from and weigh your options based on what you feel is best for your book and you. While researching where to pitch can take a little more time on your end, if you’re agent-less and have success, you don’t have to pay an agent fee or worry about any negotiating that may happen without you!
