How to Format a Book Proposal
The moment arrived. I had wanted to meet with this particular author for a long time. (I’ll keep the author anonymous to protect her privacy, but she’s well known in some circles.) The door opened, she greeted me, and I handed her two loaves of bread. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” I said, and she smiled. The same goes for your book proposal. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and wouldn’t it be great if your proposal made the publisher’s reviewing committee smile? That’s not a bad thing to shoot for. Writers know this intuitively, which is why they often ask me, “What’s the best way to format a book proposal?” They want to know how to structure the book proposal, what to include, how important design is. Substance over Style Before I write about things like book proposal format or design or structure, I want to underscore the importance of substance. More important by far than things like format and design is content. Recently my son used his hard-earned allowance money to buy a remote control helicopter. It was sweet looking! But after two days the helicopter started collecting dust in a toy bin because it hit a wall and broke. Hugely disappointing, and we’ve all been there. That was a $30 toy. We typically pay quite a bit more than that for books we publish. A shiny well-designed proposal for a flawed book is like a sweet-looking ‘copter that breaks in its first days of flight. Why bother? [callout]My recently created Book Proposal Template makes the process of writing a book proposal as simple as filling in the blanks. Click here to download your free copy. [/callout] Substance: Concept, Platform, Writing So what’s your concept? Is it unique somehow? Does it meet an actual need people have? What’s your ability to help us move books when it’s published? What’s your promotion plan? Are you a good writer? Do your words grab us? Would a reader rather read your book than go to a movie? Those things—concept, platform, writing—are paramount. Design, structure, and format are not unimportant, but they’re not nearly as important as the actual book you envision. I recall reviewing a gorgeously designed book proposal. This thing was breathtaking. A professional designer had obviously put some major TLC into it. But you know what? Neither the concept nor the writing grabbed us, and we decided quickly to decline it. Here’s the the thing to keep in mind: We’re not publishing the proposal; we’re publishing the book it proposes. And I could point to numerous examples of plain-looking proposals (think Courier font on about 5 pages of paper) that led to books we were quite happy to publish. Why? Because the concept or the writing or the platform or some combination thereof was amazing. [Tweet “How to format a book proposal and get the attention your book deserves #amwriting #writingcommunity #askeditor via @chadrallen”] Book Proposal Design Having stressed the importance of substance over style, we can move to the more visual aspects of the proposal because ideally your proposal will have both! Once you have the text in tip-top shape and you don’t have any further corrections to make, it’s probably worth sending your proposal to a professional designer to make everything look terrific. Consider having a mock-up cover created for the title page, noting somewhere that it is merely a mockup. For the rest of the proposal, shoot for something simple, elegant, and (this is important) easy to read. Hiring a designer need not cost an an arm and a leg. Services like Fiverr and Upwork can connect you to designers around the world who do solid work very reasonably. The writing sample need not be designed. A simple look in MS Word is fine. But you’ll probably need to send it to the designer to have everything in one file. Publishing pros are perfectly capable of opening multiple documents, but every second they spend closing and opening documents is a second they are not actually reviewing your proposal! Writers often ask, “Single spaced or double spaced?” Go with what looks best to you. I like a single-spaced look for everything but the writing sample. I like the writing sample to be double-spaced. Book Proposal Format and Structure Following are the major elements of a book proposal in the sequence I prefer: Title page Alternative titles Bio Brief Description Table of Contents Chapter-by-chapter synopsis Platform/Marketing Plan Writing sample Want to know more about how to create each of these elements? Click here to read my article “How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal.” [callout]Need more help writing your book proposal? I created a Book Proposal Template that makes the process as simple as filling in the blanks! Click here to download your free copy. [/callout] Are you working on a nonfiction book proposal or thinking about it? What questions do you have? I’ll do my best to help.
How to Describe Your Book to Agents and Publishers
It’s one thing to write your book; it’s another to write about your book. They’re very different types of writing. For one thing the audience is sometimes completely different. When you’re writing your book, you’re writing for readers. When you’re writing about your book, particularly before it’s published, you’re probably writing a book proposal for agents and publishers in hopes of landing a book deal. And that’s where I want to focus in this article. As someone who’s been shaping nonfiction book proposals for well over twenty years, I have developed a method for describing books in a way that attracts agents and publishers. I’m excited to share it with you. Ready to get started? Here are the five steps. 1. Capture Their Imagination Often the best way to begin your book’s description is with a story or brief anecdote. The human mind grabs onto stories. We can’t resist them. Which story, you might ask. Tell a story that points to the pain your book will relieve or the problem your book will solve. If you’re writing a book about decluttering, for example, tell a story that illustrates the pain of not decluttering. The point is to tell a story that in some way leads to the problem your book will solve, which brings us to step 2. [Tweet “5 steps to selling your book to literary agents and book publishers #amwriting #writingcommunity #bookproposal @chadrallen”] 2. Help Them Relate to the Problem by Broadening It You just relayed a narrative that points up the problem your book solves. Good! Now it’s time to make a comment that universalizes or at least broadens how many people have that problem. In other words, this problem is relevant not just to the people in the story. It’s relevant to a whole market of people. You may want to refer to a study or statistic to back up how widespread the problem is. 3. Emphasize the Painful Consequences of the Problem Now it’s time to turn up the heat. What will happen if the people who have this problem don’t get a handle on it? What will the consequences be? This step is important because it increases the need for your book! If I get a little scrape on my finger, I’ll probably just ignore it. But if I’m bleeding all over the place, I’ll do something about it. Your job at this point is to make sure reviewers understand that the problem your book addresses is no mere scrape. 4. Point to Your Book as the Solution Now shift gears and write about how your book is the solution to the problem. Your book is the guide that will help readers alleviate the pain. Include why you’re a credible authority to offer a solution. Do you have a relevant degree? Are people already listening to your advice on this topic? Do you have relevant experience to which you can point? Depending on the problem, all of these are possible sources of credibility. [Tweet ““Point to your book as the solution” and 4 more tips on getting a book deal #askeditor #amwriting #writingcommunity #bookproposal @chadrallen”] 5. Give Them a Preview of the Journey Finally, give reviewers a preview of the journey your book will provide them. How will the content of your book take them from point A to B to C and so on until they reach a happy ending? That’s the role of the very last step. Give enough detail that we get a sense of the journey, but realize your book proposal will likely include a chapter-by-chapter synopsis as well, so leave room for that. ### It can be daunting for a writer to describe her book compellingly, but following the above steps increases your chances of attracting agents and publishers to your book so that you can land a deal and get your book into the world. Let’s tackle step 1 together in the comments. What’s a story you can use to introduce the pain your book will solve?
3 Ways to Make Sure Your Book Proposal Will Get Noticed
You’ve probably heard about the editor whose privacy was interrupted by a book proposal sliding under a restroom stall door at a writer’s conference. Suffice to say there are good ways and bad ways to get attention. Yet, if you want to get your book published, attracting an agent and publisher is vital. My old boss and publisher, Jack Kuhatschek, used to say the doors to publishing are always swinging open or closed. This is never truer than when an acquisitions editor is reviewing a book proposal. Having spent the better part of my career as an acquisitions editor, I can tell you we had no choice but to review them quickly. It was either review them fast or not review them at all. To get through the stack, I sometimes hunted for a reason to say no. I realize this will not be any comfort to writers who spend hours crafting their book proposals, but it’s reality. Your book proposal is one of hundreds an editor will receive in a year. Other times, though, I found myself hoping a proposal would deliver on its initial promise. I would be impressed with something I saw early in the proposal and would be drawn in, hoping the proposal would live up to my own aspirations for it. How do you make sure your book proposal is attractive to publishers? Below I’ll share three ways. 1. Win Them Over with Your Concept Recently I talked with an editor who reminisced about reading Greg McKeown’s proposal for Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. It was a lightning bolt moment, the editor said. Why? Because Essentialism is a well-developed original idea that meets a real need many of us have, namely, how we accomplish our most important tasks. That’s what you want: (1) an original idea that is (2) well developed and (3) meets a real need. How do you develop such a concept? I encourage my writer clients to create a list of possible “I” statements for their readers. These are statements your reader may think or say before buying your book. A person might think or say, for example, “I have no idea how to take care of a baby” before buying What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Developing “I” statements helps you get into the minds and needs of your readers. Then try brainstorming different book titles and subtitles. When you do this, experiment with different angles and hooks. You can even invite your most creative friends to do this with you so you can get a greater variety of ideas. Here, the more diverse your set of ideas, the better. Heck, call it your “Book Brainstorming Bash” and have a party! I’ve created an infographic on how to come up with a great book concept. It comes with a step-by-step video tutorial. Click here to access these resources. 2. Impress Them with Your Hustle The #1 reason I declined book proposals was lack of platform. Your ability to help promote your book is important because you will be in competition with writers who have this ability. I’m not saying you need 50,000 email subscribers. I’m also not saying platform alone is enough to get you a book deal (see above regarding concept). But in the platform/marketing section of your book proposal, it’s important to show what you’ve done to build your platform and what you plan to do to keep building it. One of the most important things you can tell publishers is that you understand the importance of your own efforts to promote your book, and you’ll do everything in your power to help. Then take pains to develop and display a plan for how you’ll do this. [Tweet “3 Ways to get your #BookProposal noticed, proven strategies from a publishing insider #writingcommunity #amwriting #publishing #askeditor #askagent @chadrallen”] 3. Wow Them with Your Writing Your writing sample is the one part of your proposal a publisher may send into the world. Make it sing. Writing a good book proposal takes time and energy, but don’t get lazy with the end of it, your writing sample. I think writers are sometimes tempted to think, “Oh, they’ll help me with this part anyway.” Big mistake. Rather, write so well the publisher thinks, “Gee, editing this is going to be a breeze.” Ask your writing friends to critique your writing sample, perhaps letting them know you’ll do the same for them. And I always encourage writers to go one step further and hire a copyeditor for the entire proposal. A good copyedit will give your writing sample an extra bit of refinement that goes a long way. A very worthwhile investment, if you ask me. +++ If you present agents and publishers with a strong concept, your promotion plan, and cracking good writing, rest assured your proposal will stand out from the others! Your Free Template Want to take the next step in crafting a powerful book proposal? Check out my free book proposal template. It makes writing a book proposal as simple as filling in the blanks! Click here to download it. How do you hope to get your book proposal noticed?
A Surprising Way to Impress Agents and Publishers
I make my living in part by helping writers craft compelling book proposals to increase their chances of landing a book deal with a traditional publisher. So it might seem strange for me to devote a blog post to a method of impressing agents and publishers that does not center on the book proposal. Book proposals, to be sure, are helpful for a wide variety of reasons, only one of which is to win a book deal. For example, writing a book proposal helps you: Refine your book concept Develop a compelling architecture for your book Learn how to talk about yourself as a legitimate authority for your book’s topic Begin to write the book itself, as is necessary to include a writing sample in your book proposal Think strategically in advance about your book’s marketing and positioning For all these reasons as well as others, book proposals are important. [callout]Would you like a free copy of my Book Proposal Template? It makes writing your book proposal as simple as filling in the blanks. Click here to download your free copy of the Book Proposal Template.[/callout] But the method of impressing agents and publishers I want to share with you goes beyond the book proposal to what agents and publishers are really looking for. They are looking for a great partner. They are looking for an author who can both write a great book and help them promote and sell it. The Surprising Way to Impress Agents and Publishers The surprising way to impress agents and publishers is this: self-publish a book that sells thousands of copies. If you can demonstrate your ability to write a great book that sells thousands of copies, your chances of landing a book deal the next time around go way up. Why? Because the next time around you can say to agents and publishers, in essence, “Look what I did. I wrote this book, set a price of $14.99, and it sold three thousand copies. Now I have an even bigger platform and more credibility. I’d like you to consider partnering with me on this next book so together we can reach even more people.” [Tweet “A surprising way to impress agents and publishers #amwriting #writingcommunity @chadrallen”] No Permission Necessary This leads me to a question: Whose permission do you need to self-publish and sell your book? Answer: nobody’s. I talk to a lot of writers who are fixated on landing a traditional book deal, and I get it. I am a huge fan of traditional book publishers. They provide more in the way of editorial, marketing, publicity, and sales resources than you are likely to get by any other means. The problem is not that authors want to pursue a traditional publisher. The problem is that they want it so badly, if they don’t get it, they give up. Here’s the advice I give authors all the time: Try pursuing a traditional book contract. If it doesn’t work out, for God’s sake don’t let your dream die. Rather, pursue self-publication and sell thousands of copies. Don’t do this by trickery. Do it legitimately. Set your book at a reasonable price and sell thousands of copies on the strength of your book and your platform. Ah, platform, there’s the rub. Yes, it does take work to build an audience. Yes, you can do it. I’ve seen too many successful authors who have no more resources than the next person to build a platform. They simply did the work, little by little over time. That’s all you need. Little by little over time, you can grow a significant audience. Your Next Step Please don’t miss this: Writers today have before them an opportunity of historical proportions, reminiscent of when Gutenberg started publishing Bibles. It is that revolutionary. You don’t need a green light from an agent or an editor or a big company. All you need is to decide to get your book into the world—one way or another. Take a step. Be bold. And serve the people you want to serve with your book. You can do this, and we need you to do this. [Tweet “”Writers today have before them an opportunity of historical proportions, reminiscent of when Gutenberg started publishing Bibles. It is that revolutionary.” #writingcommunity #amwriting @chadrallen”] What’s the book you want to get into the world?
Want a Book Deal? Download My New Book Proposal Template!
For a lot of people book proposals are intimidating and scary. I wonder how many books don’t happen just because the prospect of a book proposal is so daunting. Often writers don’t know what goes into a book proposal. What are the different pieces? How long should each section be? How should I organize the different elements? Are some elements more important than others so those should come earlier in the proposal? Is there a generally accepted way the different pieces should be formatted? What are the headings I should use throughout my book proposal? And so on. I can’t write your book proposal for you, but I can address most of these questions with my new Book Proposal Template! Numerous writers have asked me for this. In the past I’ve had general guidelines, but this is definitely an upgrade. The beauty of a template is it gives you a path to follow. You can simply “fill in the blanks,” as it were, and begin crafting your book proposal. I hope you find it useful. ENJOY! Click here to download my just-released book proposal template. [Tweet “Need help with your book proposal? Check out this Book Proposal Template from 20-yr publishing insider @ChadRAllen”]
Are You a Safe Bet for Publishers?
Publishing is legalized gambling.” That’s an aphorism I’ve heard several times from publishing professionals, and there’s some truth to it. Publishers place a bet on an author and her manuscript, meaning they pay an advance as well as all the costs of production (editorial, marketing, printing, paper, glue, etc) and marketing (advertising, mailings, publicity, exhibit banners, etc.). Then the market decides whether it was a bet worth making, meaning the publisher either makes a profit or not. As an author pitching your book to publishers, it’s important to make sure 1) you are a safe bet and 2) you do an effective job of convincing publishers of the same. How to Make Sure You’re a Safe Bet for Publishers You’re a safe bet when enough readers part with their money to buy and read your book. So how do you make sure those readers exist? I think one of the best ways is to serve a community of people long enough to have a good sense of the book they need and want; then write it. How to Convince Publishers You’re a Safe Bet And how do you do an effective job of convincing publishers you’re a safe bet? To answer that I’d like to share an adapted version of an exchange I recently had with writer Linda Ganzini. Linda is writing a narrative history of her family’s fascinating story. She wrote to me: “I wanted to ask your opinion on something. I signed up for Book Proposal Academy to teach me the ins and outs of writing a book proposal . . . . We concluded my story was not a memoir but a work of creative non-fiction, and so I needed a book proposal. Editors are now telling me I don’t need a proposal. I’m a little confused. I’ve spent months trying to put my proposal together. Have I gone down the wrong road writing a proposal? And do I need to complete my manuscript before submitting to literary agents? Thank you for your advice!” I wrote back to Linda with a version of the following thoughts: I think of memoirs as being about the author’s past, not someone else’s, typically, but yes broadly speaking I can see how someone would call your book a memoir. As far as I know, the starting point for any decent-sized publisher and for any book submission, unless you’re already a known brand or the publisher already has a track record with you, is a book proposal. I doubt this editor is saying a book proposal is unnecessary. If you were submitting your first novel, you typically would need to have both a proposal and the complete manuscript. You would submit the proposal and hope for a publisher to request the complete manuscript. The closer a book gets to being like a novel (think memoir, narrative nonfiction), the more likely it is that a publisher will want to see a complete manuscript, but again this is not in lieu of the book proposal but in addition to it. It could be, Linda, that since your book is highly narrative in nature that agents/publishers who review the proposal with favorable interest will want to see the complete manuscript. Even if your proposal is turned down, creating one is still very helpful because writing a book proposal helps you develop your book’s concept and structure, your bio, your book’s place in the market, how to market it, and so on. I hope you find this exchange helpful. [Tweet “How to convince book publishers you’re a safe bet #WritingCommunity #amwriting @ChadRAllen”] If you’re reading this, you likely have a book inside you that you’d like to get published. So let me ask you: What steps do you need to take to make sure you’re a safe bet for publishers?
How to Get a Publisher’s Attention
Recently I asked readers of this blog, “What’s your #1 question about publishing or getting published?” Below are some the questions I received with my responses. I’ve tried to order these in terms of the chronological process of deciding how to publish, picking a publisher, submitting, and so on. I hope you enjoy reading through this Q & A as much as I enjoyed providing it! “Do I self-publish or go with a publisher?” It depends on your goals. Do you want your book to be in the market in two months? Self-publish. Want complete control over the title and cover? Again, self-publish. If you want to reach as many people as possible, pursue a traditional publisher. Would you like a chance at the bestsellers lists? Again, pursue traditional publishing. Also, traditional publishers provide services to their authors, such as editing, design, marketing, and distribution, that have real value. If you don’t need or want these services, self-publish. If you do, pursue traditional publishing. Here’s another option to consider, and I give this advice to writers all the time. Try going after a book deal with a traditional publisher. If you succeed, in 99 percent of cases you’ll end up with a better book that is promoted and sold better than it would be otherwise. But if it doesn’t work out, self-publish, and use your self-published book to build your credibility and platform. Then pursue a traditional publisher for your next book. “How do I pick a publisher?” Go to your local bookstore and visit the section where you envision your book being shelved. Identify several books in your space—books that are similar in one way or another to yours. Make a list of the publishers. While you’re at it, flip to the copyright pages and acknowledgments in these books, and make a second list of prospective literary agents. Now you have a list of agents and publishers to pitch your book to. [Tweet “How to Get a Publisher’s Attention + Other Things Writers Want to Know about Publishing”] “What distinguishes one publisher from another? What is their primary role?” Features that distinguish one publisher from another include their mission; the genres they publish; the formats of the books they publish; the editorial, marketing, and sales relationships they bring to the table; and the different ways publishers demonstrate their creativity. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but these are the big differences that come to mind. The primary role of publishers can be traced etymologically to the word “publish” itself, which means “to make public.” The main role of publishers is “to make public” the content they steward. They do this by distributing publications to various outlets and using marketing maneuvers to get the word out and inspire demand. “What is the key thing that grabs a publisher’s attention, that causes an acquisitions editor to look at a proposal?” Publishing professionals are looking for strong concepts powered by effective platforms and compelling writing. Strong Concept. Effective Platform. Compelling Writing. These are the three ingredients of publishing success. (Incidentally, this is true whether you self-publish or work with a publisher.) If your book proposal can demonstrate that your project has all three, you have an excellent chance not only of getting a publisher’s attention but of landing a book deal. (A little while back I wrote post on five other ways to get a publisher’s attention. Click here to check it out.) How can an unknown get published by a major publisher? If I were to pull up the current New York Times Bestsellers list and ask whether you had purchased any of the titles listed there, chances are you’d say no. I know because I regularly do this exercise in webinars and online workshops, and the outcome is always the same. Why is that? Because each book has a specific tribe. The way to become a New York Times bestselling author is not to write a book for everybody but to write a book for a dedicated tribe of people who want your content. Yes, in the case of the New York Times list, your tribe needs to be big and spread out enough for the requisite sales to be reported. But I’m convinced adding value to a community is the only way to get there. Similarly, the way to get published by a major publisher is to cultivate a tribe. How do you get one? By serving people you envision as the readers for your book—people who have a need you are passionate about meeting for them. [Tweet ““The way to get published is to cultivate a tribe.” #writetips @ChadRAllen”] “What social media numbers are publishers looking for?” When I worked for a publisher, I cared less about social media numbers than I did about whether a writer had an engaged audience. You could have 100,000 followers on Twitter, but if they don’t engage with you, you might as well have none. Also, generally speaking, email subscribers are more valuable to you and your publisher than social media followers. You could have 100,000 fans on Facebook, but unless you advertise, Facebook will show your posts to a very limited number of those fans. Not everyone on your list will open your email or click the link you include, but the percentage who do goes way up. “If a pretty big publisher comes to you but you do not yet have an agent, should you wait until your book proposal is finished to get an agent or try to get one right away?” Different agents have different submission guidelines. Some require a book proposal, others only a query. Often an agent will want to review your book proposal before deciding to represent you. In any case it’s a good idea to let prospective agents know about publishers that have approached you. “If I self-publish with enough success for a publisher to notice and offer me a book contract, will I be able to negotiate a higher
What Every Author Needs to Know about Publishing and Marketing on Amazon
We all know Amazon is the biggest bookseller in the world by far, but marketing on Amazon is still a mystery to many authors. Most writers don’t understand what makes a book an Amazon bestseller. And they’re confused about how to work with the Amazon platform to market their books and increase sales. That’s why I interviewed Dave Chesson, the guy Amazon tells people to listen to, about all things Amazon. This is a powerful interview that will help you master Amazon and maximize the power of the world’s largest retailer. Enjoy… [Tweet “What Every #Author Needs to Know about Publishing and Marketing on #Amazon”] [callout] Would you like a transcript of this interview? Click here to download your free copy.[/callout] What was most helpful to you in this interview?
How to Be Absolutely Sure Your Book Idea Has a Market
I recently conducted a survey for writers and received several comments and questions about the whole issue of book concepts. Below I’ll copy some survey responses and offer my reflections and advice. “I have several book ideas but can’t get focused. I am unsure what topic people would be interested in hearing about from me.” This was by far the most frequent concept-related question, and it came in multiple forms: “How do I know my idea is worth writing about?” “How do you decide what to write about?” “I’m not sure my concept, my ‘big idea,’ is good enough (a) to actually help others and (b) to not embarrass me.” “How do I narrow down a topic given my vast array of experiences?” I really appreciate these questions. Who wants to write a book others won’t find interesting? What a waste, right? Well, maybe. If an author pens 50,000 words on a topic no one is interested in, that would be wasteful, not to mention a real bummer! But if an author publishes a 500-word blog post to discover its topic is not as interesting as others, would that be wasteful? If you do a five-mile run to train for a marathon, is the file-mile run wasteful because it’s not the actual marathon? My point is this: often the fastest way to discover what’s of interest to your audience is to begin creating and publishing content. New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson told me his blog posts are his test balloons. His blog posts help him gauge reader interest in different subjects. So my advice is to start writing and start publishing. If you do this consistently over a period of time, you’ll begin to see a pattern of interest (and disinterest) that you can take as a cue for what to write your book on. [Tweet ““How to Be Absolutely Sure Your Book Idea Has a Market,” a helpful blog post from @ChadRAllen”] “How will I know when I’m clear enough on my idea to move forward to the next step?” Another great question. When you can map out a working structure of chapters, and when you have something to say in each chapter or know ways of finding out what you have to say, you’re ready to move forward. [callout]Do you want to go further than just think about writing a nonfiction book? I created a self-assessment and action guide titled “Are You Ready to Write Your Nonfiction Book?” This worksheet walks you through a series of questions to help you take the next to getting your book into the world. The best part? It’s completely free. Click here to download your copy. [/callout] “How can I be different from the other numerous books on the same topic?” No one has your voice. I remember asking blogger and bestselling author Jeff Goins if there was room for another blog on writing and publishing. He pointed to late-night talk shows. They all do about the same thing. The host delivers a monologue and then interviews famous people. So why are there so many of them? Because each host has their own way of doing it, their own style. Stephen Colbert is known for his political satire, Jimmy Fallon for his silly antics and games, Jimmy Kimmel for his droll manner, Conan O’Brien for his sheer goofiness, and so on. The viewing public has room for all of them and more. Another case in point: witness the explosion of comedians on Netflix! It sounds like something Mister Rogers would say, and the truth is he’s right: You’re unique because you’re you, and there’s only one of you. Write on! “Who can I talk to about my ideas and have that person(s) be honest and tell me if the idea is a good one?” Your readers. “When your thoughts go in several directions, how do you know which way to go?” The fun thing about writing is you get to explore multiple directions. Think about blogging or vlogging or podcasting as an artist’s sketches before beginning a masterpiece. The artist does a lot of sketch work before approaching the main canvas. You need some room to move around in, some area to explore. Graham Wallas said, “How can I know what I think till I see what I say?” So don’t be befuddled. Be inspired! Have fun, write, write, write, and enjoy the process. [Tweet “”The artist does a lot of sketch work before approaching the main canvas” and other #writetips”] Do you want to write a book? I couldn’t help noticing a trend in these comments and questions from writers. And the trend is that writers want a sure thing before they begin writing their book. That’s normal. Again, we don’t want to waste our time. If we’re going to spend hours on hours writing a book, we want to be sure it will have a decent reception. There’s nothing wrong with this in and of itself, but I think it’s also important to ask ourselves, “At what point does my concern move from a healthy sense of caution to a smokescreen for avoidance—in other words, fear?” If you are asking concept questions because you don’t really want to write a book, that’s fine! No shame! I encourage you to own it and seek out a different calling. If, on the other hand, you’re asking concept questions because you feel an internal pull to write a book and you’re scared, then it’s important to own that too. I wish I could take away the fear, but to the best of my knowledge the only way to fight writerly fear is to do the work in spite of it. The fear may never go away completely, but if you write, at least you’ll have something to show for it. That’s my wish for you. [callout]Want to figure out whether you’re ready to write your nonfiction book? Download my free self-assessment and action that helps you do just that! Click
How to Sell Your Book to Publishers
Publishers get thousands of book proposals every year. How in the world does any writer get their proposal to stand out from the rest? It can feel impossible. The reality is, if there isn’t something that makes your proposal stand out, an acquisitions editor will glance at it and chuck it into the trash bin. It doesn’t matter how long you worked on it or how many people your book could have helped. Fortunately, I can show you what makes the difference. Having reviewed well over 5,000 book proposals, I can tell you the secret to getting your proposal the attention it deserves. The key is a subtle mindset shift and dogs (yep, dogs), and I break it all down for you in the video below. What do your readers want?