Launch Pad Publishing

    A self-published author said to me recently that doing a book proposal has helped him tremendously with his book. He recommended that every author do a book proposal, regardless of whether they are looking for traditional publishing or not. I considered his wisdom to be worth sharing with you.

    Basically, a book proposal is a combination of a business plan and marketing plan for your book. This is the document that an agent takes to a traditional publisher to sell your book. It tells them what the book is about; gives some biographical information about the author; describes the audience and the competition; and discusses what the author will do to promote the book.  

    In today's publishing world, without a proposal, you’re not going to get very far.

    In lieu of a book proposal, Launch Pad Publishing requires completion of our Author Acquisition Questionnaire, and then, our Marketing Questionnaire, which, together contain many of the elements of a book proposal, though less formal.

Why is a Book Proposal Important?

    Most publishers/acquisition editors, receive many inquiries everyday and couldn’t possibly read each manuscript cover-to-cover and do the necessary market research. If a publisher is taking the time (and money-in the case of atraditional publisher) to participate with you in creating your book, they need to know all about it. Therefore, you must take the time to gather the necessary information and put it all together in a proposal.

    In this day and age, regardless of the type of publishing, the author isexpected to do a fair amount of the marketing for their book. This means that you must know your audience, your market, and your competition. Including this information in the proposal is essential. Since the idea is to market and sell books, if you don’t know these things, why would a publisher want to work with you?

    Many times, I have sent authors “back to the drawing board” with ourquestionnaire because they ignore the marketing related questions. Your book may be unique, but you still have competition and you need to be able to name it!

    Even if you are focused on self-publishing or hybrid publishing, as you look for assistance with your book, you will be asked many of the questions that are answered in a book proposal. It’s easy to simply “copy and paste,” rather than reinventing the wheel every time. The more clarity you have, the easier it willbe to both write and market your book. 

    If your book proposal is going to be shown to an agent or publisher, be sure that your entire proposal has been professionally edited, including your sample chapters. You always want to put your best foot forward.

What to Include in Your BookProposal:

• A synopsis of your book/overview.
• Short bio of you, the author, and why you are the best person to write this book/what makes you an authority on the subject (for non-fiction) or interesting/relevant points about your life (for novels).
• Your ability to market the book/promotional skills.
• Description of the audience for the book, why they will buy and what they will get from reading the book.
• List of similar books on the market, explaining similarities and differences between your book and the ones on the list.
• Why someone would purchase your book over the others, or in addition to them.
• Explanation of how your book fits into the current market place and reasoning for anticipated sales volume, with evidence.
• Marketing ideas and what you are willing to do for marketing the book.
• Table of Contents and Chapter Outline.
• 3 completed sample chapters.   

     If you need assistance putting together your proposal or just need it edited, we at Launch Pad Publishing will be happy to help you.

    We also have associates who specialize in writing your book proposal for you. Although it can be quite costly, this is a good route to go if you are trying to attract a traditional publishing opportunity.

Happy Writing...

To Your Authorship Success!

Faye Levow

Your Book-Writing Coach & Publisher