The Non-Fiction Book Proposal

I know it sounds ludicrous, but the publishing industry is a fairly rigid entity, particularly these days, when they are extra picky because of a) the economy; and b) the rise of e-publishing.  That being said, they’re always looking for new and good ideas.

Here’s the rub: they get so many submissions, both solicited (through an agent) and unsolicited (directly from writers), that if you don’t follow the industry format they will discard your submission without a second glance.

Picture a large company advertising for a job: maybe their Human Resources Department (HR) gets 5,000 resumes from a single run in the employment section of the Sunday paper.  They have to weed those submissions down, so the first thing they do is eliminate anything that’s (for example) handwritten (oh yes they do get handwritten resumes).  Next, maybe they get rid of anything that has obvious corrections (cross-outs, bad erasures, etc.).  Finally, they toss anything that’s too far from the standard format for their industry.

At this point, maybe they’ve whittled the initial 5,000 queries down to 1,500.  From this point, they flip through and chuck anyone without the specific qualifications needed for that particular job.  On and on, until they get it to a “manageable pile.”  Only then will HR forward what’s left to the hiring department for further filtering, until they get the pile down to a dozen or so, to whom they will call for further consideration.

This is what associate editors do before forwarding what they feel to be viable ideas to the senior editors, who then make the decisions on what to accept and what to reject. 

Here’s a fairly standard industry format for a non-fiction book (the term “novel” is generally reserved for fiction) as presented by Writer’s Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com):

1. Hook: Start by simply giving a brief description of your book, including its title.

2. Market Overview: Address the “So what?” and “Who cares?” questions (see Page 40). Never claim that anyone or everyone can benefit from your book. Instead, identify the specific demographic your book primarily targets—e.g., married women over 40 who want to feel younger and more energetic. Then, demonstrate the evidence of need for your book within that target market.

3. Author Bio & Platform: Answer the “Who are you?” question (see Page 40). There are two critical aspects to this: expertise and platform.

Expertise is related to your credentials and experience. Are you considered authoritative or trusted on the topic? Why are you qualified to write this book?

In addition to having some expertise, you also need a platform. Platform is your visibility and reach to your intended audience or market. Platform includes your online efforts, your online content strategy, and how you’re visible offline, and can involve speaking engagements, publication credits, websites/blogs, social media presence and media mentions. It encompasses relationships, networks and influence you have in the field of your topic.

Don’t expect to succeed by being the “outsider” or “everyday” person who’s going to break the mold. Nonfiction publishers today want recognized writers who already reach readers, especially online.

4. Competitive Analysis: List the key resources (in print and online) that already target your specific market. Be sure the analysis supports and strengthens the evidence of need for your book that you’ve established in your market overview.

5. Marketing Plan: Your marketing plan is one of the most essential components of your proposal. Do not write this plan in a tentative fashion, describing things you are “willing” to do, or how you will “try” to contact people for publicity. Eliminate all wishful thinking. Ground it on what you can accomplish today. Make it concrete and realistic, and include as many numbers as you can.

Weak: I plan to register a domain and start a blog for my book.


Better: Within three months of launch, my blog on [book topic] already attracts 5,000 unique visits per month.

Weak: I plan to contact bloggers for guest blogging opportunities.


Better: I have been a guest blogger at [list great blogs], which on average brings my site 10,000 new visitors each month. I have invitations to return again, plus I’ve made contact with 10 other bloggers for future guest posts.

Weak: I plan to contact conferences and speak on [book topic].


Better: I am in contact with organizers at XYZ conferences, and have spoken at three events within the past year, reaching 5,000 people in my target audience.

Your plan should be executable without the help of a publisher. You should also mention if you’ll be investing a portion of your advance (or a particular dollar amount) on marketing or a publicist.

6. Outline: Include a short description of every chapter you plan to include in your book.

7. Sample Chapter: This is your chance to demonstrate to publishers that you can successfully execute what you are proposing. Include a complete, well-written and well-researched chapter that will leave them hungry to read more the style, substance and structure of the book.

© Ray Cattie