How to Write a Book Proposal

I’ve been writing a nonfiction book—my first for grown ups! And I’m learning the process along with everyone else. One thing that’s different from working on children’s books is that most of the time, writers submit proposals to their agents, and the agents submit the proposals along with a sample chapter or two. Did you know you don’t have to write the whole book before it’s sold? It’s kind of liberating, and it’s nice to know you can get some feedback before you spend too much time working on something that won’t sell. (I ended up writing my whole book and revising it before I created the proposal, because I needed time to think through the format and big ideas. But if you can figure it out without writing the book, go ahead and do it!) A book proposal is a formal document that agents and editors use to understand the book and how it will perform in the market. Some agents have their own templates. There are lots of ways to create a proposal. You can get fancy, but most book proposals include the same elements. Most importantly you want to be concise, accurate, and appealing.