I went to a book proposal seminar in NYC a few years back and we were able to pitch to three big publishing houses after days of polishing our proposal/pitch. They said that I had TWO books and wanted me to break them down and submit. I froze and have done nothing with it until hearing your videos. I dug out my old pitch letter and finally have a more clear idea on how to separate the events. Also with the passing of time (10 years!) since, I have a more mature clarity and can write from a healing place vs an angry place. I also spoke to author Dani Shapiro about this last week during her book tour Q&A and she gave me some sage advice about memoir and the fear of others becoming angry. Its all in the delivery. :)
Lisa, We're very happy to hear that you've come back to your proposal. Sometimes we need time and things to shift, but the important thing is to never give up!
Presentation is 🔑 🗝! It's how I've gotten my 10yr old daughter to try (and like) most of my suggestions. Unlike my ex, she still thinks it's really cool that I'm right almost all the time. I figure I've got maybe another year and a half, before it's over.😳
Divine timing as always dear Kelly! Exactly the pep talk I needed today. Your beauty and enthusiasm is so inspiring. Looking forward to working with your team when the time is in alignment.
Am writing to say that the video was very helpful and informative. As I am planning to write a craft book of charts and history of interesting flags, I am seeking an agent and learning as much as I can about traditional publishing. The video was useful.
Wonderful! We're so glad it was helpful. We also have a video about finding an agent for a nonfiction book that you might enjoy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZOgM8ssjavA.htmlsi=Sm8wbzxzbVn5i8w9
Thank you so much for this video. It was very informational and explained in the simplest terms with great energy! I now feel like I know how to approach creating my proposal.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. This is my first time writing a coloring/activity book. I had no idea what all was involved. It was overwhelming. After watching your video I have a better understanding.
Thanks for bringing Kimberly Ann to us, Kelly! I got some good tips and a few next steps that I hadn't thought of before. I really appreciate your genuine desire to help first-time authors!!
You rock Kelly as always! Thanks so much for the tips, I've started to write my book proposal and had no idea about the chapter summary length, so it's all very good to know :)
Thank you, Kelly! I am a member of the Hay House Writer's Community also. I find these videos very helpful in addition to all the information the HHWC provides. I have started my book proposal so the timing of this information is perfect!
Thank you for this, Kelly! I've submitted my first draft to one of your editors for a dev edit, and now am focusing on the book proposal... This helps it to feel less daunting. Thank you!
Congratulations on achieving the milestone of the first draft, and I hope you are enjoying working with your editor. I hope the proposal writing goes well... keep us posted!
Thank you for sharing your experience on a book proposal. I think this would be of value if even you’re self publishing as it can provide you a good road map to move forward and keep you on target. Thanks again! ☺️
Jason, if you want a traditional publisher, you will have to have a book proposal, and submit the proposal via an agent. Very few publishing houses accept unsolicited manuscripts. If you are planning to self-publish, having a book proposal is not required, of course, but I would actually encourage you to do at least parts of anyway. A well-prepared book proposal will help you articulate your goals and your business plan. Good luck!
Amazing content including the handout! You guys rock! Do you still recommend creating the proposal if the manuscript is already completed? And if yes, what do you suggest including in the chapter summaries?
Thank you for such an insightful video. I am writing a memoir. I'm halfway through but now I'm wondering, should I work on the book proposal first and query agents after that? Or should I finish it anyway, work on the book proposal and then query agents after...
Hi Kelly, Do you think it is helpful to write a book proposal before you start writing your book, as a guide to writing the book anyway ? Many thanks, Rebecca
Rebecca, as I have said elsewhere in this thread, very few publishing houses accept unsolicited manuscripts. If you want a traditional publisher, you will have to have a book proposal and submit the proposal via an agent. If you are planning to self-publish, having a book proposal is not required, but it can be helpful. A well-prepared book proposal will help you articulate your goals and your business plan, before or as you write your book. So, yes, I do think it is helpful to do it before you start to write!
Thanks for this video. I'm currently writing my Book Proposal now to submit to the Hay House from the Writers Workshop. The submission date in April. I've been finding (for some reason) the chapter summaries the hardest to do because I don't want to sound repetitive or start the same way. Have you got any suggestions? I just don't want it to come across too boring or repetitive! I think that I'm probably in my head about it as well. Lol
Good luck with submitting. Which writers workshop did you attend? I attended their Birmingham workshop back in October 2019 and submitted mine in the March 2020. So excited for you xoxo
@@staceysuter8466 I attended the October one online. There is a submission date for April! I know I need all the luck I can get ha ha! I appreciate it!
Jacqueline, I would suggest you look at your outline, and determine which chapter you think packs the biggest punch (I usually don't recommend using the first chapter, because it often is the set up, which you would have already described in the proposal). Remember that you are looking to demonstrate not only your writing skill but also that your work is both engaging and impactful. And yes, hop out of that head!
Thank you Kelly for an informative video. I am in the Hay house community writers, in the process of preparing a book proposal for June 5th. I'd like to know if there is any possibility to review my 'Overview' as this is the first experience for me. Thank you
Thank you again Kelly for your clear advice. I would like to know about page numbers on the book proposal. Does each of the five sections have their own header/footer and start with page 1?
Hi Kay! So excited you are already thinking about and working on your book proposal. Your book proposal would be one document that includes the five sections and a title page. Your page numbers will not restart with each section, they will continue to progress within your document. Happy writing!
We don't. However, this is considered illustrated nonfiction and would still require a non-fiction book proposal. In the sample chapters, you would include your images. You'll want to be sure to send this proposal to publishers who are known to publish coffee table books.
I hope it is okay to ask another clarifying question. I am writing a book with other women writers, where we will each write a chapter. Would my genre be anthology? Or would it be Teaching Memoire anthology? What genre is the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Thank you Kelly and your amazing staff for your generosity of time to help us. In appreciation ~eve
Hi Eve, I would say that your genre would be anthology, especially as this genre categorizes shorter works by multiple authors. Chicken Soup for the Soul would also be considered anthology. Happy writing!
That was very helpful indeed. However, I am putting a book proposal together in the UK, for a UK publisher. The format seems very different from the sites I've been looking at. Is this something that you have also noticed? Can I send a generic book proposal to large publishing houses or is that very unprofessional and I need to tailor each one?
We've never heard of a UK proposal being significantly different from the US standard. Some publishers do have their own submission requirement though. While it's ok to have one book proposal, I would recommend two things: 1) Do the research to make sure that the publisher does actually publish books in the genre that you are writing in. If they don't, you're wasting their time and yours, and 2) DO tailor the query/cover letter to each house specifically and make a case for why you think it's a good fit for them.
@@knliteraryarts Thank you, I'm an academic from an arts university in the UK and one of the publishers that I am looking at is Lawrence King. Ambitious, but it fits with my concept very well. There is also a very clear niche for the idea behind my book, so it suits your advice well. I really appreciate your response, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I will take all of this advice on when I am putting the proposal together over the next few months.
If you want to go through a traditional publisher (and are writing non-fiction), it is recommended that you write the proposal first. You will use your proposal to pitch your book to agents.
Hi. I self published my non-fiction book and would like to submit a query letter to a publishing agent, how do I handle this and leave out the proposal? In the query, there is a section for a proposal. Thank you Rasheedah
Congratulations on self-publishing! We always recommend that you follow whatever submission guidelines an agent or publisher provides. If they are requesting a proposal, you will want to create one for your already published book and submit that. KN Literary Arts has an agent query service that may be perfect for you. If you'd like to discuss it with us, book a free call here: knliterary.com/schedule/ We can also help you with a proposal (or partial proposal) if that's what you need. Hope that helps!
Thank you Kelly for all that you do to help us! I really appreciate it. Question: My book is under the Teaching Memoire. When I search in Amazon for Teaching Memoire, I get books about teaching how to write memoire. What is good way to find other books that are in the catergory of a Teaching Memoire for my book proposal? Thank you again.
Hi Eve, thank you for your question! When you are performing an Amazon search, I would recommend using the sidebar on the left hand side of your screen. You will be able to customize your search to your liking. Cheers!
I'm planning to write my non-fiction under a pseudonym. How do I adjust my Author and Promotion section if I don't want my real name associated with my book?
Hi Melanie, thank you for your comment! Congratulations on taking the steps toward getting your words into the world! Pseudonyms are typically used for fiction titles. People pick up nonfiction in order to learn something true about the world. Even if they are reading a memoir. Nonfiction writers are teachers, speakers, academics, healers-in other words, experts. Their books are an extension of their actual work in the world. This is why pen names are rare for nonfiction authors. We have an article here about about the pros and cons of using them that you may find helpful if your making a decision about using a pen name - knliterary.com/using-a-pen-name/ If you know that using a pen name is right for you, keep in mind that an author’s platform is an important aspect of the promotional section of a book proposal. For that reason, if you’re planning to use a different name- for your proposal, I’d recommend building a platform under your pen name and discuss ways in which your platform could help drive book sales. For example you could write a column or start a blog using the pen name to start building an audience for your work using that name. I hope that helps. Cheers! -Ayesha
Hello. I have written a proposal for a non fiction book in the past and now I am writing a childrens/ young adults illustrated book. I dont do illustration so Im seeking a traditional book deal that will set up an illustrator. Its a non fiction book about a cat. Do I need a book proposal for this or is the complete manuscript all I need? I am a bit confused since I only have done non fiction in the past.
@@knliteraryarts Thank you for your reply. I thought it'd be children's but I think children's is meant for really small ones with simple book stories if I'm not mistaken. Mine is a more detailed story so I think it would go under young adults. I also just completed a script for it. It is a cartoon but it's about self acceptance and teaches self love so I think that might lean more towards young adults.
@@yasminevine A manuscript should be all you need. Make sure to research with whoever you choose to submit to, but the manuscript will most likely be all that's needed.
What type of platform are publishers looking for? I'm at just about 18k on instagram, but have a small-ish email list. I'm just not sure what level of following I need in order to stand out.
That's a great Instagram following! A large email list generally matters more than social media followings, so we we would recommend working to get your Instagram followers onto your email list. To truly stand out, an email list of 10,000+ is good. However, it also depends on the publisher and topic of your book.
@@knliteraryarts Yikes I'm not even CLOSE to that! Trying to build though! Thank you so much for the response. I'm going to start focusing on building my list :)
Proposals are definitely a tricky document. We offer proposal coaching and proposal ghostwriting that can help you through the process if you'd like: knliterary.com/coaching/
You say that publishers are looking for tens of thousands on your email list. But I had tens of thousand of people on my email list, I would not need a major publisher. If I had even ten thousand people on my email list I would be very, very happy. So I do not understand why you say that.
You say that publishers are looking for tens of thousands on your email list. But if I had tens of thousand of people on my email list, I would not need a major publisher. If I had even ten thousand people on my email list I would be very, very happy. So I do not understand why you say that.
Thanks for your comment. Big publishers want to make sure that the money they invest in your book will pay off and a large, engaged email list is a great indicator of that. Of course, you can build you audience and then self publish. There are pros and cons to each publishing pathway that we discuss in-depth with this blog post: knliterary.com/2023/11/02/self-publishing-vs-traditional-publishing/
