eSign Book Proposal Template Made Easy

Esign book proposal template

so you want to take the traditional path to fulfilling your book publishing dreams you've heard all the stories of these first-time authors who get mid six-figure high six-figure even seven-figure book deal these examples blow away the notion that you have to have a million followers on social media or already be a prominent person in New York or London publishing to get a book deal the traditional path to publishing involves a literary agent pitching your book to a major publishing house or you sending an unsolicited submission to an independent publishing house that's willing to talk to aspiring authors like you directly if your book is not in fiction your best shot at getting a book deal is the book proposal and I'll tell you how to create one in a few seconds welcome to the entrepreneur's wordsmith show with joshua liza after having two novels published by an independent publishing house I've helped entrepreneurs and thought leaders write publish and market their books have ghost written multiple international bestsellers I'm Ohio is first and only certified ghost writer a 10x speaker and I'm the only ghost writer on the planet to use writing analytic software to capture and recreate an author's authentic voice now that you know the man behind the t-shirt let's talk book proposals I love former HarperCollins Publishers CEO Jane Friedman's definition of a book proposal book proposals are used to sell non-fiction books to publishers above proposal argues why your book idea is a saleable marketable product instead of writing the entire book then try and interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels you write the proposal first sounds simple enough right well if it was wouldn't everybody beginning of a deal and that ain't happening so let's get back to what Jane said your book proposal argues why your book idea is a saleable marketable product and the fact is most put proposals don't make a good argument for the book idea because the book just isn't good it's not saleable or marketable if you want to sharpen your book ideas before you work on that proposal check out my video how to find ghost writers to help you write a best-seller I talked about how to build your book idea on the six pillars of influential content making your manuscript Hey marketable literary property okay so let's assume you've got a solid book idea now how do you create this book proposal thing and get your book deal got you covered I hold my author clients by the hand and walk them through the ten steps from book idea to book deal if you're working with a publishing professional on your book these are the ten essential things you must do if you're gonna have any chance at a book deal there's no guarantee here but what you can do is tip the odds heavily in your favor and grab a literary agents or publishers attention all under the first step from book idea to publishing deal the author an interview z' is where you have a casual friendly conversation with a certified ghostwriter to get that book out of your head and onto the page well not all of it you only need a few sample chapters to include in your proposal a more on those in a minute the second step write an eyeball grabbing overview this very first section of your book proposal is akin to a direct response sales letter for your book now think about your book idea for a second got it let me ask you this question why should anyone care answer that question to get your over you started off on the right track next up the third step publishing insider market research now who is your book for who's gonna buy your book because the fact is no matter how new or disruptive your ideas the market that'll buy your book already exists that's a good thing so state succinctly what your book categories are and move on to the next step your books competitive edge you know all those other books that your future readers have already bought well why is your book better how is it different what will readers find in your book that they love about existing books in your category what are you right about that they haven't seen before put it all in this section of your book proposal after that you write your author preneur bio when I got invited to speak at TEDx what do you think was the first question that committee asked me why are you the best person to give this TEDx talk spend that question into the literary world why are you you watching this video with me right now why are you the absolute best person to write your book your answer to that question or the source material you need to write your epic off of preneur bio the next section of your book proposal is the perfect promotion plan you can't just clean your book as mark you have to show your literary agent or your publisher exactly what you'll do to earn your advance and then some in my opinion this is the most overlooked section of a book proposal you're not just an author though you're an author preneur you're thinking of your book as if it's a product which it is so time to put that marketing strategist' ad on folks up next in your book proposal is the manuscript treasure map here you let out what gold nuggets of wisdom readers will find as they tours through every chapter of your book that's what you want to have something on paper before you start writing your book proposal to get a book deal you need more than a one-sentence pitch or the logline as we call it your agent or your editor wants an idea of each chapters content this can be as simple as a detailed table of contents what dr. Helen kara included in her academic book proposal which landed her a book deal with policy press and don't forget to include the x marks the spot the actual date when you'll have your book ready to go after the map comes the sui generis chapters I was home-schooled from preschool through high school so of course I learned many nerdy things like classical Latin 3 generis is Latin for it unique and that's exactly what you want an editor or an agent thinking as they read a few sample chapters from your book wow I haven't seen this topic written about this way before I want to see more of this give agents and editors that exact thought and you'll hear back from your query letter oh yes the query letter for the next step in the 10 step process the ultimate query letter also called a cover letter is the dragnet pitch for a literary agent or editor to read your book proposal just the facts Asians are busy people some receive thousands of book proposals and finished novels every single week many agents tell you exactly what book categories are looking to represent right now if you stay in your subject line and your new email what your book is don't know in a split second whether they want to click it and open and read your amazing book proposal one of my favorite resources to look up agents is agent query calm the Internet's largest free database of literary agents and that leads us to the tenth and final step your persuasive pitch so you're sending the query letter to an agent or an independent publisher who's looking for books just like yours what do you say again these folks are busy simple as persuasive short is persuasive summarize your overview highlighting every advantage your book has Cynthia Shapiro is the author of corporate confidential an international best-selling business book published by st. Martin's Press look us on the emotional hook she used in her successful query letter the career advice book like no other for the first time revealed raises the bar timely jum of a book will change the way people behave at work in your query you can also repurpose any relevant parts of your author preneur bio now I said relevant literary agent Moloch you success don't lead with your bio unless you're famous or are already a best-seller I don't need your life story I just want to read your work of course if you are well-known in your industry but how means mention it for example Linda joy Myers author of the power of memoir published by Wiley included this little section in her query letter endorsements brilliant social proof is marketing 101 and after that she teases that her book can be the first in a series you can hear the cash register chiming in your head if cash registers were still offending now you know it all goes into getting a book feel or at least give me a little book proposal done which is what gets you the book deal it all starts with that saleable marketable book idea though if you're wondering if you can make your book I get even more viable head on over to the ultimate book idea generator two minutes from now you'll have a book idea that can permanently establish your credibility in the industry and open new doors of influence for your business enjoy and I'll see you next time