Have you ever imagined how an idea converts into a book? Well, this is something in a layman’s world that can be called a Book Proposal. So one should know How to write a book proposal. Basically, a Book Proposal is an effective way of communicating an idea or thought process directly to the publishers or editors which in turn decides whether the idea has the potential to become a book or not ultimately. Usually, it is a sneak peek of the book in the form of a document.
So this document should be able to make an impression on the publisher, that it is saleable and can bring in profits for the publishing house. As we all know that commercial viability is the foremost important factor in going ahead with publishing a book. Now everyone has their own way and methods to put things across especially when it comes to authors as it’s a creative medium and the sensibilities are different too. Therefore let’s summarize briefly how to write a book proposal with some key points:
1. Be precise
The best book proposals are those which can tell the uniqueness and the specific goal that the author wants to achieve with this particular book. The more specific the content of the book is, more chances are there that it will be accepted by the publishing houses. The subject stands out when the proposal is precise.
2. Focus on the Target Audience:
Well making a mark in the book industry is not an easy job as it takes time and real connection with the author that helps in building the audience base. For newcomers this is more challenging as they have to start building their audience base from scratch which can be done with the help of social media, blogging, events, etc.
3. Competitiveness is important
Well, every field is full of competition so the book industry is not alien to this concept in fact with digital and internet marketing its getting more fierce. So being competitive is essential but one has to be aware when you are competing you are also comparing. So the comparison with any best seller should be well planned if the writer is doing so, as it can fall flat on face too.
What is a Book Proposal?
A book proposal is a document which may include writing, graphic illustrations, images, audio or videos, designed to woo publishing houses to publish a book. It is a brief piece of work by the writer to showcase his idea and thoughts about the book he is willing to write down. It also includes the marketing plan for the book.
A good book proposal should include:
1. Crowd Puller Heading:
Well, heading is the first thing that any person reads when looking at the book. So the title plays a very important factor to grab the eyeballs of the publishers, editors, etc for whom the Book Proposal is written or documented. As many believe in the fact that, the first impression is the last impression. So, for such people a unique, exciting heading always helps.
2. A Well written Synopsis of the Book:
A well-written synopsis can act as a guiding soul of the book. Some authors prefer writing two- three lines for synopsis whereas few write four to five paragraphs or maybe few pages depending on the genre of the book. A longer narrative or synopsis is usually associated with non-fiction genre and in that usually the historical books, political books, biographies, etc.
3. Sample Chapters:
Few authors do provide sample chapters just to help the reader (publisher) to have an idea about the style of writing of the author, how he is sketching out the characters. Also, the narration is crisp and tight enough to hold the interest of the reader.
4. Vital details about the final Product:
This basically includes the total number of pages of the book, what kind of data and from where it is accessed while writing the book, details of the art work if used as illustrations like in art books, cooking books, traveling books, historical books, etc.
5. Author’s Philosophy and sometimes brief Biography:
This section tells about the author, his mindset, his aim in general towards himself as a person and as well as a writer too. Sometimes depending on the genre of the book (mainly non-fiction) writer does share some personal experiences like books from the health and lifestyle section usually have success stories for e.g fighting against cancer, addictions, etc. So such small details help in building an emotional connection between the reader and the author.
6. Target Audience:
Books are written for audiences so it should be clear to the writer from whom he is writing this book and why? As we all know all books are not meant for all readers, every reader has their own choices in terms of content, language, topic covered in the book, format of the book, etc. Like if an author is writing about a famous person (Biography) then to lure the audience his personal life incidents and pictures are a mandatory inclusion in such a book. Similarly, in fiction books the world created by the author needs to be so captivating and enthralling that the reader should believe that such things do exist somewhere in the universe.
7. Format and Genre of the Book:
Formatting and choosing the genre has become very important for the commercial success of the book. Nowadays with different platforms available like social media, a book reach has increased many folds especially in the nations which have a young population and digital access at their doorstep. So for such an audience fresh covers, titles, formats are key to keep their interest alive among the ocean of the books. This helps in defining the marketing plan for the book also.
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8. Marketing Plan:
A well-sketched marketing plan from the writer’s end shows that commercial viability is essential for him and his team members. For seasoned authors this includes their prior work reviews, events and appearances, connections within the literary world and other platforms which gets the audience connected to the work of the seasoned author. In case of fresh authors/writers, this can be done through email marketing, social media marketing, blogs, websites, etc.
All these little steps lead to the culmination of the readers’ at a common end that is to buy the book. This helps in better sales and thus ultimately better chances of success of the book.
At the end after going through how to write a book proposal to what a book proposal should include. We can conclude that a book proposal is equivalent to a seed of a plant which if gets the right environment develops into a seedling then into a plant. So, this is the most initial stage of the book writing process in which different aspects are studied like why the need of the book, how this will compete with similar books in the market, how much commercial viability it holds and many such other questions are answered during the book proposal process. So, it becomes necessary for every author to be extremely creative and precise to put forward a very effective proposal to convert his thought and idea into a book.
