You want to write a nonfiction book. You know that a well-written book proposal is crucial to getting a publisher to consider your idea and work with you in turning it into reality. Yet, according to an article in Forbes magazine, between 600,000 and 1 million books are published each year.
That’s a lot of books. That’s even more book proposals, because most proposals fail to make it through the traditional publishing houses. Rejection slips remain a regular, routine part of the publishing business. (Self-publishing, obviously, is different, because you are in charge of your project from beginning to end.)
A book proposal has certain elements that editors expect. They enable you to think through your book. Your prospective editor sees that you know what you are trying to say, to whom you are trying to say it, and how you can sell your book to that readership. This last part about sales is crucial because the author must take the lead in selling the book.
Many have suggested that a prospective author first get a platform. In this context, a platform means that an author already has an audience who would be interested in a book because the author is familiar. Having a television or radio program, or a regular newspaper column or blog, are ways to develop your audience. Social media (Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers, and so forth) is also helpful.
If you’re writing a cookbook about Texas barbecue, there is a probability other authors are too. The publisher must decide which one to publish. You could be an expert, but the other author has a television program where she can share her recipes and call attention to her book week after week. A publisher, obviously, would be more interested in the other book.
Yet platform is not the end all and be all. Knowing your audience and how to reach it are crucial. A well-written proposal can help your credibility in these areas.
Follow these tips to know your audience better and how to connect with it:
First, create a persona for your typical reader. Some people use a picture of someone that they envision as the “ideal reader.” Look at this picture, and think of what this person wants from the content being produced. Using our cookbook example, a typical reader might be a busy parent who works full time. She gets home from work, the kids are home—and hungry—and she’s too tired to create a meal requiring a long prep time. A book focusing on quick, easy recipes would be helpful.
Second, think of how best to reach this reader. It’s been said that a bookstore isn’t the best place to sell books because the bookstore audience is general and your book, typically, will focus on a specific audience. Again using our cookbook example, yes, it’s good to have it placed with other cookbooks at your local bookstore. Yet it’s perhaps wiser to place your cookbook at stores where cookery is sold. It would be wise to place it at grocery stories. Your readers will see your recipes, and perhaps purchase it.
Your audience makes or breaks your book. Knowing and appealing to it sets the stage for your success.
