I’ve seen hundreds—maybe thousands!—of nonfiction book proposals over the course of my 20 plus years in book publishing. What’s the #1 reason most proposals are rejected?
They don’t sell the book idea or author.
A book proposal is not meant to be an extensive description of everything the book will contain. It’s meant to pitch, to persuade, to convince. A book proposal is more like a resume than a biography. Sure, it should explain what the book will be about, but it should do so in a way that makes it stand out from the competition and addresses the needs of the market.
No matter what anyone might want to believe, book publishing is a business and folks are out to make a living. A literary agent or book publisher is going to decide to work with you because they think they will be able to sell enough copies of your book to make a profit. Your book proposal is your pitch document. Use it to make the strongest case you possibly can for you and your book and avoid these common mistakes.
Top 5 Nonfiction Book Proposal Mistakes
#1 It has a terrible title and subtitle.
Granted, titles and subtitles are hotly debated and often change (again and again) throughout the publishing process but don’t submit a proposal with a clearly terrible title that
The title and subtitle are marketing copy—sometimes the only advertising a book gets! When in doubt: Keep it simple. Stick with language that makes the promise and purpose of the book crystal clear. Use competitive titles for inspiration. It's OK to be a little derivative at this stage. If it’s prescriptive, use “how to” in the subtitle. If it’s a memoir, use “a memoir” in the subtitle. Don't twist yourself into knots if the title and subtitle you go out with on your proposal aren’t exactly where you want them to be. But do make sure you have a selling title with a clear message.
#2 It doesn't have an elevator pitch.
Don’t skip this! Every book should have a one to two line elevator pitch, also known as the key selling point or sell line, that opens the proposal (and appears in the query letter). Look at a book’s entry page on any online retailer, and you’ll see some bolded text at the very top. That’s the elevator pitch. It’s also usually the bolded text on the inside jacket flap or back book cover. It pins down in a few words exactly why the author is the best person for the book and what the book delivers. A good template is:
From [amazing author], [the promise of this incredible book]
For example: From award-winning businessman Michael Scott, a revolutionary plan to double profits in 30 days.
#3 It doesn’t get specific about what the author will do to promote (publicize and market) the book.
Don’t just list your social media numbers, newsletter subscribers, or successful online courses. Take the next—and essential—step and note how you are going to use your platform to promote the book. How exactly will you leverage everything you bring to the table to get the word out and, ideally, sell some copies?
Agents and publishers want to know what your marketing and publicity plan for the book will be. They know what the publishing house can do. What can you do? Don’t have them guessing about why you will be a good marketing and publicity partner.
#4 It fails to substantiate claims.
Think like a lawyer and don’t make vague, unsubstantiated statements. Back up your claims with facts, research, and analytics. Say you’re writing a book on anxiety and note, “it’s a big problem today.” Well, how big? How many people in the U.S. are diagnosed with anxiety and anxiety-related conditions? Is it a growing problem? If so, how do you know? Look for studies and polls to quantify the scope of the problem (and cite them!) and how necessary your book is.
Substantiating claims applies to every aspect of the proposal. You’ve been a frequent podcast guest? Great! List which podcasts you’ve appeared on, when you appeared, describe how popular the podcast is (number of downloads, etc.), how popular the show with you on in it was, and add a link to the show. An agent or editor reading your proposal should have all of the information they need to make a decision right there in the proposal. You don’t want them wasting time (and losing patience) hunting around the internet to find information you could have included and, most importantly, positioned for them. Be sure to include:
Bottomline: Don’t make an agent or editor guess. Tell them everything they need to know to say "yes."
#5 It doesn’t deliver on the promise.
Make sure the way you describe the book and the sample chapter match up. The book is rigorously researched? Highlight new and interesting research in the sample chapter. This coming-of-age collection of essays is laugh-out-loud funny? Be sure those pages capture your voice and sense of humor. The book will be filled with useful tips and techniques? Get them on the page!
The sample chapter should give an agent or editor a good sense of the voice, tone, approach, and content of the book and match the way it’s been described throughout the proposal.
Avoid these mistakes and your proposal is well on its way to being good to go. In future articles, I’ll take a closer look at each of the main elements of a book proposal, including the overview, marketing and publicity, and competitive titles sections, and help you avoid more of the mistakes that get book proposals tossed in the reject pile. Or reach out for one-one-one assistance to make your proposal stand out.
"Good to Go" Nonfiction Book Proposal Checklist
__ Selling title and subtitle
__ Elevator pitch
__ Author’s marketing and publicity plans
__ Facts and analytics to support all claims
__ Delivers on the promise
They don’t sell the book idea or author.
A book proposal is not meant to be an extensive description of everything the book will contain. It’s meant to pitch, to persuade, to convince. A book proposal is more like a resume than a biography. Sure, it should explain what the book will be about, but it should do so in a way that makes it stand out from the competition and addresses the needs of the market.
No matter what anyone might want to believe, book publishing is a business and folks are out to make a living. A literary agent or book publisher is going to decide to work with you because they think they will be able to sell enough copies of your book to make a profit. Your book proposal is your pitch document. Use it to make the strongest case you possibly can for you and your book and avoid these common mistakes.
Top 5 Nonfiction Book Proposal Mistakes
#1 It has a terrible title and subtitle.
Granted, titles and subtitles are hotly debated and often change (again and again) throughout the publishing process but don’t submit a proposal with a clearly terrible title that
- Is vague or confusing
- Relies on highly specialized language
- Needs an extra sentence or two to explain it
- Puzzles your mom (or sibling or favorite barista)
The title and subtitle are marketing copy—sometimes the only advertising a book gets! When in doubt: Keep it simple. Stick with language that makes the promise and purpose of the book crystal clear. Use competitive titles for inspiration. It's OK to be a little derivative at this stage. If it’s prescriptive, use “how to” in the subtitle. If it’s a memoir, use “a memoir” in the subtitle. Don't twist yourself into knots if the title and subtitle you go out with on your proposal aren’t exactly where you want them to be. But do make sure you have a selling title with a clear message.
#2 It doesn't have an elevator pitch.
Don’t skip this! Every book should have a one to two line elevator pitch, also known as the key selling point or sell line, that opens the proposal (and appears in the query letter). Look at a book’s entry page on any online retailer, and you’ll see some bolded text at the very top. That’s the elevator pitch. It’s also usually the bolded text on the inside jacket flap or back book cover. It pins down in a few words exactly why the author is the best person for the book and what the book delivers. A good template is:
From [amazing author], [the promise of this incredible book]
For example: From award-winning businessman Michael Scott, a revolutionary plan to double profits in 30 days.
#3 It doesn’t get specific about what the author will do to promote (publicize and market) the book.
Don’t just list your social media numbers, newsletter subscribers, or successful online courses. Take the next—and essential—step and note how you are going to use your platform to promote the book. How exactly will you leverage everything you bring to the table to get the word out and, ideally, sell some copies?
- Will you create a social media campaign to promote the book? Explain it.
- Will you be launching a new online course to tie-in with the book? Include the details.
- Are you booking speaking events to talk about the topic of the book? List them.
- Do you have a marketing or publicity team already hired? Note it.
- Are your brand partners or influencer pals willing to promote your book? Add it.
Agents and publishers want to know what your marketing and publicity plan for the book will be. They know what the publishing house can do. What can you do? Don’t have them guessing about why you will be a good marketing and publicity partner.
#4 It fails to substantiate claims.
Think like a lawyer and don’t make vague, unsubstantiated statements. Back up your claims with facts, research, and analytics. Say you’re writing a book on anxiety and note, “it’s a big problem today.” Well, how big? How many people in the U.S. are diagnosed with anxiety and anxiety-related conditions? Is it a growing problem? If so, how do you know? Look for studies and polls to quantify the scope of the problem (and cite them!) and how necessary your book is.
Substantiating claims applies to every aspect of the proposal. You’ve been a frequent podcast guest? Great! List which podcasts you’ve appeared on, when you appeared, describe how popular the podcast is (number of downloads, etc.), how popular the show with you on in it was, and add a link to the show. An agent or editor reading your proposal should have all of the information they need to make a decision right there in the proposal. You don’t want them wasting time (and losing patience) hunting around the internet to find information you could have included and, most importantly, positioned for them. Be sure to include:
- Analytics and links for every element of your platform
- Brief bios, analytics, and links for any influencers you highlight (don’t assume others will know who they are or why they are a boon to your book)
- Dates and links to media hits
- Number of product units sold
Bottomline: Don’t make an agent or editor guess. Tell them everything they need to know to say "yes."
#5 It doesn’t deliver on the promise.
Make sure the way you describe the book and the sample chapter match up. The book is rigorously researched? Highlight new and interesting research in the sample chapter. This coming-of-age collection of essays is laugh-out-loud funny? Be sure those pages capture your voice and sense of humor. The book will be filled with useful tips and techniques? Get them on the page!
The sample chapter should give an agent or editor a good sense of the voice, tone, approach, and content of the book and match the way it’s been described throughout the proposal.
Avoid these mistakes and your proposal is well on its way to being good to go. In future articles, I’ll take a closer look at each of the main elements of a book proposal, including the overview, marketing and publicity, and competitive titles sections, and help you avoid more of the mistakes that get book proposals tossed in the reject pile. Or reach out for one-one-one assistance to make your proposal stand out.
"Good to Go" Nonfiction Book Proposal Checklist
__ Selling title and subtitle
__ Elevator pitch
__ Author’s marketing and publicity plans
__ Facts and analytics to support all claims
__ Delivers on the promise