Book Proposal Advice

Here's some advice I recently gave one of my students, a Golden State plastic surgeon. He desires to print a book about how plastic surgery can profit people. Actually he's completed the full manuscript, and now he desires me to direct it to my agent. I told him that was not the best manner to travel forward. Here's exactly what I told him:

"How make you travel about merchandising this manuscript? In my sentiment there's only one manner that volition work, and that is to turn your 'outline' into a book proposal. [He had completed a chapter-by-chapter lineation in improver to the full manuscript.]"

"I can assist you make that."

"Then I'll assist you happen literary agents to query."

A TWO-STEP procedure TO publication


"This is a two-step process that almost always works; provided, however, that you have got something
to sell. I believe you do. Trust the process. I can't vouch you'll sell your book, but I can state that what you have got got to offer is better than many other pupils I've worked with, and many people have asked me for aid getting published."

"I'm offering to assist you, but you necessitate to acquire a workings proposal ready. With my method you can make it in a week, working only an hr a day. If you're cook to travel forward, allow me know. I'll then direct you a completed book proposal, one that sold my up-to-the-minute book, and you can rewrite it to sell your book."

START look FOR A LITERARY AGENT


"Right away I urge on you to travel online and get looking for literary agents. Doing so will animate you. You'll see that many are eager to look at books just like yours. Over the course of study of the adjacent two to three hebdomads I believe you should happen about 8 or 10 literary agents you wish to query."

"You have got waited long adequate with this manuscript. I promote you to follow my program because I have got a feeling you'll affect an agent, and then they'll inquire to see the book proposal and sample chapters."

"Once that haps you are halfway home. They will then give you feedback and you will be working with the agent, not with me. Hopefully they will acquire an editor interested in working with you to print the book as a medical advice statute title for the layman."

WRITE THE book PROPOSAL


"Instead of asking me who make I cognize and can I urge the book at this point to my agent, take the clip to compose the book proposal and develop a listing of literary agents on your own. I will assist you every measure of the way, and by following this program of action:

1. You will protect yourself from the possibility that my agent might reject the thought at this early phase (which I experience he would because there's no book proposal attached);

"2. You will go inspired when you see how many literary agents there are out there who manage your type of book;

3. You will larn a batch of utile information about the marketplace during the adjacent hebdomad or so as you read over what agents are looking for;

4. You will happen agents who, in all actuality, might be better for you than mine in the long run;

5. You will see that this mightiness be only the first of many books you can author, and a good literary
agent at the right agency, will promote you to make that.

"Just think, I'll be helping you every measure of the way. All you have got to make is say: 'Okay, Bill, direct me your book proposal, the 1 that sold your up-to-the-minute book. I'll look it over and rewrite it to sell my plastic surgery title.' Then we can begin putting together a listing of agents to query. I'm excited about this, and Iodine trust you are too."

"The adjacent measure is up to you."

"P.S. I believe we're going to desire to included your best two chapters with the proposal, not the first two, so I'll desire to see them at some point also. Usually agents don't desire chapter 1 with the proposal; it's too introductory -- they desire to see the bosom of the argument, so perhaps your last two chapters might work better."

THE most IMPORTANT ADVICE


The most of import advice I gave this plastic operating surgeon was to halt trying to acquire person to read his full completed manuscript. He should never have got written the whole book up presence anyway. But since he had, I suggested we take two chapters from it and add them to a book proposal. That book proposal is something I'm almost positive we could sell.

This advice can work for you too. Stop trying to acquire a friend to give you a name in the publication world. Write a book proposal at the same clip you begin researching literary agents. That two-step process is what will convey you more than success than any friend or connexion you have.

Copyright 2007 © William Cane