From Brainstorm to Best Seller
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Aspiring writers of all stripes gathered at the Chicago Athletic Association for CWIP’s February program entitled “From Brainstorm to Best Seller: Guidelines for Getting Published.” The evening’s presentation of sage advice was led by Nina Barrett, the author of several nonfiction books.
There are six practical steps for writing a book proposal as suggested by Barrett: Write a one-page summary of your book. Barrett said that this can be treated as the equivalent of “flap copy,” the material that potential buyers will read on the back or inside cover of a book. Just as such material is meant to entice someone to buy a book, your one-page summary should be similarly attention-grabbing in tone. Know your market. Barrett pointed out this strategy as a savvy way to assist editors. They want to be sure that there is someone out there who will buy your book, so reassure them. Barrett warned to avoid claiming that your book’s potential market is “everyone” or Oprah’s Book Club. Few books have that wide of an appeal. Track down statistics on your projected audience. Prove how your book will fit a certain niche or create a new one. Barrett suggested going to a bookstore and finding books that would either compete with or complement the book you intend to write and cite those works in your proposal. Create an outline. Barrett said that this will help editors or agents visualize the final product. If you can, describe the content of each chapter. Wow them with your credentials. Publishing houses, especially smaller ones, rely on authors to help promote a book. Any connections that the writer has are a big boost. It could just be that you’re an expert on the topic. You might be part of an organization that is interested in the subject matter. Or you might write a column for a periodical and have a smattering of adoring fans. Barrett admitted that it’s not always easy to present such glowing qualifications. For her first book, she used her perspective as a new mother to justify writing a book on raising a child and compared that against existing books on child care that were written by doctors who had little firsthand experience. Submit a sample chapter. Barrett said that it sometimes helps to write this first before taking any of the other steps. Once you get editors interested, you want to have an example of your writing ready to go. The sample chapter should exemplify the claims you make in your letter. Generate a query letter. Barrett described it as a job hunting letter that is anything but neutral in tone. She said the first line is your “pickup line,” or what you will say to get the editor or agent to take notice. The letter itself should do its best to be charming and intriguing. Be sure to include your summary of the book, a few sentences on its potential market, and one or two sentences on your credentials. Barrett advised writers to always send query letters to a person and not a company. When the letter is addressed to a specific individual it is less likely to get lost or be ignored. One way to get a name is to look under the publisher’s listing in Writer’s Market. Barrett also mentioned that reading the acknowledgments in books you admire is a sneaky way to find the names of agents or editors. This can be used to your advantage in the opening line of your query letter. Tamara Matthews is a part-time freelance writer and a part-time bank teller. She has yet to consider writing a book and much less a book proposal, but would like to someday. |
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In addition to sharing her work and relating humorous anecdotes regarding the life of a writer, Barrett got down to the nitty-gritty and gave details for creating one of the most important things a published author will write—the book proposal.