You’ve been planning to write a book for ages. All your friends and colleagues are asking when you’re going to do it, and you’ve decided that 2025 is your year to thrive!
Even if you’re well-known in your field, have 200K+ followers on Instagram or have already written a successful commercial nonfiction book, you’ll need to write a book proposal.
What is a book proposal?
A book proposal is essentially a business plan for your book, one that your agent presents to investors (publishers), who then acquire the rights to it. The proposal covers your ‘hook’ (why this book? Why now? Why you?), as well as your target market, your credentials and author platform, your marketing & publicity strategy, a detailed chapter outline, competing and comparative titles, one or two sample chapters, and more.
Why all this information?
Assuming an acquiring editor (the person your agent submits the proposal to) likes the proposal, they will then take it to others in their office for a second or third read. In larger houses, they might take it to acquisitions meetings or give it to the sales team, so they can run…
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