(How to Brainstorm Your Book Proposal.)

However, when a proposal has too many errors—aka distractions—the reader may never even consider the content. That is why formatting is so important. You want to present your proposal as professionally as possible, so you make it easy for the decision-maker to move forward.

Here are some key “Dos” and “Don’ts” for your book proposal formatting.

6 Book Proposal Formatting Dos

Remember the basics.

Use Times New Roman font throughout your book proposal. Use one-inch margins. On all but the title page, your document needs to be double-spaced (except perhaps for bullet points), use 12-point type, and be left aligned (not justified) on the first line of each section, and then indent the paragraphs below.

Start your proposal with a title page.

It needs to include your book title and name—centered, a few lines down from the top. This can be 14 to 18 point type, Times New Roman font. If you have relevant credentials—for instance, your role in a/your company, certifications, “known” status, previously published noteworthy books, won awards, and/or appeared in mainstream media—include that under your name.

TITLE
BY, YOUR NAME
CREDENTIALS

Put your contact info—including address, phone number, email, website, and standout social media profiles, such as your LinkedIn—in the lower left hand corner. This is 12-point type, Times New Roman font and can be single spaced.

ADDRESS
PHONE
EMAIL
WEBSITE
SOCIAL MEDIA

Add the splash page.

The splash is a graphic—photo or in some cases a collage—that is representative of the content in the book. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, that is your splash.

Create a table of contents.

Use the Table of Contents (or TOC) function, so all of your section headers are linked within the document. To do this, highlight each section title, go to Home and then Styles. Click on “Heading” (use “Heading 2” for sub-sections) to apply the format. 

After you have done this for all sections, create the TOC. Go to the third page (after the title page and splash). Then, go to the References tab. Click Table of Contents. Choose a style (“Automatic” or “Custom”), and Word will automatically generate a TOC using your Heading and Heading 2 styles.

After you finish your proposal, go to your TOC page and click to Update Table.

Customize your header.

You will want to start using a header on page 4—right after the Contents page. To do this in Word, insert a Section Break by going to the Layout tab. Click Breaks and, under Section Breaks, choose Next Page.

To unlink the Header from the Previous Section (since you do not need one for pages 1-3), double-click to get into the header area on page 4. In the Header & Footer Tools ribbon, click Link to Previous to turn it off. This breaks the connection between headers in Section 1 (pages 1–3) and Section 2 (page 4 onward).

With your cursor in the header on page 4, type your last name, book title. Underneath it, go to insert page number to add the page number.

NAME, TITLE
PAGE #

Send a PDF.

Unless otherwise requested, save your document as a pdf to send.

3 Book Proposal Formatting Don’ts

Rely on visuals to get your idea across.

Unless your project is photo-centric in nature, the only image you want to include is on the splash page. Book specs is where you put your bulleted list of items that are in the book. That’s where you can write down how many photos or other types of images you plan to include.

Make your book proposal difficult to read.

A book proposal can run anywhere from around 25 to 50 pages or more (depending on the length of the sample chapters). Be cognizant of page breaks and paragraph breaks.

For instance:

• Your Overview is a snapshot. It needs to be one page, no more than two. Each section builds on each other. You can go into more detail in the other sections.
• Avoid run-on sentences and super-long paragraphs. Find ways to be more concise or break up your content.
• Try to contain your sections, so they do not run one or two lines over onto the next page.

An easy-to-read proposal is something that’s also skimable. Before doing your final save, view your document at around 50% magnification, so you can catch weird formatting things, like blank pages and overlong bundles of text.

Forget to spell check.

Spell check is your friend. Use it! And then use it again.

One More Thing

Most agents and publishers accept what’s the standard for book proposals, in both order of sections and content. However, some have certain preferences. Before submitting your proposal, check the website to see if they have submission guidelines. Read them. And adjust as necessary.

Good luck!

Click to continue.

The post 9 Dos & Don’ts of Book Proposal Formatting appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Comp titles—short for “competitive titles” or “comparable titles”—are the books you name in your query or proposal to show that readers are eager for books like yours. They’re a shorthand way to discuss your book’s themes, subject matter, cultural relevance, or the way readers will feel when they experience your story.

(Check out recent successful queries here.)

Finding the right comps means reading, doing market research, and understanding why people (including yourself!) buy books. Unfortunately, the process can be tricky and tedious when you first start looking, and two common feelings come up.

Ignorance Is Bliss (But Won’t Sell Your Book): “My book is totally unique! There’s nothing like it on the market!”

I have sad news: If your book is truly unlike anything ever published, it’s either revolutionary genius or (more likely) unpublishable. Fortunately, it’s more likely that your book is just fine, and you’re not looking in the right places, or with the right mindset.

Outdated & Overrated: “My book is Bestseller A (published 2002) meets Book No-One’s Heard Of (published 1998).”

These authors are trying! They’ve found a genuine connection between books that inspired them, that they want to be shelved with, and that share story elements. But markets change, and already-famous authors have a head start. Comps that are too old, or too famous, don’t tell agents and publishers how your debut novel or memoir will sell right now.

Books need context. They need friends. And just like humans, they need friends their own age, in a social class they’re ready to run with. Your book is making its way in the world as a freshman. The head cheerleader’s prom-date prospects aren’t a yardstick for your own social life—just like your mom’s dating advice from 20 years ago isn’t entirely useful now.

Good Comp Titles Serve 3 Essential Purposes

Comp titles are your book’s clique.

They tell agents where your manuscript belongs in the vast publishing world. Without comps, your book is standing with a lunch tray, wondering where to sit. Comps say, “I’ll be in the Home Ec room after school with the other cooking memoirs.”

Comps prove you’re not delusional.

Appropriate titles show you understand your place in the market. That other first-time writers were successful with books like yours. Comparing your debut thriller to Gone Girl or your literary fiction to Toni Morrison is aspirational; believe it with all your heart and keep it inside your head. Pick a cafeteria table with people who will actually talk to you (and maybe blurb your book!)

Comps are shorthand for your book’s vibe.

Your best comps telegraph tone, style, and reader experience faster than a three-paragraph plot summary ever could. “It’s HOW TO SAY BABYLON (2024) meets SOLITO (2022)” immediately conjures a specific type of memoir about personal transformation through challenging circumstances.

Find Your Book’s BFFs (Without Losing Your Mind)

Step 1: Stop Overthinking and Start Looking

The biggest mistake authors make is treating comp titles like a desperate search for the holy grail. Your comps won’t be perfect doppelgängers of your book—they just need to share meaningful DNA.

Head to a physical bookstore or library (yes, leave your house) and look for where you’ll be shelved. What else is there? Read back covers. Read opening pages. Take photos of promising titles. (And note these author’s agents as people to query yourself—check the Acknowledgements)

While you’re there, ask the bookseller or librarian: “If someone liked these books, what else would you recommend?” Booksellers are walking comp-title machines. Use them. (And buy a book.)

Step 2: Get Specific

Your ideal comps are:

• Published within the last 2-3 years (5 years absolute max)
• Moderately successful but not mega-bestsellers
• Similar to your book in at least one significant way (theme, tone, style, structure, audience)
• From traditional publishers (if you’re querying traditional agents)

Don’t get trapped trying to match your exact plot. Think laterally. If you wrote a memoir about rebuilding your life after losing your job, your comps might include books about divorce, health crises, or starting over in a new country—the emotional journey matters more than the specific circumstances.

Click to continue.

Step 3: Dive Into the Digital Treasure Hunt

Start with those books that are too old and too famous. Look them up on Amazon and scroll down to the category rankings:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,742 in Books

• #42 in Travel Humor
• #156 in Adventure Travel
• #89 in Travelogues & Travel Essays

Click on those categories for lists of similar books. Look for titles ranking between #10,000 and #100,000 in overall Books—popular enough to show market viability but not so big they’re unicorns.

For those same books, scroll to the “Readers also enjoyed” section, and explore anything published in the last three years.

Step 4: Test the Vibes

For each potential comp, ask yourself:

• Would my ideal reader also enjoy this book?
• Does this book have a similar emotional impact to mine?
• Does this comparison make my book sound intriguing rather than derivative?
• Would I be proud to have my book next to this one on a shelf?

If you answer yes to at least three, you’ve found a comp contender.

Mastering the Comp Statement

Now that you’ve found your comps, don’t just list them. Showcase your book’s unique position in context.

Instead of: “My book is like LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY and WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING.” (Too famous, too vague, becoming dated)

Try: “My memoir of Malay childhood combines deep-dive research like Stephanie Foo’s WHAT MY BONES KNOW (2024) with the wry familial observations of Michelle Zauner’s CRYING IN H MART (2022) as I navigate discovering my father’s secret second family at my mother’s funeral.” (Specific, current, shows tone and content)

For fiction, get creative: THE BOOK OF DOORS (2024) meets THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE (2024) in my dual-timeline novel blending traditional folklore and a generational mystery.” (Specific, current, shows the book’s place within the genre)

Exceptions Prove the Rule

Querying in the UK, or just very confident in your “inappropriate” comps? Embrace it, while knowing you’re an outsider. “My book is SCREAM meets THE SECRET HISTORY”—comping mass media and a huge bestseller, both outdated, might still be what sells your book. But break those rules purposefully, because you’ve already investigated more current debut books. Remember those quirky drama nerds? They didn’t put those capes on by accident. But they, too, could see who was Trying Too Hard.

The Power of Finding Your People

Comp titles aren’t just for querying—they’re your future clique as a published author. The writers whose audience you’ll share, whose events you might appear at, who may blurb your book. Follow them on social media. See how they promote their work. Notice which publications review their books. Map your future literary neighborhood.

Your best comps are like your best friends—it’s worth the work to find them, and maintaining those connections can be powerful. Best of all? Unlike high school, the clique doesn’t choose you. You get to pick, and your book’s best friends are out there waiting to be found.

Check out Allison K Williams’ Seven Drafts here:

Bookshop | Amazon

(WD uses affiliate links)

The post Comp Titles: Stop Freaking Out and Start Finding Your Book’s BFFs appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Write a Great Overview for Your Book Proposal.)

The reason? Past sales are proof of future sales.

Book comps are bestselling titles in your genre that are similar to—but different from—yours. You need to be able to tell an agent or publisher, “This book sold, so mine will too.” And “My book is better than/different from this one for the following reasons, so there is a market for it, as well.”

You will likely put a line about book comps in your book proposal overview: “My book is this title meets that idea, but with this specific angle or differentiation.”

In the Book Comps section you really get to go into detail.

What to Look for With Book Comps

How hard can it be to find book comps? Very, especially in nonfiction. If something has been done well recently, your book may not be needed. If a title did well 10 or 15 years ago—but the subject has not been covered since—that’s a red flag. No one has bought the title in a decade, so clearly readers are not interested.

For your comp section, you need to find:

• 5 to 7 titles that are …
• Published traditionally (a large publishing house, imprint, or independent publisher) …
• Within the last five years
• That have good ratings and a substantial number of reviews

You do not want:

• Titles more than 5 years old
• Self-published books (that includes hybrid titles)
• And especially not old, self-published titles
• Low numbers of ratings and books that are poorly reviewed

The exceptions: If all of your other comp titles are good, and you strongly believe it to be a value add, at the end you may want to add:

• One older, but not ancient, highly-regarded, standard-for-the-industry-or-genre, known tile
• One recent, remarkable, well-sold and well-reviewed self-published title

One other hack: You can use the introduction to your comps section as a way to reference classic titles without going into detail. Eat Pray Love (self-actualization and memoir), 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (business), and The Artist’s Way (creativity) would fall into this category. For instance: “From TITLE to TITLE to TITLE, readers are really interested in THIS TOPIC.” Again, don’t overdo it, and include a favorite along with more relevant, recent titles.

How to Find Comps

In Person: To research comp titles, start old school. Go to a bookstore, find the section your book would be shelved in, and see what else is out there. Carefully checking the publisher—to make sure it’s a traditional one—and the pub date, make a list of books to research online.

And/Or

Go Online: Do a search for “Best of” lists in your book’s category. Then, write down which of those books are most akin to yours. Note: Save the links of your favorite “Best of” lists to put in the conclusion of your comps section. More on that below.

Research the Details: Do a search on Amazon for each book you think could be a good comp. For each title, scroll down to get to the product details. There you will find the:

• Publisher
• Publication date:

And then toward the bottom of that section:

• Bestsellers Rank
• Categories
• Customer Reviews
• Ratings

If you need more comp titles to explore, click on the categories that are a fit. That will take you to the top titles in that category. If you think you are going down a rabbit hole, you’re right. Sometimes that’s what it takes to identify the right comps.

Once you find 10 or so titles you think are best for your book, go back over them and choose the best comps.

Click to continue.

How to Format Your Comps

For each title in the comp section, include the following information. Hyperlink each book title to the Amazon listing. Note: Typically the link will go to the trade paperback version.

This is the format:

Title by Author(s) (Publisher, Date). Plus, a one or two-line description of the book.
Next, a couple of lines about what makes your book different/better.
List of the rankings in each category
Number of Ratings and Reviews

After you detail your five to seven comps, finish the section with your version of the following conclusion line:

“BOOK TITLE could be shelved in CATEGORY, CATEGORY, or CATEGORY. It would seamlessly fit into a list of best books on any of these topics, such as LINKS TO LISTS.”

Final Thoughts

For your comp section you want to find five to seven traditionally published titles in your genre that are similar to yours—to show your concept will sell—but different enough that there is a place for your book in the marketplace.

Remember, the entire book proposal is a marketing document. The easier you make it for your book to sell—“My book is this + that, but with a twist”—the more likely an agent or publisher will want to run with it!

The post The Why, What, How of Comp Titles for Your Nonfiction Book Proposal appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(60 Examples of Hooks for Books.)

I think part of the problem with comps (or even just telling a potential reader what your book is about) is that although we might go in with a clear idea of the book we want to write (a retelling of Wicked but at Hogwarts), sometimes we write a book that is not comparable to other books but is a response to them. These books, neither comps (nor craft books), point us to the story we want to tell as writers.

If I felt like I’d been writing my forthcoming novel, All This Can Be True, my entire life, well it’s because I was. I’d been writing it in response to two other novels that had burrowed so deeply within my psyche, my subconscious, that much of my own output over the years (several novels, numerous short stories) has responded continuously to their themes, their questions, until I was finally satisfied with my own response to them.

The two books that have made such an indelible mark on me? Ann Packer’s The Dive From Clausen’ s Pier and Kristin McCloy’s Some Girls. Not because of their prose, although they are certainly beautifully written, but because their plot and themes eerily mirror each other, and because they mirror what I’ve been exploring, consciously and subconsciously, in my own writing all of my life.

In Packer’s bestseller The Dive From Clausen’ s Pier, 20-something Carrie Bell is about to break up with her fiancé, Mike, when he is paralyzed from the neck down after jumping into shallow water off Clausen’s Pier. Carrie wrestles with staying with Mike before deciding to head, on a whim, to New York to pursue a career in fashion. But, like all well-plotted novels, the story doesn’t end there, and the reader is left to wrestle with what we owe to the people we love. Similarly, in McCloy’s second novel Some Girls, 20-something Claire moves to Manhattan in the 1980s, away from her boyfriend and her small hometown in New Mexico, in search of herself. Who she finds is her enigmatic, world-traveling next-door neighbor Jade, and in the end, the reader is left to wrestle with who and how we love the people we love.

Some Girls was published in 1994, a time when queerness was far from mainstream, so far that there’s no mention of it in the book’s synopsis. Therefore, I was shocked that Claire and Jade’s friendship was much more than that—in fact, intimate and erotic. I had begun to explore my own sexuality at the time in my writing—mostly in my high school and college notebooks, which were carefully tucked away in a box in the top shelf of my closet. In my stories, two friends, Claire and Amanda, consoled each other after breakups, hangovers, absent parents. At some point, however, Amanda fell in love with Claire⎯of course, Claire rejected her (I was not out yet myself), and then Amanda’s deeply internalized homophobia led her to act out in more self-destructive ways: promiscuity, more alcohol, drugs, a mirroring of my own identity at the time. In contrast, Claire and Jade’s coupling in Some Girls felt unburdened by this deep loathing, even if it lived in the floaty amorphousness of women who sleep with men but sometimes sleep with women. In fact, in 1994, before gay marriage, before the first lesbian kiss on television, even, their relationship felt quite revelatory.

And more than that, I wanted to be Claire. I had moved to the city after college (okay, Baltimore, not Manhattan, but way bigger than my high school town of 1,000), and I was ready to find my own Jade. Although I did not quite find her, I began my first long-term same-sex relationship, with a woman who was very smart but very emotionally unavailable. Who was also emotionally (and sometimes) physically abusive. A woman who I spent many years trying to leave. I wasn’t bound by tragedy to this woman, and it’s not as if there weren’t perfectly good reasons for me to leave, such as her affair with a coworker. However, I was bound by trauma. Like most victims, at the time, I had no idea what trauma bonding was. I only knew that I had lost my sense of self in this deeply dysfunctional relationship, to the point that I thought my job was to read my partner’s mind and keep her happy at all times. If I did, then my sense of self would be fulfilled in all the ways it hadn’t been growing up, when I’d tried (and repeatedly failed) to be the mediator of my own parents’ alcoholic, dysfunctional marriage.

Click to continue.

While I was navigating this relationship with my now-ex, Ann Packer published her debut novel, The Dive From Clausen’ s Pier, in 2002. As I read, I marveled that Carrie could leave behind Mike, the now-quadriplegic fiancé she once loved, move a thousand miles away (before social media, even!), and try to find her own happiness, independent of a partner. As a reader, we are not spared the immediate enormity of Carrie’s situation. It’s right in the second paragraph: “Mike’s accident happened to Mike, not me, but for a long time afterward I felt some of that glow.” What does Carrie owe Mike? Although she hadn’t been strong enough to break up with him before a holiday weekend (before he took that fateful dive into shallow water), it’s not as if she pushed him off the pier in or suggested he do it. Her only crime was waiting too long to spring the news which, if anything, drives home the lesson of taking chances before it’s too late. Still, by the end of the novel, Carrie, after another difficult choice, finds an answer with which she’s able to live, one that gives her peace. One that’s right for her.

By my 30s, after 11 years together, I finally summoned the courage to leave my own partner. My writing at the time had begun to tackle similar themes: imprisonment—in one’s sexuality, in one’s relationships—and escape. Not just escape, but liberation. Escape has always felt to me more of an action, a reflex without reflection: to escape pain, we take our palm off the stove burner. Liberation is also an action, but also a conscious choice. I am not mindlessly avoiding pain; rather, I am gathering the courage to leave the pain of a codependent relationship so that I can heal, a paint that feels like conquering an addiction.

After two years of being single, I was able to enter another long-term (healthier) relationship, but I still wasn’t finished exploring the ties that bind in my own writing. In my forthcoming novel, All This Can Be True (Turner/Keylight), the novel opens with the protagonist, Lacie, on a plane with her husband, contemplating divorce, when he slumps over from a stroke. Unlike Dive’s Carrie, Lacie is a little older, 46, with two grown children—but she’s still caught wondering what she owes a loved one whose life has irrevocably changed. To complicate matters, Lacie becomes close to a woman, Quinn, she meets at the hospital, a woman who, unbeknownst to Lacie, harbors a secret that connects her to Derek.

I won’t tell you how it ends, but I hope the writing of this novel ends a chapter in my life that seems to have many sequels. Lacie, much like Claire in Some Girls and Carrie in The Dive From Clausen’ s Pier, is able to embrace her agency and create the terms of her own life. But what makes a relationship and what one owes that relationship are never easy questions. Perhaps we never solve them, or only solve them in novels, in real life merely finding temporary workarounds for whatever relationship we are in at the time. Characters experience seismic changes over the course of 85,000 or 90,000 words; it takes lifetimes, sometimes, for real people to experience change and, for generations, sometimes even longer.

Maybe these books are not just “personal comps” but seeds; their ideas helped forge a path in me that I was able to explore in my own writing and, as they say, visibility is everything. When I was growing up, the only reference to gay people was the one I found in the large health encyclopedia my mom kept under the coffee table when I was a kid. Although it didn’t outright demonize us, it wasn’t particularly encouraging of us, either. And even though there were a few pro-LGBTQ+ YA novels in the 1980s, like Nancy Garden’s Annie on My Mind, my childhood library did not carry it, and I didn’t learn of its existence until well into my 30s. Suffice to say, it blew my mind that not only Kristin McCloy was writing about queer girls in 1994, but that she was getting a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Likewise, growing up, although there were a lot of books about women coming of age and finding true love, there weren’t a lot of books about the difficulties women faced in getting out of abusive relationships or even just relationships in which they weren’t particularly happy, even if they were home runs on paper. Ann Packer’s The Dive From Clausen’ s Pier was the first novel in which I felt the call of trusting one’ s gut. Even if it took me many years to trust my own, if I hadn’t seen these choices in the public sphere when I had, perhaps it would have taken me longer.

Still, I think this is the last novel I’ll write about these particular relationship dynamics. I still love Some Girls and The Dive From Clausen’ s Pier, and although writing has been a form of therapy, a way to see my own problems laid bare on the page to solve before the denouement, I find myself thinking about other people than myself, situations unlike my own. Maybe, like Claire, Carrie, Linney, and Lacie, I’ve finally turned the page.

Check out Jen Michalski’s All This Can Be True here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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The post Her Kind: A Writer’s Personal Comps appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Brainstorm Your Book Proposal.)

In any situation, you need to make a good first impression. Your book proposal’s Overview is that first impression. Its purpose is to get your audience’s attention, so they are as invested in your idea as you are.

Start With the Sizzle

The “Sizzle” comes after the title page in your book proposal. It’s a graphic or photo that illustrates your book’s concept. This is typically not your book cover; your publisher will have their own team for that.

Here is some Sizzle inspiration, as it relates to different types of books.

• Business book: A concept, flowchart, or representation of an idea. A timer, a roadmap, a lightbulb.
• Self-help: An illustration of the transformation or end result. A before and after pic.
• Cookbook: A signature dish or collage of recipe photos.
• Activity: A photo of the hobby, sport, or endeavor.

Your sizzle can be as simple or creative as you want. Have fun with it and make sure it reflects your idea and your style.

The Elements of Your Overview

The “About the Book” section of your book proposal starts with the Overview. The other elements are addressed briefly below.

Your one-page Overview needs to encapsulate your concept—what it is, what makes it unique, and why you are the only person who can write it. You want to get whoever is looking at it interested in reading more. Before you can articulate these things, it’s important for you to identify exactly the book’s mission/purpose. Why are you compelled to write this book: What is your motivation? And how will this book help the reader?

Your motivation may be to use your book to improve your status as a thought leader, get more visibility/readers/clients, etc. Your book’s mission is to use your background/experience to inform, educate, or entertain your reader on a certain topic, so they achieve a specific result (connect to the experience, learn something, benefit from it, enjoy what you have to say).

Another important decision is to figure out how you will get that information across. Are you sharing your personal or professional journey, a methodology or concept, or actionable tips? Once you figure out the reason you are writing the book, the desired result, and how you will share that information, you can start writing your Overview.

These are the pieces of the Overview:

Hook.

Start with a one-liner that engages the reader, showing what differentiates your idea.

• Question: Did you know that _________?
• Fact
• Quote

Concept.

Support your hook with an engaging paragraph or two that explains your book idea: what it is, your unique take, and why it is relevant/that people need to and will read it.

• Share what problem it solves
• Show how it helps
• Reference trends to prove timeliness or timelessness of the topic

Credentials.

This is where you go into your bio. Include who you are—relevant professional or even personal details—and why that makes you the perfect person to write this book. Include:

• Your background/thought leadership
• What you created/discovered/survived
• Why you love this topic/need to write this book

Conclusion.

Wrap with one or two lines that reinforce the relevance of your book topic, something inspirational that is on brand for you as the writer. Reiterate in what ways this book will help which people at this time.

Click to continue.

Also in “About the Book”

You can get into a little more detail “About the Book” in the sections that follow the Overview.

• “What’s in the Book” contains the names of the sections and chapters, along with a few lines of description for each.
• “Book Specs” has the word count, as well as the types of content you plan to use in the book. This could be anecdotes, case studies, interviews, instructions, graphics, etc. You can also put names of possible endorsers or people willing to write the book’s foreword or afterword.
• If you have “Reviews” of previous books or “Endorsements” of your ability as a writer, that goes next.

One More Thing

The Overview is a snapshot. Make sure it’s clear and engaging, so you can expand upon it throughout the rest of your book proposal.

Remember, whoever reads your book proposal wants it to be good. Agents and publishers are seeking a win-win situation: a good book by a knowledgeable writer that they can sell. Give them one!

The post How to Write a Great Overview for Your Book Proposal appeared first on Writer's Digest.

It’s easy to forget details without a system. The last thing you want to do is accidentally send an email to the wrong person or forget to follow up (if that’s what they ask for!) Those little mix-ups can undermine your professionalism and hurt your chances of success. Organization will help you avoid flubs like that.  

Developing an organization system will help you track who you’ve contacted and their responses. And you don’t want to wait until you’ve started querying to create your organizational system. Pre-planning helps manage the complex, time-consuming process of querying.  

1. Do pre-planning and research. 

You don’t need to wait until your manuscript is ready to get started. In fact, that’s too late. I suggest you start collecting agent information 1–3 years before querying. Yep—that gives you a strong foundation of information going into the querying phase.  

You can begin by creating a living document to take notes. One place to start is researching comparable titles and their agents. That will give you a sense of who handles the kind of book you’re writing. QueryTracker.net is a great go-to for comprehensive agent information. They have a database of agents (and tracking tools you can use). In this stage, it’s a good idea to focus your research on agents open to submissions in your genre.  

2. Create a centralized tracking system. 

When you’re ready to begin querying, it’s time to transition to a detailed spreadsheet. This spreadsheet should include sections to track key information. This includes query sent date, materials sent, and agent guidelines. You’ll also want somewhere to note what feedback you get from an agent and full manuscript requests.  

You might also consider project management tools like Asana for reminders (this is what I use!).  

3. The ins and outs of emailing.  

I suggest sending queries in waves, such as 10 at a time. Setting up a regular schedule for reviewing and following up (e.g., every Friday) is helpful to keep yourself accountable.  

You can also make things easier by streamlining your email process. You can create an email folder specifically for queries and use email templates (e.g., Gmail Templates). The template can have your query letter ready to go so you just need to put a few finishing touches on it before you hit send. This cuts down on all the cutting and pasting.  

As for those emails, you should always personalize introductions for each agent. That shows you’ve done your research and it’s a sign of professionalism.  

4. Expect agent variability. 

Submission requirements vary widely between agents. Some want five pages and others want 50. And some agents prefer only query letters. That’s why it’s important to do your research and make sure you’re tailoring your approach and updating your spreadsheet!  

As for hearing back … be prepared for long waits! Response times for queries can range from two days to two years. Waiting six months is totally normal, so no need to panic if you’re not hearing back from agents right away. 

5. Organize feedback and updates. 

Keep all feedback in one place for easy reference. Constructive feedback might be tough to hear in the moment, but it’s also a gift—you can use this information to make updates to your query or manuscript. 

Tracking statistics is another important measure during this process. Keep track of the number of queries sent, full requests, and rejections.  

The querying process can be nerve-wracking. But having a comprehensive organizational plan will give you the tools you need to keep track of the volumes of information that querying involves. 

I took and loved YA author Lauren Kay’s Query Bootcamp which breaks down the querying process and how to engage with agents and write the best possible letter. She also has a great spreadsheet to help track queries as part of the class. Writer’s Digest University also regularly offers query letter and submission material boot camps. 

And remember—the goal of querying is to get your book in front of people who need to hear your message or story. Keeping that in mind can help you stay grounded during this process.  

Once you get this system down you can use it for creating videos, podcasts, pitching media, just about anything! So it’s well worth getting your steps together and reusing your system.  

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(6 Things I Learned From Un-Trunking My Novels and Getting Them Published.)

There is a story behind each book’s rejection. Some inspire hope, others persistence. Mainly, though, they are a testament to resiliency. It takes a lot of submissions, and a lot of rejections, to get published these days. Writers have to have faith that what they write is worth the time of other people to read it, and to keep at it.

After I completed the manuscript of my second book, a somewhat scholarly examination of suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge, I sent a proposal and sample to the executive editor of the University of California Press. UC Berkeley was my alma mater, and Golden Gate Bridge suicides were something of a local story. I don’t know whether she ever saw what I sent, however, because I received a rejection letter from someone else.

Undaunted, I submitted the manuscript to a dozen other academic presses, with the same result—12 rejections, most with form letters. I tried a few smaller, mainstream presses, as well as 20 or so literary agents, with no better luck. By this time a year had passed. One day I was browsing in a local bookstore and picked up a book that had professional interest. After thumbing through it and deciding to buy it, I noticed that it was published by UC Press. I read the book, got a lot out of it, and in the acknowledgments saw that the author credited the same woman who I queried about my bridge book. I sent a letter congratulating her and asking if, by chance, she had any interest in seeing the manuscript of a book I wrote without mentioning that I had ever contacted her before.

She wrote back promptly, thanked me for my letter, and said she would like to see my manuscript. A short time after I sent it, she contacted me and said she wanted to publish it—with one caveat. She didn’t like my title, and would only go ahead if it was changed to The Final Leap. I was naïve enough that I didn’t know the publisher had final say on a title because it was considered part of marketing, but I accepted the change because her title was, in fact, better than mine. The book came out, and more than 10 years later it continues to be referenced whenever there is an article on Golden Gate Bridge suicides or the new suicide prevention net on the bridge.

Flash forward to my fourth book, The Education of a Coroner. I didn’t have an agent, but by this time, with three books under my belt, I thought I didn’t need one. I emailed queries to 50 people, among them editors of my three previous books. They had nice things to say, but ultimately passed. So, too, did all the rest but one. The lone exception was an editor at Scribner. He emailed me within 10 minutes of my query to say that he was intrigued and to send him more information. I didn’t realize until I Googled him that not only was he an editor but he was the managing editor. We had a couple of good phone conversations, and Scribner bought the book, which subsequently was made into audio book and translated into multiple languages.

Since then I have had a fifth nonfiction book published that, like its predecessors, was years in the making and selling. I also have turned to writing fiction, and am collecting new rejection letters. Nearly all of them say variations of the same thing: “Thank you thinking of me and sharing your work. It’s well-written and the story has interest, but it’s not quite right for my list. Another editor may have a different opinion, so I wish you good luck in placing it elsewhere.”

A recent rejection I received is one of my favorites. It consisted of five words: “Not for me—but thanks.”

I had to laugh when I read it, and also admire the person’s brevity and frankness. People in the publishing world—agents and editors—receive hundreds of submissions every month, and it has to be discouraging to say no far more often than yes. At least this rejection didn’t keep me waiting long, and it wasn’t a form letter. Sometimes a writer has to derive solace wherever he or she can.

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(6 Steps for Getting Your Query Letter Out of the Slush Pile.)

Five years, three delayed publication dates, and two illustrators later, Lester Fizz was finally published in 2008—just in time for our economy, and the entire publishing industry, to take a nosedive. Two months later my editor left Dutton, leaving my debut book an orphan. A Series of Unfortunate Events, indeed.

I’d assumed that having my first picture book published would open doors for me, but really, it hadn’t changed a thing. I continued to write and submit picture book manuscripts, receiving an endless string of rejections. Not even a nibble. If I wanted another chance at publication, I needed to find a way to make my manuscripts stand out in the slush pile. Editors and agents always say they’re looking for a “fresh take” in a submission, but what does that mean?

Give the traditional a new twist

In the fall of 2010 I read an article in The New York Times that sparked an idea. “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children” noted that many parents, hoping to give their little ones an educational advantage, were bypassing picture books and instead reading books intended for older children to their babies and toddlers. I realized I could fill a need in the market by giving these parents the best of both—board books for babies with the addition of elevated educational content—and the concept for my Baby Loves Science series was born.

Research your reader

I’d previously written picture books, so I had a lot to learn about creating board books. Was my goal of incorporating complex science concepts into this format even possible? I spent nearly a year immersed in research on early literacy and how babies acquire language because I wanted my new series to be age appropriate. I also spent countless hours at my public library reading every board book I could find.

I learned that the most effective way to make abstract ideas more accessible is to present them within the context of a story. Listening to a story activates the language processing center of a child’s brain and helps make the information more memorable (this is true for adults, as well). So, while concept books have their place in baby’s first library, my new approach to introducing science in this traditional format seemed to be exactly the “fresh take” editors might be looking for. There simply weren’t any other books like this around.

Using this research-based strategy I crafted three sample manuscripts and began submitting them together as part of a proposal package. Once again, the rejections rolled in. But this time many were accompanied by personal notes, otherwise known as “good” rejections. At the very least, I had succeeded in making my submission stand out. I continued submitting and by 2014 I had an agent and a contract from Charlesbridge Publishing for the first two titles, Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering and Baby Loves Quarks. Best of all, we found the perfect illustrator to make the books both visually appealing and scientifically accurate, Irene Chan.

My research had paid off. Little ones gobbled up the books, parents enjoyed relearning the science they’d snoozed through in physics class, and booksellers asked for more. The newest release, Baby Loves Meteorology, joins other topics like thermodynamics, quantum physics and paleontology, becoming the 25^th book in the Baby Loves Science series. My fresh take on the board book market has been translated into 10 languages with more than 1,000,000 copies in print worldwide.

Leverage what works and level-up

The first two Baby Loves Science titles released in 2016, which meant that by 2021 those little listeners were becoming little readers. My next fresh take, with encouragement from editor Alyssa Pusey and agent Susan Hawk, was to create a new series for graduates of the board books.

If I wanted to create another successful series, it wouldn’t be enough to simply repurpose the content from Baby Loves Science in picture book form. Also, there are already many excellent nonfiction STEM titles for early elementary readers, so once again I had to find a way to make my books stand out from the rest.

Through social media and conversations with parents at book signings I gained insight into my young fans, learning they often develop an intense interest in a topic. We’ve all met that kid, the one who can name every dinosaur or describe how their favorite video game works—and will talk endlessly about it to anyone who will listen! My next project became a picture book series inspired by that kid. How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up came out in 2023, followed by How to Explain Robotics to a Grown-Up and the latest, How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up. This new series is illustrated by Teresa Martinez, also a pro at translating complicated science ideas into kid-friendly, easily understandable art.

Ultimately, my top priority will always be my young readers. I hope my books help kids feel smart and confident while encouraging them to explore the amazing world around us. Both series have gained attention because of the popularity of STEM education, but my goal was never to capitalize on a trend. Rather, I used what I learned about the market and my intended audience to guide and reframe the work I was already passionate about doing, giving my books the best chance of getting out of the slush pile and into young readers’ hands.

Check out Ruth Spiro’s Baby Loves Meteorology here:

Bookshop | Amazon

(WD uses affiliate links.)

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(How to Cope With the Ups and Downs of the Creative Process.)

Understand That Rejection Is Normal

Every writer faces rejection at some point. Famous authors like J.K. Rowling and Stephen King were turned down multiple times before their big breaks. Rejection doesn’t mean your work isn’t good—it often means it wasn’t the right fit at the right time.

• Tip 1: Remind yourself that rejection is part of the process.
• Tip 2: Celebrate that you’re putting your work out there, which takes courage and strength.

Separate Yourself From Your Work

It’s easy to take rejection personally, but it’s important to remember that feedback is about the work, not you as a person.

• Tip 1: Remember that rejection is an opinion, not a verdict.
• Tip 2: Focus on improving your craft rather than dwelling on the negative response. Allow the negative to propel you into positivity!

Look for the Lessons

Constructive criticism can be a gift in disguise. Use feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow as a writer.

• Tip 1: Identify any helpful suggestions in the rejection.
• Tip 2: Use the insights to strengthen your next draft or target more appropriate publishers/agents.

Create a Rejection Ritual

A simple ritual to process rejection can help you bounce back faster and easier.

• Tip 1: Allow yourself a short time to feel disappointed—it’s okay to be upset.
• Tip 2: To reset your mindset, do something positive, like treating yourself to a coffee or your favorite treat.

Lean on Your Support Network

Rejection feels less daunting when you share the experience with others who understand.

• Tip 1: Connect with fellow writers or supportive friends who can empathize.
• Tip 2: Use their encouragement to help you move forward.

Keep Putting Your Work Out There

Resilience comes from persistence. Each rejection brings you closer to finding the right opportunity, to finding your “yes.”

• Tip 1: Submit your work to multiple outlets to increase your chances of acceptance.
• Tip 2: Set monthly goals for how many submissions you’ll make to stay proactive.

Protect Your Mental Health

Taking care of your emotional well-being is essential when dealing with rejection.

• Tip 1: Practice self-care through activities that bring you joy and relaxation.
• Tip 2: Remind yourself of your achievements and why you started writing in the first place. Don’t lose sight of your “why.”

Turning Rejection Into Resilience and Strength

Rejection is never easy, but it doesn’t have to derail your progress. By seeing setbacks as stepping stones and focusing on growth, writers can build resilience and continue pursuing their passion. Remember, every “no” is one step closer to your “yes.”

The post Finding Strength in Rejection: Turning Setbacks Into Success as a Writer appeared first on Writer's Digest.

• Your concept and what makes it unique
• Who you are and why you are the best person to write it
• Details about your audience, why the book will sell, and your marketing plan

(17 Pros & Cons of Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing.)

It sounds like a lot… and it is. However, when you break up the sections and fill in the blanks as you are able, it feels less like a heavy chore and more like a fun puzzle that comes together, piece by piece.

What’s in Your Book Proposal?

A book proposal is comprised of the following elements:

Title Page. 

This includes your book title and contact information. Your book title may change—either through the proposal process or from your publisher. However, it’s helpful to give your project a working title. It’s the first step for making your idea concrete.

Sizzle. 

This is simply a visual cue—a picture or graphic—that catches the reader’s attention and embodies the concept for the book. This is not your book cover, it’s inspiration.

About the Book:

• Overview. This one-page description details your concept for the book, what makes it unique, and why your experience and expertise make you the perfect person to write it.
• What’s in the Book. An extension of the overview, this is where you list out all the sections and chapters; include a few lines of description for each one.
• Book Specs. Here’s where you lay out more details. Share your estimated word count (depending on the niche, it could be anywhere from 40,000 and up for business and self help to around 75,000 for memoir to 100,000 or so for history and biography), when you can have the manuscript completed (usually three to six months from an agreement or contract), and how you will share the information in your book (narrative, case studies, inspirational quotes, instructions). If you have recognizable names—people and/or companies—you plan to include in the book or are willing to write the forward or afterward—include them here, as well.
• Reviews of the Author. If you have been previously published, share some of your best reviews.

Platform:

• Author Bio. Lean into the relevant specifics of your background for your book bio. Don’t forget a professional headshot.
• Testimonials. Include client testimonials that support your expertise.
• Author Platform. Detail your website(s); social media platforms: followings and activities; podcast (if you host); newsletter and subscribers; and involvement in organizations. Also, list and link to previous media, as well as in-person and online events. Bonus points if you have some sort of sizzle reel, so the publisher can see you in action.
• Marketing Plan. What promotions will you put in place to support the release of the book? Be creative, have fun with it, and get as detailed as possible. Even when you publish traditionally, there’s still a lot for the author to do promo-wise. You want to show your commitment to making this book a success. One more thing: If you have celebrity or influencers willing to blurb your book, that goes here, as well.
• Series. A publisher would much rather invest their time and energy into developing a long-term relationship, rather than a one-book author. Include ideas for a few follow-up books.
• Audience. Who is your ideal reader? And why do they need your book? Back up your audience vision with links to articles that support it.
• Comps. Include three to five comprehensive titles. These are best-selling books that are similar to yours, but different enough to show the need for your book in the world. Include their publisher, Amazon ranking, and a hyperlink. You want the majority, if not all, of them to be published traditionally and within the last five years. Books with lots of positive reviews are good too.

Detailed Outline. 

Expand your “What’s in the Book” section to include a paragraph or two description of what’s in each chapter.

Sample Chapters. 

Depending on your genre, this could be the intro and/or one or two chapters. You are backing up your concept and marketing plan with proof of your writing ability, tone, and style.

I told you it was a lot. But here’s the great part: You do not have to do it all at once.

How to Brainstorm Your Book Proposal/Book

1. Name Your Book.

2. Get Organized. 

Create a folder on your hard drive or cloud account with your book title. Then, create a document in the folder for each of the sections:

• Sizzle ideas
• Overview
• What’s in the Book
• Book Specs
• Reviews of the Author (if applicable)
• Author Bio
• Testimonials
• Author Platform
• Marketing Plan
• Series
• Audience
• Comps
• Detailed Outline
• Sample Chapters

3. Commit to a Schedule. 

Go to your calendar and set a regular (weekly or twice weekly) appointment to work on your book proposal. This can be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. I know 15 minutes does not seem like a lot of time, but it’s better to commit to what is feasible within your busy schedule than to overwhelm yourself and quit a week or two into the project.

4. Brainstorm Your Book. 

At the beginning of each appointment, pick a section you are feeling motivated to work on. Open that document, and just free-write your ideas. On days you feel a little less creative, compile some of the lists—like testimonials and reviews—or do some of the research-related activities, like the audience and comps.

5. Expand Your Ideas. 

When you notice your ideas taking shape, go back through your notes. Start turning ideas into drafts.

6. Compile Your Sections Into a Complete Book Proposal Document. 

Write. Read. Revise. Repeat.

Whether your goal is to publish traditionally—so you are using the proposal to attract an agent or publisher—or you intend to self-publish or go hybrid, a book proposal is a helpful tool. It enables you to gather your ideas for writing and promoting your book into a usable roadmap, whichever route you choose. 

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