Elements of a Nonfiction Book Proposal

A Guide for Authors and Professionals

Abstract: A nonfiction book proposal is the key document that allows an agent or
publisher to determine the viability of a project. This white paper outlines the
basic elements of a nonfiction book proposal including content, market
information, competitive titles, and author platform.

Intro: Unlike fiction, where an author must have a completed manuscript ready before
they approach a publisher or agent, a nonfiction author only needs to develop a
proposal to submit to publishers and/or agents. The proposal should answer the
following questions:
1. Content: What is the book about?
2. Market: Who would be interested in this idea?
3. Competitive Titles: What other books already exist on this topic and
how does this one differ?
4. Platform: Who is the author, why is the author the best person to
produce this book, and what are they doing to engage with potential
readers?

Content: What is the Book About?

This section of the proposal is usually 1-3 pages, unless you include a sample
chapter which can range anywhere from 5-20 pages. Length is not as big of a
concern as the quality of what’s included.

If you completed the steps in the section titled “Where to Start,” you should
already have an outline for the information you want to cover in your book.
Based on that information, you want to come up with a brief, one sentence pitch
that captures the soul of your idea. For example: “Affordable and complete
wellness.” This is the hook of your book—the key message we discussed
earlier.

Next you want to create a short summary paragraph that goes into slightly more
detail about how the book will achieve your hook. For example:

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 This book is a guide for achieving complete wellness in an affordable and
holistic way. It explores the pitfalls of the modern health care system and
identifies ways to integrate alternative medicine techniques into
traditional medical practices. The book educates the reader on current
practices and arms them with new resources and techniques to achieve
total wellness.

If you have a startling statistic that stresses the importance of this message, by
all means use it here. That information will help sell the importance of your topic
to the prospective agent or publisher.

Once your opening summary is developed, you will follow it with your outline.
Your outline identifies the chapters and the key topics they will address. Identify
any compelling facts, strategies, case studies, or information you will use to
support the ideas in each chapter. You may include a sample chapter if you
choose. Some publishers and agents require one, but many don’t. It really
depends on whether you will be the one actually writing the book (we will
discuss ghost writing later), and on the agent or publisher’s requirements.

Market: Who Would Be Interested?

This section can be anywhere from 1/2 of a page to 2 pages. Here you identify
the market for your book both in qualitative and quantitative terms. To determine
who your audience is in qualitative terms, ask yourself the following questions:
• Who would be interested in your topic?
• Where do they live?
• What kind of work do they do?
• What are their hobbies?
• How do they get their information? And so on.

The key is to be as specific as possible. It’s not enough to say your book is
geared toward “men” or “businessmen.” For example, this paper is not geared
to all professionals. This paper is for professionals who are considering
publishing a book, but who may not necessarily be writers. Instead of
“businessmen,” one could say “middle managers of Fortune 500 companies” or
“solopreneurs in the retail sector.” Not only does this help you identify marketing
opportunities for your book, but understanding your market helps the publishing
team cultivate your content so that it speaks to and meets the needs of your
audience.

Quantitative information is a bit more time consuming to locate, but can be

valuable in determining the strength and validity of your topic/idea. If there are a
large number of potential readers, publishers will consider a project. Specialty or
niche topics that appeal to a smaller group are more difficult to place with a
publishing house and are even more difficult to distribute nationally. To help you,
here are some resources for locating numbers on specific groups:

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 1. Go to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics at
www.bls.gov. There you can locate demographic information including
numbers and geographical saturation.
2. Contact organizations that cater to your market and ask for data on the
number of members and their demographics.
3. Identify the top magazines your audience reads. Go to their advertisers
page. Often, there is an advertisers kit that includes demographics and
audience size.

Competitive Titles: How Does This One Differ?

In your proposal, it is important to note the top 2-3 related titles and how your
project is different from them. Not only does this help identify the potential sales
numbers for your book, but it also helps the publisher identify exactly where you
fit into the market. There are several ways you can locate this information:
1. Go to the bookstore and talk to a bookseller responsible for the section
your competitors are shelved in. Ask them which titles are “evergreens”
and which titles have a good sales history. Though local trends can vary,
it’s a good place to start.
2. See which relevant titles are listed on the New York Times and Wall
Street Journal bestseller lists.
3. Nielsen provides a service called Bookscan. It lists the sales for each
book title, including each edition of every title. Publishers pay to have a
subscription, but individuals can purchase sales history on individual
titles for $85.

After you have identified the top 2-3 titles, compare them with your project. How
are you different? It’s extremely important that your book be different in at least
some way. Readers do not want a rehashing of existing information. They want
something new and fresh. You can set yourself apart in a number of ways:
1. Do you challenge any of the assumptions or strategies those authors
make?
2. Do you have a fresh approach or new information to add to the
discussion?
3. Do you have a more engaging voice?
4. Do you have more credibility or experience?
5. Are you more specialized, or more comprehensive?
Knowing the answers to the questions above will also help you to further hone
your message and develop your marketing strategy.

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Platform: How Will You Sell Books?
What is an author platform? Essentially, it’s the base of people who have a built-
in interest in your book and who would regard you as an authority in your field.
Your platform is your audience; your publicity plans and other promotional
activities will be targeted at them.

The author platform is essential because it is what sets you apart from every
other author in your genre. Publishers and media always look at the author
platform, sometimes even before they look to the content of the book itself. Just
like a physical platform, an author platform raises you above the crowd. The
platform is what will cut through all of the millions of advertising and media
messages and carry your book to readers, and in turn drive sales. If your
platform is not strong, active, and growing, publishers and media will move on
to the next author who does have one.

You don’t want to wait until you have a book to start building your platform. You
need to start right away, so you can have a built-in readership and momentum
to build upon with more platform-building activities after the book is published.
There are many ways to connect with your potential readers so you can build a
platform. The best platform strategy integrates several if not all of these
elements:
• A website: You need to have a well-designed, content rich
website both for you and your book.
• Blogs: Blogging lets you create current, fresh content on a regular
basis. Pull content from your book and use it to develop brief
blog posts. Comment on current events, news items, or trending
topics. Answer questions or pose questions to generate
interaction with your followers.
• Social Media: Outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and
others let you promote your media efforts, blog, and book, and
enable you to stay connected with your audience. Applications
such as Spredfast and Twitterfeed let you easily manage your
social media without spending a great deal of time or money.
• Speaking/Teaching/Appearances: Authors are viewed as experts,
and experts share their knowledge with others. Speaking on
topics related to your platform, teaching others the skills you
either used to develop your book or that you illustrate in your
book, and making appearances on television and radio shows
related to your topic all help you engage your audience.
• Organizational involvement: Being involved in writers and trade
groups, charities, and local organizations lets you keep in touch
with the people you want to connect with. If you are involved not
only will they be more interested in what you have to say, you will
also learn more about your audience and what they are looking
for (here is where you get ideas for blogs, new books, and media
appearances).

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 • Articles and sourcing: Authors write articles on their subject and
often serve as expert sources for journalists. This helps build the
author’s credibility as an authority figure and trusted source,
which, in turn, helps drive book sales.

There is no limit to the types or number of activities authors can engage in to

build their platforms. However, in order to successfully grow your platform, each
of these activities needs to be cohesive and relevant to the overall topic and
consistent with your message. They also need to be content rich and provide
value. Purely promotional talk or advertising does not engage readers. In fact, it
does the opposite and turns them off completely to your message.

Developing a book proposal is essential, regardless of which publishing option

you choose to use. For more information on how to write a book proposal,
check out the following resources:
• How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen: A literary agent
shares his tips on how to write an attractive book proposal.
• Book Proposals that Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed your Success by
W. Terry Whalin: Offers key tips on developing a proposal, an
outline for a strategic marketing plan, and insider knowledge on
why editors reject some proposals.

This white paper was produced by Greenleaf Book Group. Greenleaf Book Group is an independent
publisher and distributor helping experts with brand building and the development of intellectual
capital. Greenleaf goes beyond the book, providing services in specialty placement, marketing,
distribution, and the publishing of ancillary materials. Greenleaf is more than just a publisher; they also
help professionals build their businesses. To learn more visit www.greenleafbookgroup.com or call
512-891-6100.