How to Write Non-Fiction: Writing a book proposal
Publishers are businesses.
They make money by selling books to readers and by licensing other formats and selling subsidiary rights like film and TV.
If you want a traditional publishing deal for your non-fiction book, you need to put yourself in the position of a commissioning editor. Yes, they want a well-written book, but ultimately, it needs to sell.
Your book proposal is how you persuade them that this is something they want to publish. They will likely have feedback that will shape the final product, so if you want a traditional deal, you don’t need to finish a whole book, you just need a proposal and sample chapters.
Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling author Charles Duhigg explained his book proposal process in an interview on The Creative Penn Podcast:
I put together a fifty to seventy page proposal and that proposal is first of all written in the voice of the book, so it’s actually as if you’re reading little samples of chapters from the book… I’m trying to prove to myself as much as my editor there’s enough here for a book. That allows me to stress test whether there is a book there because if I can’t write a great proposal, I’m not going to be able to write a great book.
A book proposal is not necessary for independent authors because you decide what to write and publish, but it is a useful tool, regardless. It helps you focus on the target reader and how you might help them, rather than dwelling on the minutiae of the writing itself, which can come later in the process.
Here are the suggested sections of a book proposal.
Front matter
This includes your proposed title and subtitle as well as your author name, as discussed in previous chapters, as well as a content overview.
The pitch
This is the problem you’re trying to solve for the people you’re trying to reach. It’s the transformation they might experience by reading your book.
This section should also discuss how your book is similar to but also different from other books in this niche.
Why are you the person to write this book?
Include relevant details about your background and why you’ve written the book, as well as your (applicable) credentials and personal experience.
Assume that the agent or publisher will search for you online, so make sure your various profiles are up to date before submission.
Target audience
Who are the people your book is specifically designed to reach? What benefits will your book provide for them?
Analysis of comparison titles (known as ‘comps’)
By now, you should know the five to ten books that are similar to yours, those that your book would sit next to on a bookshelf.
They should be recent enough that they can provide marketing comparisons, so try to find books that have been published within the last five years. And don’t only include famous books as they are outliers. You should have a deep knowledge of the other books in your genre, so consider how yours might align, but also provide a different perspective.
Your author platform and marketing plan
A compelling book is not enough in a crowded market. Publishers need to know how you can help them reach readers and sell more books if they’re going to take a risk on your project.
Celebrities and well-known authors have an easier time getting book deals because publishers know they can reach a large audience who will buy their books. But anyone can start to build an author platform, an umbrella term for all the ways you can reach people with your message.
You don’t need to have a vast audience for your podcast or TikTok profile or YouTube channel or an established media presence, but it may help!
If you’re already reaching a substantial number of people through various channels, then list these with verifiable numbers. Note any media or podcast interviews, professional speaking appearances, memberships in organisations aligned with your audience, and any other networks that might help with marketing.
You could also list any quotes or endorsements you have from brands or relevant people in the niche.
If you have no author platform, then include your ideas for marketing the book. Demonstrate your understanding of the current state of book marketing and list ways you might go about reaching readers. For example, five topic-specific podcasts you would pitch to talk about the book, or five influencers who you could send a copy. (See chapter 3.3 for more on author platforms in particular and marketing in general.)
Current state of the manuscript
Indicate where you are in the research and writing process, how long the book is or might be, and how long you expect it will take to finish.
Table of contents and chapter outline
If relevant, include a table of contents and a few sentences per chapter, so the scope and structure of the book is clear.
Sample chapters
Don’t start from the beginning or the introduction of the book. Instead, include a few chapters that are interesting, thorough, and well-written. Your goal is to make an agent or publisher want to read more.
Where do you send your book proposal?
Do your research around the best fit for your book. Which agents or publishers work with books in your genre?
Have you shaped your proposal to best showcase your book and also to make it a good fit for your target agent or publisher?
Make sure to check their submission guidelines, which are usually on their website. Ideally, send the proposal to a specific person’s email, rather than the main company address since otherwise it may end up in the slush pile.
Personal relationships also help. You might meet another author in the niche at an event and get a referral or do a pitch session at a writing event and meet an agent who asks for your proposal.
Use AI tools to help you
AI research tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity AI can be useful in helping you identify target agents and publishers, as well as finding comparison titles and information for the other sections of the proposal.
Here’s a sample starter prompt that you can modify for your situation.
I’m in the UK and writing a self-help book about how lifting weights can help women after menopause physically and mentally. Can you give me a list of 10 UK agents who I could pitch with this book?
Within the same chat, you can also ask:
Now please give me 10 UK publishers who might be right for this book.
In addition, you can use it to find comparison titles:
Please give me 15 books published in the last 10 years that are similar to this in the physical and mental health niches.
You can also use this to expand on your target market:
Please give me 10 different niche markets for this book that I can target with book promotion.
Then you can delve down further for marketing:
Please give me a list of 10 podcasts that are still active right now that intersect with this book and my target markets.
You can also use ChatGPT or Claude to help you with the succinct pitch since it’s often easier to write a longer book than it is to write a short, catchy hook!
Check the terms and conditions of the tool and if you’re happy to upload your work (as I am), then upload, or copy and paste, your draft proposal, whatever you have so far. It doesn’t matter if it’s rough.
Use a prompt like this:
Attached is my draft book proposal. Can you please write three variations of a pitch paragraph that encapsulates the project and makes an agent or publisher want to buy.
You can iterate with these prompts to help you through the process, although, of course, you will need to edit into your own voice and for your specific situation.
* * *
However you choose to publish, a book proposal can be a good tool to help you consider the business aspects of what happens after publication.
“Book proposals force you to consider the kinds of fundamental questions, both personal and professional, that alter lives. Writing one helps define who you are as a writer and how you want to make your mark upon the world. It provides a systematic context that encourages you to focus your work, memorialise your ideas, and celebrate you. Writing a proposal can be — and often is — a transformative experience.”
—Michael Larsen and Jody Rein, How to Write a Book Proposal
Questions:
• However you choose to publish, have you considered the various aspects of a proposal for your book?
• What research or other steps do you need to complete before you are ready to write your proposal?
Resources:
• How to Write a Book Proposal, 5th Edition: The Insider’s Step-by-Step Guide to Proposals that Get You Published — Michael Larsen and Jody Rein
• Writing Non-Fiction and Supercommunicators with Charles Duhigg, The Creative Penn Podcast — www.TheCreativePenn.com/duhigg
• Round-up of resources on book proposals from Jane Friedman, including a downloadable book proposal template: www.JaneFriedman.com/start-here-how-to-write-a-book-proposal
• ChatGPT — www.ChatGPT.com
• Claude — www.claude.ai
• Perplexity — www.perplexity.ai
