I want to give you a quick guide to writing book proposals.

I used to struggle with this, not sure how long to discuss each section or even what the sections should be. So, I wanted to help change that for you all as you go about trying to sell your books to traditional publishers or agents.

Understanding this post:

I will do my best to format this as you would want it formatted on a word document. However, some things don’t translate well in a blog post.

• A line divider signals a page break.
• All of the numbers are replaced with the # symbol, so you can essentially copy and paste and plug the correct information in.
• I occasionally leave notes or explanations in brackets.
• Throughout the proposal, you should have a header starting on page two that includes the Title, your name, and your agent’s name as well as page numbers.

Good luck!

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[Centered, starting halfway down the page]

Proposal

Title

A [Genre] Novel of X0,000 words.

by

Your Name

[In the bottom right corner]

Agent Name

Agent email

Agent address

Agent phone number

Other contact info for the agent

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Contents:

One Sheet #

Author Biography #

Platform #

Publishing Credits #

Marketing and Promotion #

Comparable Books #

Target Market #

Synopsis #

Series Potential #

Sample Chapters #

[Just make this page look pretty and be informative]

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[Title] is a [genre] novel proposed at X00000 words.

HOOK:

One sentence elevator pitch to grab readers attention, could also be a tagline.

BACK COVER:

Two to three paragraphs summing up your book in an engaging way.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:

One to two paragraphs about yourself.

[You can also include a photo of yourself here.]

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:

Three to four paragraphs about yourself.

PLATFORM:

Past Speaking Credits:

A list of times you’ve spoken in front of audiences, including the date, location, and topic.

Online Media Presence: # total solo platform (everything combined)

Twitter: #

Instagram: #

Tumblr: #

Facebook: #

YouTube: #

Goodreads: #

Pinterest: #

Blog: #

Round these numbers to the nearest 10 or 100, depending on what it’s closest to.

Shared Platform:

Reach you gain from groups you’re part of or from people you’re connected to.

Publishing credits:

Any relevant publications you’ve had to prove your skills as a writer. (If you have publications, but they’re not relevant, include them anyway. If you have an online portfolio, link it here as well.)

MARKETING AND PROMOTION:

A bulleted list of what you’re willing to do to help promote your book once it’s published.

COMPARABLE BOOKS/TITLES:

5 books published within the last 5 years that have similarities to your own.

Title by Author

Publisher, date

Genres:

Compare and Contrast paragraph

Title by Author

Publisher, date

Genres:

Compare and Contrast paragraph

Title by Author

Publisher, date

Genres:

Compare and Contrast paragraph

Title by Author

Publisher, date

Genres:

Compare and Contrast paragraph

Title by Author

Publisher, date

Genres:

Compare and Contrast paragraph

TARGET MARKET:

Primary Audience:

Secondary Audience:

Tertiary Audience:

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SYNOPSIS:

1-3 pages, single spaced. Each time a new character is introduced, their name is CAPITALIZED. But only the first time. After that, you write it normally.

For nonfiction, provide a chapter by chapter summary, writing about one paragraph per chapter.

SERIES POTENTIAL:

[Only include this if you hope to sell this as a series.]

Sentence summary of book one.

Book Two:

Paragraph summary of book two.

Book Three:

Paragraph summary of book three.

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SAMPLE CHAPTERS/WRITING SAMPLE:

12 pt Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, double spaced.

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That’s it! You’ve done it! Congratulations! If you need any help with the comparable titles section, I tend to use either Amazon or Goodreads or both to find similar books and get a feel for their plots.

I hope this helps!

Note: This article was originally published on http://www.authorjjhanna.com on August 14, 2019 and updated January 2024.

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