First, how to WRITE A BOOK PROPOSAL - The trick of getting the publisher to LOOK at your chapters is to write a QUERY letter that gives the publisher confidence so that he'll invest in you. And having an editor look at your book costs him (fee to reader). Indicate in your letter, that you will be submitting this simultaneously to other publishers, so they should look at it closely and quickly. Last, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Doesn't have to be big. You could even create a form letter saying, DEAR AUTHOR: YES I am interested, send me hard copy, Send me the book on a CD-disc. Send Book in Microsoft Word, Check box, or in Word Perfect for Windows. Some different choices. Create a space for editor's name, phone number, address, name of book company, which you fill in for each one.
In your personal letter (a handsome, laser-printed 1 or two page document), persuade the publisher that he will receive a high-quality, marketable product that tells a complete story, which is new and important, which was written by an author with credibility in that subject, which can be effectively promoted by the author once it is published, which is marketable to a well-defined audience that needs and wants your book, and which can be effectively and efficiently marked thru bookstores but hopefully through other venues as well. And last, a book that will produce profit for the author/publisher, i.e. might have a shake at being a best seller!
If he says yes, that he will look at your two or three chapters and an OUTLINE, you then will need to include the publisher less than ten pages that cover these following points. Give thought to how your book can be sold, marketed. And share those thoughts with the publisher, editors. Less than FIVE pages would be optimum. Nobody today has time or will to digest a hunk of words and paper.
DESCRIBE THE CONCEPT. Lead proposal with statements of concept. Do that in less than fifty words, including target market and why they’ll want book.
DESCRIBE THE PLOT. Don't just say what book will contain. It doesn't give a feel for how the book will read. Write an essay in lieu of the book in the manner of the book. It could start with an anecdote, a statement of core thesis, the main themes.
SUMMARY, special features, the table of contents, the author and your Media CV, listing appearances in the media. If none, why do you think you can handle media?
OPTIONAL: DESCRIBE the NEED for the book. What life problem does it solve? What is the competition? Why another entry in its field? What social trends argue for doing the book now?
Give them the SALES AND MARKETING plan, your resources, ideas connections, PR leads. Can you give a lecture tour at colleges? Do some of your own P.R. and travel doing radio shows?
What will major media do, the news, feature stories on you? What's the angle or news hook. Reviews don't sell books. Media does. Special groups that would use your book as a premium? Will the book sell ten years from now? Foreign interest? Magazines that would carry an excerpt? Theatrical rights possible? If so, do you have connections in Hollywood or does your agent?
You enclose a few chapters and an outline, just to show them how great you write and think.
SELF
PUBLISHING: You can click on that <
It's a LIVE LINK! I was just now
told in an email that one can PUBLISH ONLINE. My pal Dawes in London was
investigating Amazon Kindle Books. He said "Do free self publishing your
own books via Amazon Kindle Books, i.e., electronic publishing. Once you
have signed up with Amazon, you are automatically accepted under their
Kindle Books for publishing. You set your own price for publishing
- even as low as US$00.99c. It is the volume that counts. Read this article
about an American guy who has had a million sales in a year on Amazon Kindle:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8589963/Self-publishing-writer-becomes-million-seller.html
.
You don't have any cost
overheads apart from your computer and Internet connection. Advertising
is free
on Amazon. You design your
own book, with graphics if you wish, and upload. Your royalties are 35
percent of sales. People
purchase your Kindle book via Amazon and download it to their own iPad,
Mac,
Kindle or other devices.
Check it out!
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