by Kara Taylor
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There’s a ton of information out there for writers on the submission process, or what happens once you’ve signed with a literary agent and it’s time to take your book out like a nice, meaty gazelle to all the editor lions. Usually when an author says their manuscript is on sub, they’re talking about a complete book.
But what if you’ve been on the sub train before and have already got a book or two published? You’ve proven that you can finish an entire book in a timely manner, and you’d love the income and stability of another publishing contract—even if you don’t have a polished, complete manuscript ready to go.
That’s when you should have an honest conversation with your agent about selling a book on proposal.
Full disclosure: My agent sold my latest book on proposal. I had just wrapped up a series for a publisher, and I’d started a new project I was really excited about. Instead of waiting until I had written the whole book, I showed my agent the first few chapters, plus a synopsis. She was even more excited than I was, and we mutually decided to submit it to a batch of editors.
Wizard that my agent is, she found an editor who was even more excited about the book than WE were, and by the end of the week, we’d accepted her offer.
The first rule of Selling on Proposal: There are no hard and fast rules.
So what is a proposal anyway? Generally, I’d say a proposal consists of, at the very minimum, five sample chapters and a detailed synopsis of the book. My proposal had seven sample chapters—about 50 pages. I’ve also read a proposal that had sold on nearly 100 pages and a very detailed synopsis.
*Here’s a good time to mention the distinction between submitting on proposal and a contracted book. If your agent sells your manuscript in a multi-book deal, and you accept, you get to write more books for your publisher. Yay! You will probably have to have your editor approve the topic of your next book based on a proposal—especially if the first book you sold is a standalone and not the beginning of a series—but lets forget about contracted books and focus on submitting on proposal.
I’d heard that only bestsellers can sell on proposal, or that proposals don’t sell for as much money as completed manuscripts. Both proved false for me, but again, there are no real rules. This is publishing!
The second rule of Selling on Proposal: That proposal has to rock!
Since you’re only showing editors a sample of your writing, it should be the best dang writing you’re capable of. A lot of writers get hives at the word “synopsis”, but the synopsis is where you have to sell all the twists and turns in your story and set it apart from other books in your genre. So while technically a proposal is an unfinished book, a proposal should never feel unfinished.
Easy, right? You’re probably thinking, “I’d rather just write the whole book at that point!” Which brings me to…
The third rule of Selling on Proposal: It’s okay if it’s not for you.
I see a lot of authors worry about selling on proposal, since it’s essentially selling an idea. The actual, finished book might not be what the editor who bought it was expecting. It’s true that delivering a book under a deadline is stressful, and some writers feel the quality of their work suffers when there’s pressure to produce.
My story ended happily: My editor and I are both very happy with how the book turned out. Now, let’s see what readers think next year!
—
KARA THOMAS is the author of THE DARKEST CORNERS, coming from Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press in Spring 2016. She also wrote the Prep School Confidential series (St. Martin’s Press) and the pilot The Revengers for the CW under the pen name Kara Taylor. She’s represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or on the couch with her rescue cat, Felix.
I am interested in writing a nonficiton book and talked to an editor about the idea this week. She is interested. Hurrah!
But she needs a full proposal that includes a table of contents and a sample chapter. In other words, I have to do some–no, a lot–of work, on spec, before I get a contract. And then, it will be a ton of research to write the book. It’s daunting. To even be in the game, I have to do a lot of work.
I am inspired by Harrison Ford. In an article in the April, 2013 issue of American Way, Jan Hubbard reports on what Ford had to do to get the his latest role. Ford had read an early version of the screenplay for “42,” the new movie about Jacki Robinson’s entry into the world of baseball. Ford was intrigued by the role of Branch Rickey, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who desegregated baseball by signing 26-year-old Jackie Robinson.
Director Brain Helgeland wasn’t interested in well-known actors for any of the parts. He wanted people to see the movie because they wanted to learn about Jackie Robinson; he didn’t want people to go to see another “Harrison Ford movie.”
Helgeland refused to even talk to Harrison Ford about the role. Ford was too big an actor.
“Nothing against him,” says Helgeland, who won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for L.A. Confidential in 1997. “He’s obviously a strong actor and a movie star and someone that movie fans int he country are really fond of, but I didn’t see how it could work. I didn’t see him playing a character.”
Now–what would you do, if you were Ford?
Move on to the next role? There are probably lots of directors courting him for their movies.
Instead, Ford went to work.
He studied his character, Branch Rickey. He found archival film of Rickey and listened to hours of audio tape. He read and re-read the script. He did his homework.
Then, and only then, did he insist on a meeting with Helgeland. (OK, he’s a big enough actor to get that meeting, but the rest of the story depends on his preparation work.)
During the conversation, Ford asked Helgeland how he saw a particular scene playing out, because there were two ways it might go.
Then, Ford broke into a private audition, complete with Rickey’s voice and mannerisms.
“Helgeland said, ‘He took on that Branch Rickey voice and he did the whole scene off the top of his head, so he obviously had memorized it,’ Helgeland says. ‘And I was sitting there saying, ‘Geez. He could really pull this off.’”
The rock. The day before. |
My parents, Fall 2006 |
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Blog: The Official BookBuzzr Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: books, Authors, Book Promotion, Book Marketing, book proposal, proposal, TGIF Book Marketing Tips, Add a tag
Getting Past the Arguments and Past the Gatekeepers An excerpt from the introduction of The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less with seven basics to get you started. Those who haven’t learned to write a book proposal are haunted by that gap in their knowledge. It lingers much like the first horror story your counselor told you as you roasted s’more over a campfire at summer camp, and it becomes more frightening every time the prospect of a new book looms. Book proposals are not something that are going away any time soon. In fact, they have becoming more omnipresent. Once only writers of nonfiction needed to write proposals to get their ideas past gatekeepers, the editors, agents and publishers. Now some publishers ask their novelists to write them. That is especially prevalent for novelists under contract for more than one novel, genre novels, and novels that are part of a series. Many writers are put off by books on proposals. “It takes a whole book to learn to write one?” they say. “First we have to read a whole book, then we have to write a proposal which is practically like writing a whole book and then we have to write the darn book?” They’re right. It all seems like too much. And it may be. There are lots of books out there on how to write a book proposal and I recommend a few at the end of this short piece. But it is easy enough to learn all that you absolutely have to know in a nutshell and that’s what this article seeks to do for you. It’s easy to make short stuff of the subject of writing book proposals simply because there is no one way to write a proposal. You need to know the basics but every proposal will vary with the project depending on the author’s style, the genre he or she is writing in, and the way he or she visualizes the book. In this article, I give you a detailed version of a proposal for a nonfiction book, one that works because it makes it easy on the agent or publisher to find what he or she needs and digest it. Obviously, those writing proposals for fiction (and keep it mind it is rarely required that the writers of fiction books use proposals) will need to adapt these guidelines. So, what is a proposal all about and why are we so uncomfortable with them? A book proposal is a marketing tool and a tell-and-sell document. Writers tend to be artistic or academic or reclusive and probably never pictured themselves hawking any kind of product, much less something that they’re so invested in. That doesn’t mean they won’t have to and it doesn’t mean they can’t learn to write a real kick-butt proposal. In fact, most already have the instincts for it, they just think that they must switch from real writing to brazen or boring. And know that once past the query letter, if your proposal doesn’t impress a gatekeeper, all is lost. So I’m giving you the seven top rules for writing a great book proposal. For details you’ll want tosplurge on The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less. Rule #1: Don’t slide into your business-letter writing mode. In fact, don’t do that when you write business letters. Let your per Add a CommentBlog: librarian.net (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: art, maine, proposal, scultures, libraries, books, Add a tag
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I am teary-eyed. Beautiful, beautiful story. Congrats to you both.
That is AWESOME!!
how wonderful! congratulations!!
What a wonderfulwonderfulwonderful story! Congratulations!!! :-)
On behalf of SCBWI Tokyo, congratulations! Thank you for sharing your story.
This is fanTAStic news Alvina! And welcome to the very happy club. Marriage is amazing and I'm so happy for you! :)
Tears....
Thanks for sharing that special moment. :)
THAT IS SO WONDERFUL!!!
I loved how he even tried to find the matching rock!! And how he had to occupy it. Hehe.
What a beautiful way to blend two hearts into one. Pebble by pebble. Long may you rock. {}
-Pamela
Wonderful! Congratulations!
So sweet! Congratulations! Solid as rock indeed.
Great story, great guy, great partnership! And I like the details you added here and if you think of more, hope you will add them too -- and more pictures.
Many good wishes for doublehappiness!
How incredibly sweet! I love the pacing li ke a crazy person element! Congratulations!
What a beautiful engagement. Congratulations!
WOW! Such a beautiful way to propose, tying in with your family history. I love it.
CONGRATULATIONS!
How exciting! You look so happy. Congrats to your both.
I wish for you a marriage as strong as your parents. They definitely got it right! :)
You just made me cry! Congratulations to both you and Greg!! xoxo
debbi
So beautiful!
BEAUTIFUL! Congrats!
Aw, Alvina, what a guy!!! And what a story you have to tell for years and years to come.
Congratulations!
verklempt and joyful
What a beautiful story! Congratulations. :)
This is gorgeous - how thoughtful, considerate and beautiful of a proposal!
I just started HowHeAsked.com and would LOVE to have this featured story on the site. Please e-mail me at [email protected]
Thanks so much :)
Best and lots of congrats!
Stacy
Totally beautiful story! Congrats!!!