Before I dive in, I would like to remind you that I have a free workbook for marketing your memoir available now. Please check it out!
As we discussed last week, your book proposal is of your biggest assets in your book pitch, even (or especially) as a memoir writer. But as many writers and book coaches can attest, book proposals can get messy very quickly, and you do not want to fall into some of the most common traps I’ve seen when reviewing book proposal drafts.
As a disclaimer, I would like to say that these tips are based on my training, expertise, and experiences with reviewing book proposals. We are all human, and we all have different ways of trying to present ourselves. Sometimes we go over-the-top confident while other writers can be completely understated. Don’t take it too personally if you’ve done all or some of these things. We’re here to learn and improve.
With that said, let’s begin.
1. No frills.
Do not use funky fonts, letterheads, fancy frames, graphics, etc. Stick to Times New Roman or Arial font. It’s tempting to make your proposal visually exciting in order to stand out on an agent’s desk, but in this digital age, agents are more commonly jumping through PDFs or forms they’ve set up on their websites. Even in print, if they see a stack of blue-colored papers among a sea of standard submissions, it’s not going to have the impact you hope it will. More than likely the agent is going to think you are someone who is not taking your writing seriously and needs fun colors and fonts to get noticed instead of letting your words speak for themselves. Don’t be like this.
2. No extra graphics/pictures.
The only picture necessary is your author photo. Any other photos will distract the agent from the substance of your proposal. The exception to this is if you are publishing an especially visual book that would contain a large number of graphics, and you need to provide examples to demonstrate what the book will actually look like.
3. Stay concise.
Condense, condense, condense! Exceeding recommended word and/or page counts will not get you extra points—in fact, quite the opposite. Anyone who grew up with me knows I have always struggled with this. However, keeping your ideas condensed will pay off immensely in keeping the agent engaged in your argument and showing them that you have the ability to efficiently convey your ideas.
Some approximate guidelines:
- Overview: 1–3 pages
- Author Bio: 1 page
- Audience Analysis: 1–2 pages
- Competitive Titles: 3–4 sentences per comp
- Annotated TOC: 2–4 pages, depending on the length of the book/number of chapters
- Marketing Plan: depends on the level of detail in the marketing plan but it should be several pages
- Sample Chapters: about 40 pages
4. Stick to the required materials.
In the same vein as keeping it concise, do not start experimenting with industry standards by including extra and unnecessary materials/sections. There is a standard for organizing a book proposal for good reason, and bending these guidelines will only get in the agent’s way of finding what they need. Your time is better spent refining your problem areas than fluffing up the proposal with extra material the agent did not request. This also goes back to the concept of most agents taking submissions through a form, and extra sections will not fit into these online forms.
5. Ditch the dated competitive titles.
You should stick with books published in the last three to five years at most. Anything older will weaken the credibility of your comp section because it will not be able to show the current commercial viability of your book. Keep them new unless you have a staple, bestselling title. Even in that case, be careful not to compare your book to an anomaly in the market. We’re not going to be the next Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, or David Sedaris. Trying to convince the agent such a thing is just wasting everyone’s time (most of all our own).
6. Stick to your genre.
This applies to all areas of the proposal. Do not jump into magical realism in your author bio or throw a poem into your overview for your nonfiction book. Many of my suggestions, you can probably tell, are about removing things that writers might feel add a bit of “pizzazz” to the pitch. However, to an agent or an editor, it can come off as someone who is not letting the real work stand on its own. After all, while we are creating art, the proposal is part of a business transaction.
7. Step into your authority and voice, but keep it professional.
There is a delicate dance we do when it comes to writing as our authentic selves while keeping a professional tone. Not every editor or agent will respond well to curse words or being spoken to like your buddy at the bar. Write with confidence in your opinions and your story but remember your overall purpose: to form a business relationship. Read and reread your language, looking for passive voice, for “may” and “maybe” and “might” and all of those uncertain words.
8. Have your proposal professionally copy-edited and/or coached.
You are pitching your passion project, your finest work; you want this proposal to be as clean and polished as it can be. If you have never created a book proposal before, I highly recommend getting a book coach for your first proposal. This would give you in-depth, developmental feedback from someone with market expertise. If you are more seasoned with the process and the publishing industry, you are less likely to be reading this, however, in that case, I would likely recommend only a professional copy-editor. But in most cases, I recommend both.
I encourage you to take advantage of the Internet’s vast library of resources on crafting your book proposal, as this list is not extensive. If you are looking for a quick way to start brainstorming for your next memoir proposal, check out my free memoir marketing workbook. If you’re ready to work with me on your next book proposal or just have questions about book coaching, feel free to schedule a free discovery call with me.
Featured photo by Cup of Couple.
Hanna Etu 