New to proposal writing? This template offers a structural framework that will help you get started and include the most important points an agent or publisher will likely want to see.
It should be suitable for most fiction and nonfiction books, but as always when you’re submitting material somewhere, make sure to check what specific guidelines that agency / publisher / platform may have for both content and formatting.
If you’re not sure what a proposal is, when to write a proposal, and how to put a proposal together, check out my guide to an introduction to book proposals before you dive in.
Proposal Table of Contents
- Overview
- Target Audience
- Market Analysis and Comparable Titles
- Author Bio
- Marketing and Promotion
- Chapter Outlines
- Sample chapter(s)
- Projected Length and Writing Timeline
1. Overview
Every proposal should begin with an overview of what your book is about and why someone should care. It should be no more than a few paragraphs.
The “what” of your book should involve stating the genre and discussing (briefly) the general approach/structure/scope, and key themes. It’s also a good idea to mention what your book isn’t. For instance, if you’re writing a proposal for a kid-friendly cookbook, are your recipes “kid-friendly” just in taste or also in execution? Likewise, would it be too simplistic for a novice adult home cook?
Some authors like to start with a ten-second sell, or elevator pitch line, but you’ll want to go beyond that here; it’s not just a “hook”—though that’s important, too—but a chance to showcase the unique selling point of your book (the why someone should care) upfront and center. What makes it different? If it’s not different, what makes it sellable?
If you’re struggling to figure out what that is, have a look at my guide to finding the USP of your book. From the very beginning of the proposal, you want to have your marketing brain on, as commercial potential is what’s really going to attract agents and publishers. So, ensure you include a sentence or two that captures the significance and reach of your topic.
2. Target Audience
One of the most common mistakes people make in their proposals is to say their book will appeal to “everyone” or “people over X age” or “women who like Y genre” in the hope that publishers will be convinced by the widest possible audience. While demonstrating the breadth of your audience is important, you want to be as specific as possible here and think beyond generalizations of different demographics. Think of who “needs” this book and why they would be attracted to it. You can ask yourself questions like:
- How old are your target readers?
- Where do they live?
- What other authors do they read?
- What shows do they watch?
- What are their hobbies?
- What’s their lifestyle like?
- What three words describe them best?
Creating specific personas for different target readers can be useful, and don’t be afraid to use these personas as a way to showcase the tone and style of your writing, too. It’s a great opportunity to immerse the agent or publisher in your approach to this book while showing that you know your readers well.
3. Market Analysis and Comparable Titles
Arguably this section is one of the most (possibly the most) important section of the proposal in terms of creating buy-in for your book. You want to showcase both what your book is and what it is not while also demonstrating how it can meet the needs of your target readers.
With your target audience in mind, create a sketch of the market landscape. Look for clubs or social media groups where your audience might come together, research the popularity of comparable publications, and consider why there is demand for a book like this—and how you can capture that. Social listening—analyzing online conversations about a specific topic or theme to gain insights into its audience—is really useful here.
When it comes to competitor and comparable titles, you want to avoid “slagging off” potential competitors and instead highlight things like the competitor’s market position, how your book is similar, and what people were missing (and how your book will provide that) in addition to the basics like price points, page counts, sales figures, etc. Aim to include a handful (no less than four and no more than eight) of competitors. You don’t need to go overboard, but it’s a good way to illustrate that you’ve done your research and have expert insight into your market. If you’re struggling to find competitors, go to local bookstores and do keyword research on online book vendors. Don’t simply go for the biggest names in the business—look for up-to-date, lesser-known alternatives, too.
As one note of caution, I often see people saying there is a gap in the market and using that as evidence of a “need” for this book. While that may be true in some cases, the fact that there is a gap doesn’t necessarily signify a need; it could mean there is a gap for a reason. So, if you’re making the argument that there is a gap, you want to ensure you’re explaining why that gap needs to be filled (and how and why you’re the best person to fill it).
4. Author Bio
Beyond providing you with that insider market knowledge, your experience is a way to reflect that you have what it takes to deliver on what your proposal is promising. So, this bio should involve a few short paragraphs that speak to your credibility and experience in the realm of the book, and/or with writing in general. Agents and publishers will be specifically concerned with your reach and your immersion in the market, so you want to introduce yourself through information on your author platform, qualifications, past publications, past awards, media appearances, and any professional or personal connections to industry VIPs or relevant organizations.
Even if you’re an emerging author and don’t have any related platforms or contacts, you can still find ways to highlight why you’re the best person to write this book. Think of it like a job interview: How can you sell yourself to the specific person, job, and task at hand?
5. Marketing and Promotion
For nonfiction books in particular, it’s helpful to show that you have a research-based strategy for how you can help the book succeed once it’s accepted by a publisher. In other words, how can you leverage your pre-existing audience or connections to help reach your target market and get your book into the hands of your intended readers? Agents and publishers aren’t interested in general self-promotion ideas (e.g., “I’ll create a website” or “I’ll post on my social media about it”) and are instead looking for specific, tangible actions you could, in theory, do now or in the short-term future to support the book.
For instance, consider your network of contacts and organizations. Are there people in the field or household author names you know personally who would write a blurb? Is your local bookstore or library available for hosting readings? Have you published writing anywhere before that might be willing to do a review of your new project? Do you have existing followers, subscribers, or a mailing list attached to your author platform? Particularly with respect to social media, highlighting specific stats about your account or other accounts you could collaborate with can be useful.
6. Chapter Outlines
By this point in the proposal, you’ve hopefully gotten the agent or publisher on board with your general idea, so now it’s time to show how you plan to deliver on it. Think of this extended table of contents as a chapter-by-chapter roadmap of your book. Each chapter should have a short synopsis (one or two paragraphs) to give the publisher more of a feel of both the tone / style of the book and how it’s going to be structured.
If you’re working on a nonfiction book, make sure to avoid any industry- or field-specific jargon that could make the synopses less accessible. Ultimately you want this outline to give anyone (including people who aren’t other subject experts) a clear view into your plans, especially with respect to narrative development and (when relevant) character and conflict development.
7. Sample Chapter(s)
Depending on when you’re writing a proposal and for whom, sample chapters may not be required, but it’s never a bad idea to include a sample chapter or two (no more than 20 to 30 total pages, double spaced) if you have them available.
This sample of your writing is a great chance to show you have the chops to bring your intended outline to life. It’s also an opportunity to illustrate your book’s unique selling point and potential impact even further, so don’t feel tethered to start at the beginning if that isn’t the most representative demonstration of your book’s themes. However, whatever sample you choose should stand well alone; it shouldn’t require a lot of exposition to understand.
8. Projected Length and Writing Timeline
To conclude your proposal, if your manuscript is a work in progress, you want to mention how long it would take you to finish the complete manuscript and the estimated final word count range. Agents and publishers won’t treat these numbers as set-in-stone, so your best guess is fine, but be cautious about being too ambitious: You don’t want to over-promise and under-deliver.
With respect to the word count especially, be aware that sometimes agents and publishers have pretty set ideas of what certain topics and genres of books “should” look like. That’s not to say they won’t adjust that expectation for the right project, but if an agent usually doesn’t accept debut novels that are longer than 90,000 words and you say your book is going to be around 150,000, that might raise some red flags. Expectations around length and turnaround time can be very agent- or publisher-specific, and they can likewise be influenced heavily by genre, so ensure you’ve done your research accordingly.