Book Proposals
A Guide from Thomas Nelson Corp

I selected something a little different today to share with you. This is a nuts and bolts posting. How do you submit your book idea to a publisher? What method and format do you use? This article is from Michael Hyatt, editor of Thomas Nelson Publishers, a leading Christian publisher. I have reproduced only one page to whet your appetite. I think you will find it riveting if you are interested in writing. If you would like the rest of the article, pleaase contact me at michaelelmorechristianwriter@mchsi.com and I will send it right out to you. The information is formated in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Thanks, and good learning!

MICHAEL S. HYATT February 23, 1998 The Write Stuff

Even if you have previously
had a book published,
you’ll find tremendous
value in preparing a formal
book proposal. It will go a
long way toward helping
you to clarify your own
thinking about the subject
before you begin the actual
writing process.

If there’s one thing a publisher
hates to see, it’s a manuscript.
Surprised? Most authors are.
The fact is that publishers
return most manuscripts to the
author without ever having read them.
Publishers simply do not have the time
or staff to wade through the enormous
number of manuscripts they receive
from hopeful authors.

What a publisher really wants is a
book proposal. Although you should
include at least two sample chapters in
your proposal, you should not finish
writing the entire manuscript until the
acquiring editor has approved the
book’s basic premise and structure, and
the publisher has accepted the project
for publication.

At Thomas Nelson Publishers we
strongly believe in the creative interaction
between author and editor. Out
of this process come the best manuscripts.
You’ll find that most other
publishers feel this way, too.
Consequently, we want to give the
author as much input as early in the
writing process as possible. A book
proposal gives us that opportunity.
So then, how do you prepare a good
book proposal? From our experience,
in addition to a captivating cover letter,
it needs to include four distinct
elements (see fig. 1 on p. 2 for a complete
outline):

1. Title Page
2. Proposal Overview
3. Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
4. Two Sample Chapters
This kind of proposal will accomplish
two things. First of all, it will help
us better evaluate your book idea and
decide whether or not we want to pursue
the project further. Second, even if
you have previously had a book published,
you’ll find tremendous value in
preparing a formal book proposal. It
will go a long way toward helping you
to clarify your own thinking about the
subject before you get too involved in
the actual writing process.

In order to illustrate these principles,
let’s create a book proposal. Be
sure to keep in mind, though, that this
is only a hypothetical book
proposal–an example. It is not an absolute
formula to be followed blindly.
(Also, if you want to write a fiction
book proposal, the format will be