Writing A Book Proposal that Sells
Second In the Series of Articles

This is the second part of an article from Michael Hyatt. It deliberately and thoroughly outlines the process of formatting and submitting a book proposal This information is priceless because it comes from the editor of one of the largest Christian publishers in the business. I will not be posting the entire article but would be happy to email the complete file to you upon request. Please contact me and I'll send it right away. michaelechristianwriter@mchsi.com The complete article is in PDF format and easy to read.

I know some days, weeks, months and even years can be very difficult to make it through. Maybe there is something you've been struggling with and would like to know that someone is praying with you and for you. Although I do not know what need you are dealing with right now, I want you to know that I prayed for you today. As a pastor and chaplain for many years, I would be happy to provided to listen and encourage you along the way.

By Michael Hyatt - Thomas Nelson Publishers

Though all good
proposals mirror its basic content,
each bears its own distinctive flavor as
well. Now with that in mind, let’s get
to work.

For the sake of illustration, let’s assume
that you are a Christian financial
planner. Through the years, you’ve
observed that many of your clients’
financial problems are the result of
never having received adequate training
in money management during
childhood. You’re convinced that if
Christian parents would do a better job
of training in this area, it would spare
them–and their children–a tremendous
amount of grief later in life.

Because of your conviction, you’ve
worked hard to train your own children.
You’ve even developed a seminar
around this theme and taught it in a
few churches. The response has been
overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
Before long, several of your friends
encourage you to write a book on the
subject. Initially, you’re flattered, and
soon you begin to give the idea serious
consideration. But where do you start?
A book is such an enormous project!
And how do you go about getting it
published? The answer to both questions
is a written book proposal.

Before you actually begin writing a
book, you have to decide two things:
what you want to say, and to whom
you want to say it. In other words, you
must determine the book’s content and
identify the book’s audience. Once
you’ve determined these things, it’s
time to go to work on the book’s title.

Create the Title Page
We can’t overemphasize the importance
of developing a strong, catchy
title. If the editor isn’t “hooked” by the
title, he will never open your proposal
to see what is inside.

The purpose of the working title is
to focus your thinking as you develop
the book idea. The working title
should clearly encapsulate the book’s
premise. It might state the promise to
the reader if he reads the book. It
might even state the consequences if
he doesn’t. Sometimes the title will
also include a subtitle.

Let’s consider the hypothetical
book we introduced. After a little
work, you come up with the following
working title:

Helping Your Children Become Financially
Responsible
After a little more thought, you add
the following subtitle:
What Every Parent Should Know

This title clearly encapsulates the
book’s premise and communicates the
promise to the reader.

Once you’ve come up with a title
you need to remember that a working
title is just that: a working title. It’s
tentative. You may decide to revise it
later. Sometimes, the publisher will
want to revise it. In any event, its
purpose now is simply to focus the
development of your book idea and to
clearly–and quickly–communicate
your book’s basic idea.

Type the title neatly centered on
one page. You should enter the subtitle
on a separate line, directly under
the title. Also, type the date you are
submitting the proposal. Finally, type
your name, address, and phone numbers
near the bottom of the page. If
you want, you can add an e-mail
address (see fig. 2 on p. 3).

Write a Proposal Overview
The proposal overview consists of
three distinct sections:

1. The Content (What is the book
about?)
2. Title Page
3.Proposal Overview

I. The Content
A. Premise
B. Unique Selling Proposition
c. Overview
D. Manuscript
1. Manuscript Status
2. Special Features
3. Anticipated Manuscript Length
4. Anticipated Manuscript Completion Date

II. The Market
A. Demographic Description
B. Psychographic Description
C. Affinity Group
D. Competition

III. The Author
A. Background
B. Previous Writing
C. Personal Marketing
Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
Two Sample Chapters