Believers Press » Barb Lilland

Keys to a Stand-Out Nonfiction Proposal

Barb Lilland — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:00:59 +0000

The BelieversPress blog features Q & A sessions with the experts we work with, answering questions that you’ve asked. Have a question? Send it to info@believerspress.com and we’ll get you an answer!

You asked:

“I’ve written a nonfiction proposal. What can I do to stand out from the crowd?”

A unique benefit of writing nonfiction is that in most cases you need not write the entire manuscript before submitting a proposal to agents and publishers. However, keep in mind that writing the proposal may be just as difficult! A quality nonfiction proposal focuses on selling yourself and your idea. Like a successful advertisement, the nonfiction proposal should highlight your “product” in such as way as to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

There are numerous guidelines available that will walk you through the physical proposal (cover letter, summary, table of contents, etc.). If you need help with that step, here are a few links to help you get started: http://pages.prodigy.net/jimcypher/proposal.htm; http://www.ehow.com/how_2085531_write-non-fiction-book-proposal.html. (Editor’s note: Mary DeMuth has a great Nonfiction Book Proposal Tutorial eBook available for $25.)

What you may not find on the web are the specific elements an editor and agent are hoping to see when they open up your proposal. In my years as an acquisitions editor, I saw my share of the good, the bad, and the don’t-even-open. Here are some insider tips on how to keep yours in the good—if not excellent—category. First step? Take off your writer’s hat and put on your marketing hat. Second step? Concentrate on including these three keys in your proposal:

1) Subject: You may have a great idea, but if it is not timely and unique, you may not have a book.

a) Your idea needs to be timely. Have there been frequent news articles written on this topic? Have you written a magazine or newspaper article on the subject? Is it a cultural shift, a hot social issue, a current felt-need among a specific age group, or a topic the church is just beginning to address? If so, include one or two news pieces (particularly any you have written) as examples of the timeliness of your topic.

b) Your book needs to be unique. Are there a number of bestselling books on this topic, but yours takes a distinctive approach that will allow it to stand out from the market? Does your personal experience or career give you special insight into this subject? If you were writing the back cover copy of your book, how would you sell this idea as a unique approach with specific take-away value for the reader?

2) Platform: Your qualifications and current audience are often what makes or breaks a book deal.

a) What are your qualifications for tackling this topic? I’m not referring to a degree from an elite college—nice, but it won’t get you a book deal. More crucial is what you are doing now to advance your ideas. Have you written a number of articles on this topic? Do you teach extensively on this (or a similar) subject in your workplace, church, or community? Do you have a website, a popular blog? In today’s market, publishers want an author who comes with a history of successful self-promotion—trust me, those are the writers who get a book deal.

b) What audience have you already gathered? If you maintain a website, how many hits has it received? Do you regularly blog on this topic? How many followers do you have? If you have written articles on the topic, what kind of response did the magazine receive following its publication? How many people typically attend your teaching seminars? Include specific numbers. Remember, if your book proposal entices the acquisitions editor, he or she then has to “sell” it to the editorial board. Make the editor’s job easy by including details about the platform you have already established.

3) Market: Your book’s category and competition are critical to its success.

a) Into what category will your book be shelved? You may feel your book is unique and better than other books in the marketplace, but the fact is your book will sit on the shelf alongside similar books. Know the specific category, do your homework, and don’t be afraid to address it in your proposal.

b) What competition will your book face? I’ve known authors who hoped that by not mentioning the competition, they could trick the editor into thinking the market was wide open on their topic. Not going to happen. Know the competition, and detail how your book is better. You may want to list the top three books in the category along with their sales numbers or bestseller standing. Remember, the editor may have acquired one of those successful titles: tell him or her why yours is exceptional, why it is a good follow-up in the wake of that other book, and/or why your book will appeal to a broader audience.

Beyond just selling a good idea, your book proposal needs to address the timeliness and uniqueness of the subject, your established platform, and the current temperature of the market. Touch on those three keys in your cover letter, and follow with more specific details on the ensuing pages. The result? A top-notch proposal guaranteed to stand out from the crowd.

A Self-publishing Success Story

Barb Lilland — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:05:27 +0000

“What I really want is to walk down the street and have someone come up to me and say, ‘I read your book in one sitting. I could not put it down.’ ‘” –Lynn Ruth Miller, How I became self-published

As writers, isn’t that what we really want? Sure, a Pulitzer would be lovely, and we’d throw a party if our name appeared on the New York Times Bestseller lists, but ultimately, isn’t it really about impacting another life through our words? In her blog, Miss Miller talks about how she couldn’t win the bookstore war (in competition with the big publishers), but she could win the readership war.

A great story, a compelling cover, strong marketing and publicity, and a savvy approach to online markets allows writers to get their message to their audience in a way that seemed an uphill battle a decade ago. Her self-publishing success story is both informative and uplifting for any writer hoping to touch lives through the pages of a book.

Relevant Writing for Today’s World

Barb Lilland — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:30:44 +0000

Anyone remember Y2K? The doom-and-gloom, the warnings, and the survivalist mentality swept the nation in the prelude to January 1, 2000. My husband and I were given several books on the subject and told the books could “save our lives.” I’ve kept them on our shelves for the sole purpose of showing my kids a slice of our nation’s history. (For the sake of complete disclosure, I will admit that we added a few more bottles of water to our stash and the pantry was well stocked on New Year’s Eve.) By January 2^nd of that year, a lot of authors, radio show hosts, pastors, publishers, and teachers must have felt just a wee bit of disappointment that their labor was for naught. And the embarrassment? Well, that had to have been painful, too.
David Kinnaman and Greg Lyons, authors of UnChristian: What New Generation Really Believes, state that young intellectuals view Christians as judgmental, uninformed, and out-of-touch with reality.
How can we, as a publishing community, begin to change that perception? As believers, how do we communicate important issues of the day without losing our relevance or our credibility?

Know the facts before you rush to write about the latest scare. Global warming is a perfect example: half the experts say the earth is warming; the other half note a cooling trend. If this is a topic you are passionate about, be prepared for the possibility that time and weather render your book obsolete.
Avoid a critical, judgmental attitude in your writing. We face a world of broken, wounded souls who need a sensitive, compassionate approach. Too often we write from our heads instead of our hearts, and fail to offer God’s grace to those in need.
Be cautious about making predictions. Here’s a quote from one of my Y2K gems: “I predict that y2k will not be moderate by any definition…a percentage of people will die from cold, another percentage from hunger, and a larger percentage will die from crime and disease…fleeing anarchical conditions in the cities.” Predictions, particularly those that incite fear, often do little to enhance the credibility of the author.
Make sure your premise is grounded in Biblical principles. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness…it is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere.” (James 3:17, TLB) Are the truths you have written communicated in a way that is straightforward and sincere? Can readers find those same truths echoed in the pages of the Bible?

The printed word is a powerful vehicle for communicating the Gospel in a way that is relevant, trustworthy, and effective. Let’s use it to be a voice for truth in a society desperate for a new way to live.

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Writers and Editors: A Team Effort

Barb Lilland — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:00:24 +0000

A number of authors have likened the writing process to an artist working on canvas…you begin with a God-inspired vision, a story, a message, and your first tremulous thoughts give the vision substance. Slowly, often painfully, words fill the blankness of the page as the story unfolds. If, like an artist, the work itself is so personal, so fragile, what, then, is the role of the editor?

The Essential Perspective

Annie Dillard, author of An American Childhood, says that just as an artist covers his tracks as he begins to add layer upon layer of paint to canvas, so a writer needs to learn to “cover his tracks”–discarding what distracts from the vision and polishing the essentials. When the solitary experience of writing the manuscript is complete, the editor plays a key role by offering perspective, advice, and the time-tested ability to examine the vision from an outsider’s viewpoint. Stand close to a masterpiece and you see colors, brush strokes, marks of the artists’ tools; take several steps back, and the vision reveals itself.

The Support System

Allowing editorial professionals to come alongside you, the writer, provides critical feedback and offers you the chance to polish your manuscript to its literary best before it is seen by the intended audience. For those of you wondering exactly what happens when you hand your manuscript over to the editor, let me say that it must feel similar to when your newborn is whisked off by the nurse for his first bath-it must be done, but wait, I’m not ready to let go…what if it’s painful…when will I see him again?! Or the first time an artist reveals his latest painting-what if it is no good? Maybe it’s not ready to be seen…this is terrifying! Be assured that many authors begin this stage with trepidation, only to discover an editorial process that is both enjoyable and tremendously beneficial. In the end, the writer has gained a polished manuscript ready for publication, and along the way has mastered new skills for giving substance to the next story.

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