The
Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published and Making Money from Your WritingThe
Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published and Making Money from Your Writingby Bill Adler, Jr.
Do you want to be a writer--or a published writer?
The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published includes detailed information on how to get published by one of the best literary agents in the country.
The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published includes valuable, hard-to-get information on:
How to research your proposal
Real tips from top editors (From Crown, William Morrow & Company, Prentice-Hall, Que, and many more!)
Avoiding the "kiss of death" in your proposal
How to convince publishers there is a market for your book
Creating and developing ideas for books
How to tell what’s a good idea, and what’s not
Answers to questions about publishing
Actual¾complete¾book proposals to use as examples
What goes into the "table of contents" section of your proposal
The single most important thing to include in your proposal
The secrets of book publishing contracts
How to promote your book
And much, more."The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published will help any writer become a published author."
-- Gene Brissie, Prentice Hall
If you are happy writing for yourself, you don't need this book. But if you want to be a published author, then order The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published now!
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How to write a book proposal
Report on banned books and censorship
Questions and answers about literary
agents
Interested in knowing what top editors look for in a book proposal or manuscript? Do you want to know what publishers hate to see in proposals and queries? Would you like to read some successful proposals? All this --and more-- is in The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published.
For ten years, our literary agency, Adler & Robin Books, Inc. gave away a smallish pamphlet to our clients entitled "The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing Book Proposals." Then we started getting requests from authors who were not out clients, as well as from publishers, for this guide. Sometimes publishers asked for not one, but several copies of The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published. And we realized¾ this was a valuable document, one that we should share as widely as widely as possible.
And that is what we have done¾ by turning The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published into a book, we are not only making this guide as widely available as we know how, but we have expanded The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published into the most complete guide to writing book proposals you can find anywhere.
The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published is based on our knowledge and experience as agents¾ over fifty years of combined experience. For this book we have drawn on our experience as agents, but we have also interviewed authors, editors and publishers. So in The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published you receive the benefit of a diverse group of people in publishing.
While I have a good idea of what makes an outstanding proposal¾ and what doesn’t¾ I’m still learning. If I knew everything, I would never have a rejected proposal come back to me. (And, unfortunately, the do.) To that end, I solicited the comments of top editors throughout the publishing industry. Their view often differ from mine, which shows that publishing is still a seat-of-the-pants business. You’ll learn a lot from their comments.
The only rule you need to remember to write a book proposal is that there are no rules for writing a book proposal. If you are Walter Cronkite and decide, finally, to write your autobiography, a one-sentence proposal will suffice. If you have an idea about the history of fax machines, then you should count on writing a couple dozen pages at least, with respectable sample material. Writing a book proposal isn't a mysterious process. The key to keep in mind is: Book proposals are written for publishers. Not book-buyers. Every remark you make should be addressed to the publisher, for the publisher is your sole audience. Asides and other comments you want to make to readers that aren't relevant to the proposal should be saved for the book.
But how do you tell what's relevant to a book proposal? A book proposal is a sales tool, a marketing device. In this instance, publishers are the market. You and your idea are the product. Ultimately book-buyers are the market too, but you've got to sell the proposal to publishers first. If a paragraph helps sell the proposal, include it; if it doesn't, don't put it in. You have to convince a publisher to risk money and time on you and your idea. You must assure the publisher not only that readers are going to buy your book, but that your project is more worthwhile than some other book the publisher might take on. Each book costs a publisher thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to produce (not including your advance). About 50,000 new books are published in the United States each year; about half lose money. Those aren't good odds, so you must show the publisher why your book betters the odds.
What follows assumes that you write well. If you have any doubts about your writing abilities, work on that first. William Zinzer, Peter Elbow, Bill Safire, and James Kilpatrick have written some worthwhile and entertaining books about writing¾ read them. Or collaborate with a writer who's skilled in the craft. Better still, write as much as you can. The absolute best way to become a better writer is to write, revise, write, revise until perfection strikes. If your proposal has to go through ten drafts, it will be worth it in the end. Not having published a book before won't count against you!
Three Secret Weapons
Here are three secret weapons that will help you write a successful proposal. Keep these principles in mind as you craft your proposal.
Secret Weapon #1 Visualize walking through a bookstore. Where would you find your book? In humor? In sociology? Perhaps in travel. Your book has to fit neatly into one or another category. Don't call your book a humor/sociology book. For example, a historical look at sex might be funny and it might be a good historical narrative, but for the sake of your proposal, choose. Of course you can say, "This historical study of sex will be written in a light, almost humorous style..." But do not say, "This is both a history and humor book." You'll never find a good publisher that way.
Secret Weapon #2 Will your book do well in specialty markets? That is, are non- bookstore sales a good prospect for your book? These days, the success of a book may depend on how well it sells outside of bookstores. People buy books in specialty stores, in specialty bookstores, from catalogs, through computers, via television, from specialty book clubs, through direct mail, and from organizations, churches, synagogues, and professional societies. The depth of interest in a topic can often be measured by the number of people who participate in these groups and ventures. The more places you can specifically identify, the better your odds of not only selling the book to a publisher, but selling the book to consumers.
Secret Weapon #3 The secret army in the book business is the publisher's sales force. These are the people that get book stores, catalogs and specialty stores to sell books. Without the sales force, your book would never get to consumers. It's also your book's sales representative who determines whether your book is sold spine out, or face out! A sales representative has about thirty seconds in which to convince a book store owner to carry a particular book. When you write your proposal, keep the sales representative in mind. Why should the sales representative gamble his reputation on your book? How will he or she sell your book? Keep those questions in mind and you'll write an incredible proposal.
The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published is available at most bookstores.
Excerpts from The
Literary
Agent's Guide to Getting Published:
From the chapter, "What top editors have to say about book
proposals."
Although almost every element of a proposal is important, I consider good marketing information essential. Verifiable numbers—when included—always help sway an editorial board ("There are X million people with diabetes in North America" or "Y million people bought used cars last year" or "There are 650,000 lawyers in the U.S.," as basic as that information sounds, never hurts) along with what the competing titles are, their prices, authors, publishers and publication dates. ¾ Gene Brissie, Prentice Hall
We usually do want to see a sample chapter. It’s important for several reasons: If this is a first time author, the question is can he/she write. Great minds and great ideas do not necessarily mean great writers. Sample chapters give us an idea of how well an author can put word to paper. Sample chapters also help us see if the author can say things effectively. Does he/she have a good "voice?" Does she know what she is talking about? ¾ Charles Inlander, People’s Medical Society
Include favorable clippings about the author, relevant articles about the book’s subject (if there was a Time magazine story or something like that) reviews of author’s previous books, and early endorsements by known names. An endorsement by a nobody is sort of pathetic.
I really hate sloppiness. The kisses of death, for me, are typos, misspellings, and any obvious factual errors. The proposal must be really polished. ¾ Deborah Brody, Viking-Penguin
I always read the sample chapter. It’s the only piece of a proposal that shows the "look and feel" that the author envisions for the book. The rare time I don’t expect a sample chapter is when the author has written a long article on the topic. In some cases, such an article shows the right writing style, tone, approach, and other qualities I look for in a sample chapter. (In other cases, it doesn’t leave me wanting to know more—the "more" being in book form.) ¾ John Bell, Addison-Wesley
In terms of market research/information, it’s only important if the topic of the book is very specific. For example, if it’s a guide to Lupus, then the first thing I’ll want to know if how many people suffer from the disease and perhaps how many are projected to have it over the next five years. If it’s a memoir about anorexia, I’ll want to know how many people there are with eating disorders, although that won’t be my main concern (the writing will be most important). If it’s a guide to a TV show, all I care about is how many people watch the show. I never care whether or not the book would be a natural for course adoption or sell mainly in gift stores because that’s a minute part of the market we reach. I’m looking for (a) a book that is in a category people buy in anyway (self-help, how-to) or (b) a book that will get publicity and attention that will drive people to the bookstores. ¾ Laurie Abkemeier, Hyperion
The author should devote a paragraph to stating why he is uniquely qualified to write this particular book. He should name all newspapers, magazines, and journals that have quoted him, reviewed his past books, or published his pieces. Clean copies of these articles, labeling the sources, will enhance the presentation and its usefulness. For serious nonfiction, a complete c.v. should be included as well. ¾ Linda Reagan, Plenum Publishing
Please do not spend pages telling us about mugs, aprons, and kitchen towels that could be marketed with your book, TV tie-ins you think would be terrific, or other marketing schemes for its sale. If you have some real contacts in the media world, tell us briefly what they are. Use the proposal to sell your book to us. That’s what we will buy. ¾ Linda Matthews, Chicago Review Press
A sample chapter is important for first-time authors. If the author has a book or clippings these are fine. ¾ Melissa Rosati, Rutdledge
Very important. Keep in mind you’re helping the editor pitch this project to his/her colleagues and boss. Don’t assume the editor knows the statistics/markets. If you were going after a bank loan, wouldn’t you give the loan officer every bit of information you think would help them secure the necessary money? With a book proposal you are asking for money. And you only get one chance. Market research is also a good way for authors to sharpen the editorial focus of their project, angling it toward the market’s interests and needs.
¾ Toni Sciarra, William Morrow & Company
Bad proposals are those that basically say this book will be a bestseller off the front counters of bookstores. This raises editorial hackles on so many levels—the author doesn’t know how much money we waste trying to get bookstores to use counter displays; doesn’t know how limited the counter space is in bookstores. His is clearly the kind of book that has no target market—is an "impulse buy" for the general public. As such, it should speak for itself—that’s the kind of book that should show how funny and clever and timely it is, rather than having its author tell the publisher all of the above. ¾ Wendy Hubbert, Jeremy Tarcher, Inc.
Order The Literary Agent's Guide to Getting Published by Bill Adler, Jr.
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How to write a book proposal
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Report on banned books and censorship
Questions and answers about literary
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