Writing a book proposal is not for the faint of heart. Since I did this without an agent or insider knowledge as to what it’s all about, I felt a lot like this:
I knew about writing, but trying to converge my passion into a document that would convice someone my idea was marketable? I was a baby. I knew nothing. At least not enough. I spent a lot of time reading, hoping I would know the difference between valuable information and junk. Here are some resources that were most helpful to me and will hopefully propel you from baby knowledge to at least pre-teen.
A First Time Author’s Perspective: Author, Jody Hedlund writes about her journey from loving the art of writing to receiving representation from an agent and signing a three book contract. Jody shares lots of interesting details about the publishing process from the perspective of a fiction writer.
A Writing Mentor and Veteran Author Perspective: Mary DeMuth is passionate about mentoring writers and regulary allows readers to pitch their ideas to her (or another member of her Writing Spa mentor team) on her blog, So You Wanna Be Published.
An Agent’s Perspective: Rachelle Gardner’s blog, Rants and Ramblings: On Life as a Literary Agent, is packed full of information about the publishing process; from how to write a query letter to what agents and editors are looking for in an author. I spent lots of hours combing through her archives and checking out the recommended links in her sidebar. I also follow her on twitter @RachelleGardner.
A Publisher Prospective: Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, writes a fantastic blog filled with tons of useful information. I’m so vague. Just read him, if you don’t already. And follow him on twitter, too @MichaelHyatt.
An Editor’s Perspective: I was blessed to have the beautiful and gifted Bonita Lillie of Encouraging Words for Writers read my proposal before I pitched it. Bonita is also a writer and a teacher, so her experience, knowledge of the publishing world and appreciation of the writing craft offered vision and continuity to my work, ultimately inspiring enough courage in me to pitch with confidence.
If you’re planning to write a non-fiction book, buy Mary DeMuth’s ebook: Non-fiction Book Proposals that Grab an Editor or Agent by the Throat (in a good way!) I bought it for $10 last summer and it lifted the veil of mystery off the book proposal writing process for me. It was so helpful that when I met Mary at She Speaks, the first thing I told her was she needed to charge more for her ebook. Not saying she took my advice necessarily, but the cost is now $25 and worth. every. penny.
Michael Hyatt has also written two e-books entitled Writing a Winning Book Proposal, one for fiction and one for non-fiction. I haven’t read these, but almost every site I’ve been on recommends them.
I did read a few hold-in-your-hand books too, like Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen. I’m still slowly working through Anne Lamott, as her book is about the craft of writing and I like to breathe in those types slowly. But I read Michael Larsen’s book methodically, from start to finish. I didn’t do everything he suggested, but I really appreciated his practical voice.
Since I have no agent, I brought my book proposal to a writing conference (She Speaks) and met with a publisher rep there. A lot of publishers won’t take unsolicited manuscripts or proposals from authors without agents. You can, however, submit through websites like Writers Edge or Christian Manuscript Submissions.
Check out Sally Stuart’s book, Christian Writer’s Market Guide to learn everything you would ever need to know about the Christian market, from greeting cards to traditional publishing, including how they accept submissions.
I know any one of these resources will be helpful to any of you who may be thinking about writing a book but don’t know where to begin. Do you have any other favorite resources I haven’t mentioned here? Feel free to share in the comments.
Emily –
Thank you so very much. It’s encouraging to realize that the literary stork doesn’t just swoop in and drop book deals in blogger’s open arms. Rather, like everything else in life and birth, they require a whole lot of dedicated, hard labor.
Thank you. I’m encouraged. And going shopping for books in 3, 2, 1….
-Lisa-Jo
This is such a wonderful post!! I love Bird by Bird. And Mary and Rachelle.
Thanks, Emily. These are all really useful, concrete tips (I love concrete). Sometimes in the midst of this process I feel like I’m walking down a long, dark tunnel, shouting, “Hello????? Anyone here???? Hello??” It’s good to know there are others in the tunnel, too. It doesn’t feel quite so dark anymore.
BTW, love, love “Bird by Bird.” Anne Lamott rocks. I sort of worship her. I met her at a conference in MN this summer. I waited in a long line for her to sign my copy of “Traveling Mercies,” and when I finally got up to the table, I handed her the wrong book to sign…another author’s book. Big gaffe! I was mortified, but she was very gracious. Sometimes I wear myself out.
Thank you so much. As another blogger who isn’t famous but still has a fabulous book idea, your inspiration this week has been just what I needed to give me to push forward. Hopefully I will be sitting in on your presentation this summer and then meeting with a publisher:)
You’ve been a blessing.
Thanks so much for this, Emily! Several of these sources are new to me (but won’t be for long)!
I have a question for you (no worries if you don’t have time to answer it). When you were reading these resources and gleaning information, did you have a particular method for organizing all you learned? Or, were you able to just remember the highlights and incorporate them into your proposal?
Thanks so much for helping other “babies” out! Have a great day!
Hi Kristen – I had a few ways to organize what I was learning:
1. I printed out Mary’s ebook on proposal writing and kept it with me every time I worked on the proposal. I also made notes all over it.
2. I have a tumblr account that I use just for filing resources I find online. I used that a lot if I ran across a great blog post or something.
After a while, you start to see that the main points of proposal writing are the same wherever you go so those begin to stick in the brain. The repetition helped.
Chip MacGregor is a literary agent who blogs at http://www.chipmacgregor.com – it is an excellent source of information for wrtiers!
I loved Bird by Bird. And I love Mary’s resources too.
Stephen King wrote a really good book on writing… I think its called “On WRiting” (not 100% on the title), but it is a great resource too!
And, one more! Pen on Fire by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett is a great book too.
So, Emily, I’m curious, are you still agentless? Do you have plans to pursue one at some time, or not sure? Like I said, just curious!
I am still agentless, mainly b/c it happened kind of fast. I did have a few people look over my contract before I signed it, people who are in publishing and know stuff. I have spoken with at agent and talked about what representation might look like. But we have made no commitments
I want to be published. I have so much to say with so much flying around in my head. Congratulations to you on your book deal. It is beyond exciting!
Hi Emily-
Congratulations on your book deal and thank you for sharing all of your hard work with us. I have been reading your blog for the past several months and continue to be inspired and enlightened! Thank you for sharing your path, your lessons learned and your glimpses of beauty along the way!
Warmly,
Sarah
Thanks so much for your help, Emily! I will be taking your advice to heart!
Congratulations (I haven’t said that yet!!) and this is such an informative and wonderful post you have put together for aspiring writers!!
Did you happen to stumble upon any resources for getting ones photography used in books, calendars, greeting cards, etc?
I would love to get into that but haven’t a clue where to start. I know it’s a long shot asking you, but just wondering if you’ve stumbled upon the information
congrats again. i am going to check some of those out. i am reading bird by bird at the moment.
Emily,
Congratulations! Thank you very much for taking the time to write this down for us. I have been contemplating this path; looking into these books will help me decide if I want to dive in right now. I can’t thank you enough for putting all these resources in one place.
Congratulations Emily and may I say, Your Are SOOOO Brave!!” I wish you the best of luck and I hope you get an agent to help you navigate thru the publishing world!
Thanks so much for the kind mentions! I appreciate it!
Wow, such great tips for starting the publishing journey! Thank you for taking the time to share your resources and encourage others to follow their publishing dreams. God Bless!
Emily,
I dropped by from Bonita’s blog. Wow, what wonderful resources you have mentioned here, some I have on hand and others new to me. Thank you so much for sharing your publishing experience. I have bookmarked this post and intend to revisit it as a resource guide. Blessings on your book!
I’ve been cracking up at this blog. You might find it helpful but even if you don’t, it’s still a funny read. http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
The good idea is only the beginning… Thanks so much for letting us into an overwhelming world with many potential obstacles.