So, you're writing something that is non-fiction, and you're beginning to think that a publisher might be interested.
How does that work?
If your writing project is creative non-fiction you can get ahead of novel writers! A proposal, rather than a synopsis, is how you direct yourself at a prospective publisher, and you can send this in as soon as you're sure of your subject.
It may feel a little premature to be thinking about writing your proposal before you’ve completed your book. But established writers of non-fiction write their proposals almost before they’ve written anything else; for them, this part of the process falls alongside imagining and planning their new work. They may do some research and complete a couple of sample chapters to accompany the proposal, but acceptance of the proposal by their publishing house will initiate the work that needs to be done, not complete it.
Writers of fiction work in a diametrically opposite way; even established novelists accept that a synopsis is only as complete as the book itself. A novel may transform at any stage of its development, but non-fiction usually has a basic statement of intent that can be identified early on in the process. Most pieces of creative non-fiction, therefore, need a written proposal ahead of submitting the work itself for mainstream publication.
How it worked for Kate Williams
The historian and writer Kate Williams’ first biography grew out of a dissertation study into Emma Hamilton, before she'd even finished the degree she was studying. The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton (2006) began when Williams was sifting through old letters in the British Library. "...a book started to form in my mind…I sat on my idea for Emma throughout the autumn, convinced that I would never be allowed to write a biography – I was too young, not sufficiently well-connected. Just before Christmas I plucked up the courage to send a few words about myself, Emma and the material I’d found to an agent who represented a friend of a friend. To my shock, he replied almost immediately. If I wrote a proposal, he said, he’d sell it for me...
In a windswept Little Chef in North Wales, on the way to collect my grandfather for Christmas, I told my father that I had a chance of becoming an author. He didn’t believe me. I barely believed it myself. (Emma and I, Williams, Mslexia, issue 32, 2007)
• It should be double-spaced and clearly laid out
- Contents of proposal
• Introduction
• Market (predicted readership, competition, useful statistics)
• CV (especially why you’re qualified to write this book)
• Format (overview, style, structure, organisation, rough word count)
• Chapter-by-chapter summary in a logical order
• Sample chapter(s) if requested
• Promotional suggestions
• Resources needed for completion
• A lively overview of the proposal – end on an upbeat note.
For example...
words and a provisional title Home is the Place.
She's arrived at this title by taking into consideration the idea that a catchy title for creative non-fiction should possibly use a quotation (perhaps from the book or a more famous quote) or a pun to catch the eye of the browsing buyer, or have some sort of interesting ambiguity about it. Home is the Place contains a saying, a pun (home is a place!) and is quite ambiguous; what does this writer mean by this?
As a novice in this field, Sarah Booksmith wants to practise the art of writing a proposal before she gets much further, to consolidate some important issues, to help her further research and to test the publication waters. She's asking:
What is my book about?
Who will read it?
How long is it?
Have I found the perfect way to address my subject?
In the same way, you will need to research your proposal as you researched the book idea itself. Try;
• Quizing your local bookseller and librarian about your book – its theme, subject matter, structure and size. Would their customers buy or borrow it? Has the subject been covered recently in a similar way? Choose a quiet time of day to do this.
• Attending a writers’ conference.
You’ll get the opportunity to talk to agents, editors and other writers in your genre about your book. Take your proposal with you, plus notes that will help focus your questions.
• Contacting publishers by phone. Without being pushy or irritating, ask their ‘front desk’ what they look for in a proposal.
Stop there, and ask yourself, how did that research go? Also ask yourself;
• Does your CV looks a little thin in terms of your knowledge of the subject? Consider taking some relevant instruction – for instance, an intensive course – or shadowing an expert. Include this as evidence of credibility in a proposal.
• Do you have any writing history to your credit? Examine the possibility of writing articles, letters to the editor, guest blog posts or other publishable material to build up your writing credentials. Also start thinking about promoting your published work. Consider any of these:
• create a website or blog
• create a mailing list
• offer to take a workshop or give a talk (e.g. My Travels in Nepal) on your subject • offer to be interviewed by the local press or radio.
Spend a bit of time looking carefully at a published non-fiction book – perhaps one that you’ve read for your creative reading commentary – and thinking about what that writer’s proposal might have looked like. Then, if you feel ready, have a go at writing a proposal for your own life writing by attempting the following three exercises.
Writing your proposal - one
First:
- make sure you have a working title
- outline the ideas you're writing about
- create a ‘blurb’
Create a sales pitch for your life writing.
Imagine that you’re at a writers’ conference. Someone has asked you what your book is about. Talk them through it, trying to convince. How would you describe it? You’re trying to be a credible advocate for your own writing so you must hold the listener’s interest. Record your sales pitch in your writing diary – maybe even learn it by heart.
Create a sound bite.
A sound bite is shorter than a sales pitch. Imagine you’ve got thirty seconds – and just a few words – to sum up the entire book. The sound bite is a verbal blurb that will get to the nub of the book quickly.
Try these out on your friends – see if they, at least, like the sound of your book.
Go right on to the end of the final proposal and write a memorable overview to complete your proposal.
But don’t simply repeat the introduction. Your overview is your chance to tie everything together and let your personality come to the fore. Remember, this is your final chance to leave a good impression on the reader.
Writing a proposal Two
The body of the proposal contains the more difficult task of formulating a chapter summary. Start by listing your chapters and their titles (if you have them).
Try to take an objective view of your list. Are the chapters in a logical order? Have you repeated or missed anything? Will you need to group chapters into parts or divide chapters into subsections? If so, think about titles for these.
Take a fresh look at length. Sometimes, it’s only when the chapters are listed in this way that it becomes clear how long the book will be.
Take each chapter title in turn and formulate an outline for each one. Aim to sum up each chapter within a short paragraph. Now take this paragraph and reduce it to one line, using the skills you gained composing your sales pitch and sound bite.Save all this for future use, but don’t think of it as set in stone. If you need to make changes later, go ahead.
Practise writing out this section of your proposal.
It should look something like the start of Sarah Booksmith's chapter analysis in her proposal:
Sarah Booksmith
Proposal for
Home is the Place
Part One
Begins with the scene of my own abandonment when my father left my mother and her three children. I was seven and the eldest. I pushed this memory to the back of my mind, but now explore it, then widen the debate.
Shows me at a low ebb in my young adult life. I don’t want to go for the interview at The Place. I want to pursue my intention to be a stand-up comedian, but I need the money.
I settle into the routine at The Place and get extremely fond of several of the clients. I have my first taste of investing emotion and effort into a person, only to have these rejected.
At this time in London, the plans for the massive protest over the poll tax were in the air and a lot of people at The Place – workers and clients – were involved. Until then, I hadn’t even thought about protesting.
Jane comes to work at The Place. She is like no one I have ever encountered. Naturally, I fall wildly in love with her.
Continue with your own proposal, perhaps in this personal vein, or in a slightly more technical or formal style if it suits your writing better.
The Covering Letter
Send a covering letter with your proposal. Although this might seem like repeating yourself, it’s imperative that you do this. This will probably be your first contact with the publishing firm or agency. Even if you’ve been lucky enough previously to meet and talk to a representative, you should still write a covering letter, mentioning this previous encounter (see below). Your letter should include:
• your ‘sound bite’
• a brief resumé of your CV (who you are)
• any previous point of contact with the publisher
• title and genre of the book.
Format your covering letter as a one-page business letter, professional-looking and single-spaced.
Alternatively, you can write a query letter
A query letter, on the other hand, should arrive on an editor or agent’s desk alone. Don’t send it with a proposal, the point being that this letter enquires about the possibility of your sending a proposal at a later date. For this reason, it can be slightly more quirky and personalised than a covering letter. Allow your writing personality to emerge. However, your letter should still look professional, laid out in single-spacing and as brief as possible – no more than two pages.
This is Sarah’s query letter.
Anne Ortha
Director
Quick Fix Literary Agency Chance Street
London.
Date
Dear Ms Ortha
Home is the Place
I’d like to thank you in advance for reading this letter.
I am writing a book that details the life and times of a small London charity, The Place. I worked at The Place for almost ten years and I continue to be involved in their work as a Trustee.
Home is the Place is narrative non-fiction. It charts the story of the charity; the story of some of the homeless people it works with; the story of homelessness and its wider implications in London in the last thirty years; and, as narrator, it also involves some of my own story.
Now is the time for an overview of this subject. I believe I can deliver this with passion and precision.
As a writer I have credits in publications such as Metro and Free Tonight. I have also written for The Place on a number of occasions. Please don’t hesitate to ask for any of these pieces. I have a recent MA in Social Studies in which my dissertation was a broad examination of homelessness in London.
I have prepared a Proposal and would be grateful if you would consider reading it.
I’ve enjoyed several books from your imprint and feel Home is the Place would fit well within it. I look forward to hearing from you,
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Booksmith, MA
Draw up a timetable
Take this opportunity to draw up a timetable of research work.
Try putting specific research time aside – for instance, one evening a week to read and surf the net and one afternoon a week for visits to libraries, record offices, etc. Get going on this regime as soon as you can.
Having got a proposal underway, in the next blog on this subject, we'll look at just how research can help without getting out of hand or delaying the writing!
