Month: February 2023

You have a fantastic idea for a book and you want to share it with the rest of the world. You’re confident that others are going to enjoy what you have to say and you can’t wait to get started, make your mark, and enter the world of writing. Before you do, however, there’s something that you need to do first: Submit a book proposal. 

A book proposal is one of the first and most important steps on your journey toward becoming a published author. If you were to think of your book as a business, your proposal essentially serves as a business plan for your book. It’s how you present your story – your ideas, the message that you want to convey with the rest of the world, etc. – with prospective publishing houses in hopes that they will pick up your book and publish it. While the idea of creating a book proposal is certainly exciting, if you’ve never done it before, it can also be a bit intimidating and overwhelming. 

Publishers receive countless manuscripts from countless authors, and only about half of those that they receive are ever actually read. Why? Because there are way too many of them and not only is there not enough time to get through all of them, but a lot of manuscripts are very similar in that they feature similar messages, plots, themes, settings, characters, etc., and even if publishers had all of the time in the world, they don’t want to invest it in reading 10, 20, 30, 100 – or more – of the same kind of manuscript. Can you blame them? Of course not! 

That’s where a book proposal comes in. A proposal sets your book apart from the crowd; it provides prospective publishers with a snapshot of your story and the message that you want to convey, the audience you want to share it with, and other pertinent information related to your book. In short, the goal of a proposal is to set your book apart from the crowd, attract the attention and pique the interest of potential publishers, and convince them to pick-up and publish your story. 

Needless to say, a book proposal is kind of a big deal, and how you write it and what you include in it can make or break your success. That said, you definitely don’t want to just craft it willy-nilly; you want to make sure that you put effort, energy, and thought into it. 

5 Key Elements Every Book Proposal Should Contain

So, what should be included in a book proposal? Well, it varies and depends on several factors, including the guidelines of the publishing company that you’re sending it to. With that said, however, there are some key elements that every book proposal should include, no matter what. These elements include the following: 

• A great title/subtitle. One of the biggest issues that commissioning editors and their teams complain about is titles that authors provide on their book proposals. The titles are vague, they aren’t related to the topic at hand, they’re bland, and they can even be confusing. If you really want your book to stand out from the crowd and you want to increase your chances of having it picked up by a publisher, then you’re going to want to include a really stellar title. You want to go for something unique, but not so edgy that it’s off-putting or that it doesn’t relate to the content at all. You also want the title to draw the attention of your target audience (and prospective publishers), to get them thinking, and to entice them to want to read your book. 
• A description. Another element that all book proposals must have is a description; however, this is an element that many publishers complain about when they receive proposals from hopeful authors. The description should be short, concise, informative, and attention-grabbing. It should highlight what the book is about in no more than a few short sentences. It should contain flowery, fluffy language, but rather, it should be clear and to the point. Publishers often claim that the descriptions they receive are too long, drawn out, and confusing. Don’t make the same mistake. 
• Author bio. You’ll also need to include an author biography in your proposal. The bio should contain any relevant information about you, as a writer, including any previous titles that you have had published, as well as anything else that is pertinent to your professional life – and if applicable, information about your personal life. Your bio lets potential publishers know why you’re the right author for the topic/ story/information that you want to share. 
• Chapter synopsis. All book proposals should also include a chapter-by-chapter synopsis; that is, what each chapter in the book is going to be about. The synopsis should be brief, yet clear; it should be no more than a paragraph in length. If they’re too long or if they aren’t clear enough, well, you’re probably going to turn off prospective publishers. Additionally, you want to make sure that include a complete sample of at least one chapter of your book. Make sure that you select the chapter that you think is the best; the one that really conveys your message and demonstrates the uniqueness of your writing. Finally, make sure that your writing – both for the synopsis of each chapter and the sample chapter – is impeccable. Subpar writing will be frowned upon (for obvious reasons). 
• Marketing information. Though marketing can be very unpalatable to writers, publishers rely on marketing; after all, they are in business to turn a profit, and they remain in business by selling books. If they aren’t selling books they publish, well, what’s the sense of being in business, right? Publishers want to work with authors who are willing to invest time, effort, and energy into their writing, and the marketing section of your proposal conveys this information. 

A book proposal is a vital – and arguably, the most important – step on your journey toward becoming a published author. Crafting a thoughtful, unique, organized, and well-written proposal will help to improve your chances of success. 

Do you dream of being an author? If you think a career writing literary fiction sounds appealing, it’s time to put pen to paper, or in this case, fingers to keyboard. 

Regardless of the genre of literary fiction you choose to write, universal guidelines offer you tips to improve your writing. This post unpacks five beneficial methods of enhancing your writing potential. 

Tip #1 – Build a Writing Routine

If you want to be a great writer and have a shot at finishing your book, you need a routine. We’re not talking about a morning routine here. While that’s good, too, you need a writing routine to succeed in your quest to be a literary novelist.

Writing every day is the key to unlocking your potential and talent as a writer. Getting behind the keyboard and bashing out words is essential. If you fail to keep the consistency of your writing routine, you’ll get lazy. One day off turns to two or three, and pretty soon, a week goes by, and you haven’t done any work.

Create a workspace where you write every day. Sit down at the PC or laptop and write. Even if it’s only a couple of lines, doing something is better than doing nothing. You don’t have to churn out thousands of words every day; quality is better than quantity. You will have some days where you feel more like writing than others.

Take advantage of those days when inspiration floods your mind. Get into your flow state and capture the magic.

Tip #2 – Don’t Worry About Curating Story Collections

Writers with a published catalog of works might wonder how they all fit together to form a collection with a synonymous theme. Should your stories share a common theme or thread? Can they feature unrelated themes but stand on their merit?

Either strategy works. However, building a story collection has some benefits. The stories have better flow by placing stories strategically using reciprocal moods and settings. Each structure functions as a cohesive, holistic unit, impressing either individually or as a whole to impress and entertain the reader.

Tip #3 – Write about Something that Interests You

What theme or topic interests you? That’s where you start. Subjects have a universal or specific theme,  influencing your character development in the novel. By choosing topics from your experience, you get a richer character and plot development for your storyline.

When you start, there’s no requirement to transpose your topic to a particular situation or character. Think about the issues you feel strongly about or find curious. These issues can relate to societal structures or the human experience.

Tip #4 – Understand Proper Character Development

Unlike actors who play a single role, the author plays all character roles in their story. You can think of it as playing chess or checkers against yourself. You imagine the characters and let them interact as you write them out to give you a better understanding of their development as you progress through your work.

This strategy allows you to explore your characters’ depth and personality. Many authors agree characterization is the most challenging part of story development. It’s the defining skill separating a potboiler from a literary novel.

Characters shape the storyline, not vice versa. If you attempt to force your characters into the plot, you’re writing a potboiler, not a literary work. Developed characters build into a more compelling storyline, altering and shaping it to your vision.

Tip #5 – Don’t Give the Reader a Moralistic Lesson

You flesh out how you feel about certain topical issues by overtly showing your personal beliefs and experience to the reader or letting them draw conclusions. It’s a natural process occurring as you write; you can edit it later.

If you have clear emotions, be careful not to write content that falls flat with the audience by implying a moralistic lesson. Think about how you mold your narrative to show nuanced complexities on various issues.

It’s fine to place contradictions in your work without teaching the reader how to navigate their moral compass. Remember this rule: No one appreciates you patronizing them.

Tip #6 – It’s Okay to Get Kooky with Characters

Literary fiction encompasses some strange storylines where writers test outlandish ideas. When writing a literary fiction novel, listen to wacky and whimsical ideas that pop into your mind. If your character develops an unhealthy relationship with underarm deodorant or cheesecake, it’s fine to converse ideas in ways readers might not understand from their experience.

Literary fiction is character-driven, exploring them through life events and revealing the aspects and textures of their unique personality. Stories that go nowhere aren’t permissible in literary fiction. You need events to move the story forward, giving you the circumstances required to unpack characters.

Tip #7 – Deal with Writers Block

Like any other part of our lives, inspiration for writing literary fiction ebbs and flows. Illness, boredom, and low-energy days will affect your writing and routine. We’re not robots. The best authors note there are days when you need to drill the rock rather than blast it with charges.

If you’re not feeling it, take a break and do something to reinspire or recharge your mind. In reality, there’s no such thing as writing a hard scene. Challenging scenes are only in your mind, and your anxiety about writing them kills your creativity, not the challenge itself.

Tip #8 – Read and Revise Your Writing

You’ll feel pretty good about yourself after you finish that first chapter, but the work is not over yet. Go back and re-read your work. You’ll find it surprising how much of a difference it makes to the finished product. Your work’s second and third read points out things you missed in character and story development.

Add, delete, and fine-tune it until it sparkles. Do it when your mind is fresh off finishing the chapter, not at the end of the book. Approach the task with an unbiased mind, and you’ll find you notice your creative errors. It’s a far better approach than revisiting it later at the editor’s request.