Saturday 21 May 2011

B Is For Book Proposal . . . Part One

It circulated for five years through the halls of fifteen publishers and finally ended up with Vanguard Press, which you can see, is rather deep into the alphabet.     - Patrick Dennis on Auntie Mame

And I thought a query letter was daunting . . .

Let me reiteriate, I never intended to write a book.  But life happened and grabbed my heart so fiercely that I had to put it on paper to keep my sanity.  A query letter was one thing, but I was totally unprepared to learn I was now expected to write a BOOK PROPOSAL . . . I was not happy.

I learned in class to think of a book proposal as a sales tool pinpointing the benefits of publishing my book. 

A writer can send a book proposal directly to a small press publisher, but major publishers do not accept "UNSOLICITED" books.  This writers success depends to a large degree upon the quality of the proposal.  Cork Millner

The book proposal is written in third person, and varies in length from four pages to twenty-five pages . . . plus sample chapters.  The sales package is divided into several sections listed in the Proposal Table of Contents.  These include the BOOK CONCEPT, ABOUT THE MARKET, PUBLISHING DETAILS, ABOUT THE AUTHOR, OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS, and SAMPLE CHAPTERS.

I was overwhelmed riding on the verge of a migraine . . .

If I had not invested so much of my life in this book, I would have thrown up my hands and hid in the closet.  But I'm not a quitter!  I'd been through much harder situations than this, I told myself, so I said a prayer, squared my shoulders and trudged on . . .                       

Without my teacher, and the support of my writing class, I would have been down and out in Round One.

Attached is a copy of my Proposal Table of Contents:                             
                                    The Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
                                         Premise.  
                                         Overview
                                         Manuscript
                                   The Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
                                          Characteristics of reader
                                          Statistics
                                          Competition
                                          Genre                                          
                                   The Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
                                   Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7 
                                   Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
                                   Chapter Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15
                                   Sample Chapters
                                         Chapter 1 – I felt like I was going mad . . .  19
                                         Chapter 31 – I knew better than to ask . .   24
                                   Lifeline Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   27

New Zealand . . . where did that come from?

I leave for New Zealand on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m.  I hadn't planned to go to New Zealand, it wasn't on my to-do list, but when my daughter and her family moved to Auckland in September . . . I knew I must go to New Zealand.

We have a close bond, and lived within a 20 mile radius.  I witnessed the birth of her first baby, Max (7) but I missed Charlie's (3) because I had the flu.  I spent time with them at least once a week, by invitation of course.  I had it made!

Then New Zealnd popped into the picture . . .

I can't wait to see them.  It's going into winter there.  We moved our clocks forward, they moved their clocks backwards.  I leave Auckland at 1:05 p.m. on the June 6th, and arrive at LAX at 6:30 a.m. that same day  Strange, I return before I leave.  Wrap your mind around that concept . . . like the galaxies in outer space that go on forever.

I'm very excited, but I HATE TO PACK!  Is there such a person as a professional packer?  I'm not one of those throw-it-all-in-a-duffle-bag kind of females.  Can't help it.  It's the way I'm wired.  But if I don't consider every "what if" sceniro, my mind will not rest.  I'm surely not the only female who puts herself through this torture . . .

Lesson Learned . . . my two cents

There's only one way to ride a horse . . . you have to get on it!

5 comments:

  1. Good luck with your book proposal. I hear you on the packing issue. I'm not that bad when it comes to packing, but I do put a lot of thought into it. Now that I end up sharing a suitcase with my daughter, I end up packing everything for her and barely anything for myself. I want to make sure she's prepared for anything though. Have a great time!

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  2. Wow, loved the outline you provided. I totally understand what you're saying about the migraine. People who don't write can't understand how much work writing really is.

    Have fun in New Zealand! I just got back from Scotland, and New Zealand is one of those "to travel to" places that I want to go to as well. Enjoy your time!

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  3. Packing stinks! But you're coming to see me so do it anyway. And hurry! I miss you. xo

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  4. Wonderful post! I am going to check out your blog for more book writing insights and your witty ramblings!:)

    I just published your comments on my blog, you can read my reply here:

    http://komzreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/poll-results-and-10-tips-to-create.html?showComment=1306155945283#c5043011316451022174

    Komz@threviewgirl
    http://komzreviews.blogspot.com/

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  5. It is so overwhelming, the book proposal, not the packing. How about I pack for you but you write my proposal? Fair? Smiles. Have fun with both.

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