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1. Choose a title that identifies your subject and its sales potential in 30 characters or less so it can fit into industry wide databases. A book’s title is its primary sales tool. Everyone who hears your title should learn precisely what your book is about. With 4 million titles on amazon.com, make your title tell. 2. State how your subject relates to your targeted audience. Who or what are the book’s principal players or concepts and what resonance do they hold for your market? 3. Answer, So what for $27.95? In 3 bulleted sentences list the take-home value of your book for the reader-buyer. 4. Identify a gap in the literature on your subject and state what makes you the best author to write this book. In 2 paragraphs state what each chapter covers and show how the book’s structure is designed to unfold your core argument. 5. Who exactly needs to buy your book and why? How many people is that (e.g., “350,000 members of the national organization for unsighted mo...

You did it. You crafted the perfect query letter for your non-fiction book, and as a result, an editor at a large publishing house has requested a full book proposal. At this point, you have a 50/50 chance of seeing your work on a bookstore shelf. The difference maker will be a strong book proposal that exhibits knowledge of your audience, what that audience needs and wants, and how that audience can be reached on a cost-effective basis. When an editor makes a request to see your book proposal, he/she will most likely send along a brief overview of the publisher’s book proposal guidelines. You might want to make some subtle adjustments to your proposal in order to meet those guidelines. But under no circumstances should you wait for a book proposal to be requested before actually writing one. A well-written, professional book proposal takes several days, oftentimes several weeks, to compose. It should be the first thing you write – before both the query letter and the ...