Tag: book proposals

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Book Proposals

When Your Book doesn’t Sell

I used to cringe when I saw the mail or email from one of my publishers. It probably contained a royalty statement and experience told me many of those numbers would begin with a minus (negative balance). I’ve written for many different traditional publishers and have had this experience from a broad spectrum of types of books including how-to, self-help, biographies, gift books and children’s books.

When your book sales are off, it’s a natural tendency to want to blame someone. Maybe my editor has left and my book was orphaned inside the publisher with no champion or advocate. Maybe my publisher didn’t market the book to bookstores. Maybe they changed the title between what was printed in the catalog and what was published. Or _(fill in the blank). I’ve had all of these things happen to my published books. Good publishing involves a cooperative process and working with many different people. Much of this process is outside of the author’s control.

I’ve also learned there are many pro-active steps authors can take to change their situation.

1. Take 100% responsibility for your own success.

In The Success Principles, Jack Canfield makes this the first principle. Over ten years ago, I heard this
principle and adopted it in my publishing efforts.

2. Be active in the promotion and marketing of your book.

As the author, you have the greatest passion for your book—way beyond anyone else including your publisher. The great promoter, PT Barnum said, “Without promotion, something terrible happens—nothing.” Consistent promotion of your book is important.

3. Be Generous with your book.

Reviews sell books but many authors have few reviews for their book on Amazon or Goodreads or Barnes & Noble. Give books to people who are willing to write a review. If they’ve never written a review, give them a tool to help them like with this form.

4. Ask for others for help.

“You do not have because you do not ask.”

New Testament, James 4:2-3

If you need endorsements, ask but make it easy for them to say yes (offer to draft it). If you need social media promotion, ask but create possible posts. Here’s an example of a page, I created to help others help me spread the word on my latest book.

5. Take the long view of publishing.

Publishing and promoting a book is more like a marathon than a sprint. With the huge volume of published books, someone has to hear about your book seven to twelve times before they purchase it. What actions can you take every day to give your book this exposure? My Billy Graham book trailer has been seen over 11,500 times in the last five years.

6. No matter what happens in your life, keep going.

In Perennial Seller, New York Times bestselling author Ryan Holiday writes,

“The hard part is not the dream or the idea, it’s the doing.”

If there were a simple formula to create a bestseller, every book would be a bestseller. There are practical actions every author can take. Each part of the publishing process has challenges and as writers your persistence and consistency is critical. As #1 New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins wrote in the foreword of my book, 10 Publishing Myths, “Only one of a hundred writers literally make their deadlines.” If you meet deadlines with quality writing, it’s an easy way to stand out from the crowd. I wrote 10 Publishing Myths to give writers realistic expectations and practical steps every author can take to succeed. Today, you can get the 11th Publishing Myth as a free e-book.

When you point a finger at others because your book is not selling, just
remember: when you extend your pointer finger, four more fingers are bent back
toward you. Take action today.

What actions can you take today to continue to build your sales potential?

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your
Success. Check out his free e-book, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His
website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That Sell
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Book Proposals

A Simple Proposal Formula

I wrote about 50 books with traditional publishers and even crafted two proposals that got six figure advances—before I began working inside publishing houses over 20 years ago. At this point, I’m acquiring books for my third publishing house, and I have reviewed thousands of proposals and manuscripts (no exaggeration). There are many different templates and models to create a book proposal. Yet there are some consistent elements that need to be in every proposal to capture attention and get published.

After reviewing this wide variety of proposals and manuscripts, I’ve decided attractive proposals boil down to a simple formula. Your proposal needs to contain the standard sections detailed in my free book proposal checklist http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck This formula works no matter what you are writing (nonfiction or fiction).

Passion + Sales = book contract

Every writer must have a passion about their story or their subject. Possibly you are passionate about the life-changes from people reading your book. Or maybe the story is in the forefront of your mind, and you are driven every day to write more pages. Whatever the topic you will be thinking about this topic not only during the writing but the marketing process and without passion you will not be motivated to complete the writing or work on the marketing of the book. Maybe you’ve specialized in a certain skill or topic that you are writing about. This expertise is something you are ready to tell others about and its key to your success. An editor or skilled professional can improve the writing, but passion can’t be instilled and must be in the heart and mind of the author. This passion shines through your storytelling in your proposal.

Sales or potential sales is the second key ingredient for your proposal. Who will buy this book, and do you have a reach to this reader? If not, can you create this reach? In some areas of publishing, this sales potential is called “platform.” There are many different ways to build this audience.  Whether you have a large or small publisher, in today’s market the author carries 80% of the marketing responsibility. Publishers create attractive books then they sell your book into the bookstore. Here’s the “catch” related to getting your book into the bookstores: without the author’s marketing activity, every retailer can return the books for a full refund. You must have this reach or the ability to generate this reach or you will not have sales. Thousands of new books (no exaggeration) are published every day. To get a book contract, you must have these crucial elements. What actions can you take today to continue to build your sales potential?

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.
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Be the Exception

It’s easy to feel lost in the world of book publishing. Experts say there are over a million proposals and manuscripts in circulation at any given time. With the proliferation of self-publishing, there are over 4,500 new books published every day. The average self-published book sells about 200 copies during the lifetime of the book.

            With these discouraging statistics how can a writer stand out and be the exception?  Some people are amazed that I’ve written over 60 books for traditional publishers and my writing has appeared in over 50 magazines. It is not because I am one of the best writers in the room. I am one of the most persistent and consistent writers that you will meet. As an editor, I’ve been speaking and attending conferences for years. I will listen to a writer’s pitch, then with sincerity say, “That’s a great idea, write that up and send it to me.”  I’ve learned that if you do what the editor or agent asks, you have put yourself in the top 10% of the people at that conference. Many writers never send their manuscript or proposal or query. 

Here’s four simple yet important ways for you to be the exception.

  1. Submit your requested material. Your writing and storytelling has to be excellent but it will never be considered if you don’t send it. I still get rejected as a writer but I seize the opportunity and submit my material.
  2. Build Your Platform or Presence in the Market. Edtors and literary agents are looking for writers who are connected to their readers. I’m not talking about Instagram or Twitter or Facebook. Do you have a direct connection to your readers or fans of your book? Do you have an email list? Are you working to grow this email list and increase your reach? It is one of the greatest tools any writer can start and build. I have more details in this free ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author.  Also I have an inexpensive ebook on list building called The List Building Tycoon.
  3. Follow-up and meet their deadlines with editors and agents. Writers are notoriously late on meeting their deadlines. New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins who has also been an editor says only one writer in 100 will meet their deadline. If you deliver quality writing on the deadline, it is a way for you to stand out in the market.
  4. Develop habits so you are in the top 10% A recent Pew study showed that 80% of tweets come from about 10% of users. I meet many writers who have a small Twitter following and post something once or twice a week.  I am probably in this top 10% because of my frequency of tweets, the diversity and providing excellent content.  If you create a habit and then execute your plan over and over, you too can be in this top percentage. Your consistent action will move you to the top of the stack.

Your persistent efforts will pay off in the publishing community. If you take consistent action, you can be the exception.

Terry Whalin

——–

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.
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Book Proposals

Get Connected to Publishing People

Within the publishing community, who you know is almost as important as what you know. Yes, it is important to pitch an excellent book proposal or manuscript to the right publisher. As an editor and an author, I also understand people buy (books or manuscripts) from people they know, like and trust. How can you know more publishing people? From my years in publishing, one of the challenges is keeping track of the moving people.

            As a writer, I’ve written two proposals which earned a six-figure advance. Years ago, one of my six-figure book deals was cancelled because my New York editor had changed companies. When your editor leaves the publishing house, then your book becomes an “orphan” and as an author you lose your internal champion for your book. Through this hard-earned personal experience, I learned how each book needs an editor who is your champion for the book.

            How does a new author with no connections, begin to get connected to publishing people? Everyone can use a social network which has over 66.8 million active monthly users: LinkedIN. This network is primarily business related and publishing is a business.

To get connected, you need to take several actions:

  1. If you aren’t on LinkedIN then join today and fill out your profile including with your photo.
  2. Rework your LinkedIN profile to show your activity in publishing. Do you write for magazines? Have you published books? Or possibly you have some other explicit publishing role such as leading a local writer’s group. If you have these types of qualifications, then add them to your LinkedIN profile.
  3. Begin to send connection requests to different people in publishing. These people could be book editors, literary agents, magazine editors, authors and many other roles. In some cases, you will want to send them a little personalized message with your connection invitation. In other cases, you simply send out the generic invitation that you want to connect with the person.

For many years, I received LinkedIN invitations and ignored them. I had very few connections on LinkedIN and was not connected. Then I began to look at the background of the person and for most people, I accepted their invitation to connect. My number of connections increased and my public profile says the common “over 500 connections.” The real number of my LinkedIN connections, as of this writing, is over 19,400. I understand the upper limit is 30,000. These connections are varied with many different roles (mostly within publishing) Here’s the critical reason you want to be connected: when I need to reach someone that I’ve not emailed or called in a long-time, I check their LinkedIN contact information.

While there is a lot of movement within the publishing community, when they change positions or companies or physical location, everyone takes their LinkedIN account with them. This account belongs to the individual and is a way to consistently keep up and reach them. I’ve gone decades and not connected with some people, then I use their LinkedIN contact information to reconnect with them for a specific purpose such as I have a new book and would like to have their endorsement. I’ve found I can often reach these publishing leaders through LinkedIN.

LinkedIN has a lot of other functions as well but being connected and maintaining those connections is one of the basics and best reasons to consistently use this network. 

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.

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Book Proposals

Looking For Authors Who “Get It”

            Editors and agents are blasted with submissions every day. I know because I’ve been one of them for years. Authors are frustrated receiving form rejection letters with no information or response at all. To many authors, it is a mystery how their submission is “found” and published.

            For the last ten years, I’ve been an acquisitions editor for a New York publisher who receives over 5,000 submissions a year and only publishes about 180 to 200 books. Yes there is a selection process for every author and every book. Here’s the encouraging news for authors: every day I’m actively looking for authors. Also I understand every day over 4,500 new books are published. This large number includes the self-published books which may only sell 100 copies during the lifetime of the book. This statistic helps authors understand the massive amount of new material constantly entering the marketplace. It also explains why you as an author have to be promoting and marketing your book.

            How can you get the attention of an editor or agent?

I want to give five ways to show you are an author who “gets it.”

  1. Submit an excellent proposal or manuscript. Editors and agents can recognize excellent writing. The old saying is true, “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.” Every author needs to pour polish and storytelling into their submission. Yes it is easy to reach people via email. Before you hit send, your submission should be excellent. Use my free book proposal checklist at: http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck It works for nonfiction and fiction.
  2. Follow proven author practices. While there is not a bestseller formula for success, there are proven author actions. Every publisher and literary agent is looking for authors with connections or a platform. Pick up my free ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author at: http://terrylinks.com/pb
  3. Take action every day to learn more about publishing and build your market connections. Join a writers group or organization and get involved.
  4. Understand the various types of media and do not build your platform on “rented” media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn are examples). Start and maintain your own blog and email list to reach your readers.
  5. Diversify your writing business. Write and sell information products. Learn about affiliate income. Write for magazines. Don’t put all of your efforts into one type of writing. As a writer, there are many different possibilities. Get ideas from my first chapter of Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams at: http://terrylinks.com/JYPD If I can help you, reach out to me. It’s why my personal email is in my Twitter profile.

As an author, I’ve been inside some of the top publishers and literary agencies. Every professional is actively looking for the next bestseller. The path to your success is out there.

Take steps every day to show you are an author who “gets it.”

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.

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Book Proposals

Target Readers You Can Reach

Literary agents and publishers are actively looking for authors and books to publish. Yet the reality is thousands of new books are published every day. Millions of pitches and proposals are circulating in publishing offices. With the volume of submissions, some publishers and agents have said if you don’t receive a response in a certain time period, then you should consider it a rejection. Other publishing professionals will take months to respond. As an author (and an editor), I understand waiting is hard yet I understand the submission process is all about searching for the right fit with your content and what you want to publish. How can you distinguish your proposal from others? Here’s five keys for every would-be book author:

1. Have a direct connection to your reader.

Email continues to be one of the most reliable ways for authors to reach their audience. Do you have an email list? If not, start building one right away.

2. Write an excellent book proposal and manuscript.

From reviewing thousands of submissions, I know a well-written manuscript and proposal is foundational. Get outside editing and help before you show it to anyone.

3. Understand the business decisions.

Publishers and literary agents are making business decisions every day which affect you. While their decision about your work may feel personal, these professionals are focused on the business or work and it is not personal. Learn as much about the publishing world as you can through books and blogs and conferences. To learn more about this perspective, get my free ebook, Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission: www.straighttalkeditor.com

4. See other writers as cooperative instead of competitors.

Attitude and perspective will affect your success in the publishing world. Choosing to work with others rather than compete can be a game changer for you.

5. Build relationships at conferences, groups and online.

Who you know is as important as what you know in publishing. Always be working to build relationships with anyone in the business. You never know how a single connection can change your book sales.

Your reach as an author is often called a “platform.” Publishing professionals are looking for authors who can reach their target market. If you don’t have this reach or it is small, begin building it every day. It is critical to remember that small actions taken day after day will have an effect. Your actions as an author will be the difference maker in this process. Keep moving forward and searching for the right opportunity.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.

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Book Proposals

Four Ways to Support Other Writers

Writing is a solitary profession. Alone we sit at our keyboard and write words—maybe for a magazine or a book or a website. So why would you even want to support other writers?

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

Zig Ziglar (Bestselling author)

As you support other writers, your life will be richer and you will see remarkable and often unexpected results. I’ve been working with writers for many years.

In this article, I want to give you four simple ways to support other writers. While I personally practice these ways, I encourage you to pick one or two which you can do on a regular basis.

  1. Write reviews of any book you read or hear. Depending on the book, it is often hard to get book reviews. It’s why I’ve written over 850 reviews on Amazon. Any book that I read or hear the audiobook, I take a few minutes and write a few sentences of review. As a writer, I’m always reading books and when I finish the book, it doesn’t take much time to write the review but other writers will appreciate your support.
  2. Leave a short yet relevant comment when you read blog posts by other writers. Sometimes with blogging, you wonder if anyone is reading and your relevant comment will encourage the writer. The key concept is to make a “relevant” comment and tie it to the content of the blog post. I often get unrelated comments for my blog which are never posted and deleted as SPAM.
  3. Use Social media retweets. When you read a solid blog post, magazine article, Facebook post or tweet, pass it onto others. Often there a simple buttons to facilitate this effort but you will help other writers when you pass on this information.
  4. Introduce writers to each other. In the writing world, who you know is often as important as what you know. A simple email introducing a writer to someone else can help that person make the right connection. It could change the direction of their writing life.

As writers, we need each other. Our writing may be in isolation but taking these actions can be a difference maker in the life of other writers.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham.

Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.
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Book Proposals

Get Editors and Agents Excited About Your Proposal

Let’s begin with good news for writers. Despite what you may be hearing from literary agents and editors, every publishing professional is actively looking for great books to publish. I’ve been inside some of the top literary agencies and publishers in the US and they are asking me, “Where is the next bestseller?” Each of these individuals receives hundreds of pitches every month but they are always looking. What are the keys to getting an agent or editor excited about your book proposal?

1. Excellent writing.

It sounds cliché but true. People ask me what I’m looking for and I say, “Good books.” I’ve read thousands of submissions and from checking out a few paragraphs, I can tell if something grabs me. Yes it is subjective but good writing always stands out.

2. A Solid Connection to the Market.

Whether your publisher is well-known or tiny, the publisher is going to expect you to reach your readers.  If you don’t have these connections, begin today. Every author needs their own email newsletter and other basic resources. Online Marketing for Busy Authors by Fauzia Burke is a simple straightforward place to start. The key is taking action and begin to build every day. For example, if you aren’t a part of LinkedIn, join today and fill out your profile and let’s connect. For years, I ignored LinkedIn. It is a wonderful way to keep up with editors and agents because when they change, they take their LinkedIN account with them. It’s why I have over 19,000 connections on this social network.

3. Continue to learn and try new things.

Every author has the same amount of time in a day. How are you using that time to learn to craft the best proposal and touch new areas of the market? Discard things that are not working and try new avenues. One of our Morgan James authors has a novel launching next month. I noticed that already she has over 60 Amazon reviews.  I’m asking my colleagues how this happened because I want to learn what is working.

Persistence and perseverance are keys to find the right place for your book idea. You must be taking consistent action to find this connection. Be assured it is out there.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief at Midwest Book Review wrote, “If you only have time to read one ‘how to’ guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, “Book Proposals That Sell” is that one DIY instructional book.” At the book website, get a free book proposal checklist. Get his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

 https://bookproposalsthatsell.com/ 

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Book Proposals

Test & Revise Your Elevator Pitch

Over the last few years, many writer’s conferences have been cancelled, postponed or gone to virtual meetings. The good news is live events are returning. I’ve done a number of one-on-one appointments on zoom, but I believe they are more effective in person.

Often writers’ conferences include back-to-back 10-to-15-minute sessions where writers pitch their book or book proposal to editors or literary agents. Writers who are successful in pitching their books have honed what is called an elevator pitch.

Imagine getting in an elevator and going to the 10th floor. You get on the elevator with me and as the door closes I ask you to tell me about your book. Go. Can you explain your book in a few gripping sentences before we reach the 10th floor? Every writer needs to develop this elevator pitch.

The creation of an effective elevator pitch involves several key elements. First, you must know your target audience (their likes and dislikes). For example, at Morgan James we have a 100,000 word limit for our fiction and our book buyers are telling us the readers prefer a certain size book and retail price. Second, you have to understand how your book is different from other books in your category. Finally you have to tell me why you are the best person to write this book and how you can reach your readers (with an email list or social media or what means). The combination of these facts is your concise elevator pitch. Write it down, rehearse it and make it captivating and memorable. It will take some practice but is an important part of pitching your book to agents and editors. 

I understand going to a writer’s conference is a big commitment of time and expense. If you can’t make it to an event because of any number of reasons, I encourage you to still work on your elevator pitch and turn that into a query letter which you submit to agents and editors. Take these action steps and put them into practice for your writing life.  You have to be pitching and submitting to find the right place for your work to be published. Submitting and pitching is a key part of the publishing business. I’m going to several events over the next few months and hope our paths will cross. You can follow this link to see my current schedule.  Or you can pitch to me directly using this link and my contact information on the bottom of the second page.

Whether we meet in person or through email, I hope you are testing and working on the elevator pitch for your book.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief at Midwest Book Review wrote, “If you only have time to read one ‘how to’ guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, “Book Proposals That Sell” is that one DIY instructional book.” At the book website, get a free book proposal checklist. Get his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That Sell
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Book Proposals

Five Ways to Become a Dream Author

Interpersonal relationships are at the heart of how authors work with book editors and literary agents. Every communication builds a relationship. Almost immediately I can sense when an author feels entitled or is pushy.  Inside I’m asking if this attitude will transfer to my publishing colleagues.

As an acquisitions editor, I am often the first connection between an author and our publishing house. Every day I’m actively looking for great books (and authors) to publish. While the negative interaction will be lasting, you can also make a positive impact on this publishing professional with your submission.

Here’s five traits to standout and meet the needs:

 First, deliver an appropriate proposal with solid writing and great storytelling. Not every pitch is right for every editor or agent. Before you hit send, make sure your work is in the best possible shape for submission. As an editor, I have a number of behind-the-scenes actions I do with each submission to get them into our internal system.  I’ve had a number of authors who submit, then including some excuse will send a revised submission (which makes a negative first impression and increased work for me). Don’t submit to the same editor or agent multiple times. Once should do it.

 Second, understand and know how to reach your target reader. However you publish, you will need to handle the bulk of the marketing. Every writer can learn this skill but it will take focused effort. The more connections you have when you approach an editor, the better. Every book has a specific target audience and is not for “everyone.” Narrow your market so you are gearing for a specific age or type of reader, then send your submission to editors who publish other books for this audience.

 Third, meet your deadlines with your manuscript—even if self-imposed. Authors are notoriously late and being late throws off many things inside the publishing house. If you meet or exceed your deadline, you will stand out. Throughout my many years as an editor, I have heard every excuse about why the author needs an extension. As an author, I have stayed up all night and written to meet a deadline and then that morning I went to a full-time job outside my home. Part of being a professional is to meet the deadline.

 Fourth, craft a complete and engaging book proposal (pitch). Use my free checklist to make sure you cover every part: http//terrylinks.com/bookcheck. If your submission is missing elements, it will add to the editor’s work and correspondence plus delay getting your submission to move forward internally toward a decision and possible contract. Editors and agents are looking for quality and complete submissions.

 Fifth and finally, always be growing and trying new efforts to reach new readers and sell more books. Some of your efforts will fail but you will learn from the journey (as all of us do). Here’s a free resource for you to learn and grow. Formerly on Dragon’s Den (the Canadian forerunner of Shark Tank), Dave Chilton is the creator of a nonfiction book marketing course and has sold millions of books. Watch some of his videos for free at: http://bit.ly/chiltonmethod Chilton attributes part of his success to continued experimentation.

 As a writer, you can follow a similar path and following these insights will turn you into a desirable or dream author.                                                 

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief at Midwest Book Review wrote, “If you only have time to read one ‘how to’ guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, “Book Proposals That Sell” is that one DIY instructional book.” At the book website, get a free book proposal checklist. Get his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

Create a Stand-Out Proposal

             It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you consider over 4,500 new books are published every day (including the self-published books). This number is especially challenging when you understand the average self-published book sells 40 to 200 copies during the lifetime of the book. On the traditional side of publishing, it has been estimated that a million proposals and submissions are in circulation at publishers and agents. Throughout my decades in publishing, I have reviewed thousands of submissions from authors. This is not an exaggeration.

            I believe you can break through these statistics, get a literary agent and a traditional publisher, if you pour the right work and effort into creating a book proposal. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction or children’s books or self-publish, every book needs a book proposal or business plan. Some of my agent friends receive hundreds of submissions each week. What makes a difference in your proposal to cut through the clutter and stand-out? Here’s four ways:

1 Excellent writing

It sounds “cliché” but it’s true excellent writing for any type of book is easy for any editor or agent to identify. In fact, as experienced readers of submissions, we can tell if your book is worth our time and effort in a matter of seconds. It sounds cruel and impossible but true. To stand apart from the others, you need to produce excellent writing and get professional feedback from others. One free way to process your writing is to become active in a critique group and process your writing before sending it to the editor or agent.

2 A memorable title

You can’t copyright a title but with Google and Amazon, it’s easy to research and see if others have used your title. Create one to five words which are unforgettable. Within your proposal, I recommend you include several outstanding titles and not just one. Writers will often not put much energy into their title because they believe the publisher will select the title. My experience has proven if you create a memorable title, it will make it through the entire publishing process. I’ve been in publishing title meetings where a whiteboard is filled with possible book titles, and group will select your book title. The author is not present in this meeting and your only input on the title is the work you put into your book proposal.

3 An author who can reach to their market

Every publisher expects the author to take 80% of the marketing responsibility for their book. How are you building your market presence in social media or with an email list or a blog? If you have a large email list (50,000) then your proposal will be separated from others on the editor’s desk. It takes author effort to gather such a list, but it can be done.

4 The unexpected proposal “extra”

Your proposal can include a foreword from someone well-known or endorsements from recognized celebrities. While these elements are rare in a proposal, if you have made this effort, your work will stand-out.

Get additional ideas using my free Book Proposal Checklist: http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck After creating your stand-out proposal, persist to reach the right editor or agent who will champion your book and snag you a publishing deal.    

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief at Midwest Book Review wrote, “If you only have time to read one ‘how to’ guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, “Book Proposals That Sell” is that one DIY instructional book.” At the book website, get a free book proposal checklist. Get his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

https://bookproposalsthatsell.com/
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Book Proposals

Thrive in the Quiet Holidays

For over nine years, I’ve been an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, a New York publisher. The two other publishers where I acquired books did not have publication board meetings in November or December. No meetings meant few books were contracted during the holidays. In fairness to my editorial colleagues at publishing houses, they are involved in special activities during the holiday season. For example, one publisher where I worked sent Christmas cards with signatures and well-wishes from the editors. We had numerous authors and I recall spending an entire day signing these cards for the various authors.

For several years, I ran my own literary agency. Just like clockwork, I experienced these slow or no responses every November and December. It is like much of book publishing comes to a screeching halt during these months. In a long-term pattern, Morgan James closes the last two weeks of every year and opens the Monday after New Year’s Day.

If you want to get published, what actions related to your publishing dreams do you take during the holidays? Do you put everything on pause for two months? Yes, you can certainly take a break but I want to encourage you to continue to move forward.

When comedian Joan Rivers died years ago, in a television interview Rivers revealed one of her scariest prospects: an empty calendar. If you want to write and sell books in 2022 and beyond, I encourage you to take control of your calendar during this lull in publishing.

Here are six ideas to fill your schedule:

  1. Purchase a book on proposal creation such as Book Proposals That Sell then study it. Every author needs a book proposal or business plan for their book—even if you are self-publishing and whether you are writing fiction or children’s books or nonfiction. A complete book proposal is often a 30-to-50-page document which involves a lot of effort and work. I encourage you to get my free book proposal checklist at: Book Proposals That Sell.
  2. Take an online course such as Write A Book Proposal and create better proposals.
  3. Attend a free teleseminar answering author questions about proposal creation at Ask About Proposals.
  4. Plan to write some shorter magazine articles in your area of expertise. The publishing experience will help you catch the attention of an editor or agent. A magazine article can reach more people than a book and can help you promote your book when it is published.
  5. Decide to attend a writer’s conference in the Spring of 2022. Begin now to target meetings with faculty members (editors and agents).
  6. Set aside specific time each day to write new proposals and query letters. To write a complete book proposal isn’t done overnight. It takes consistent effort.

            If you aren’t selling your book ideas, then you need to take action to approach more people and knock on more doors. Create your action plans during these quiet months and your next year will be positioned for success.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition released in October. You can get a free book proposal checklist. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

Do You Know Your Competition?

Many writers overlook a critical section in their book proposals: the competition section. After reading thousands of book proposals and manuscripts from authors, I’ve often read a statement like: “There is no competition for this book. It is a unique idea.”

If you have this statement in your proposal, then I encourage you to remove it. Editors and agents will roll their eyes and maybe send you a rejection letter. Why? With over 4,500 new books entering the market every day, as King Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Every book will compete and your task as an author is to understand this fact and dig into finding your competitive titles.

When I acquired fiction for Howard Books, a Simon and Schuster imprint, we could not fill out our internal paperwork without listing the competitive titles. Yes it is that critical in the publishing process.

Need an example?

The Appendices section of my Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success includes an example of one of my proposals which received a six-figure advance. In my proposal, I also used a similar statement touting the unique idea in the competition section. In the many years since I wrote this book, I’ve learned every book will compete in the marketplace. It is naïve to assume your book is unique.

The writer is responsible to include the competitive titles in your proposal. While agents and editors specialize in different areas of the book market, we can’t know everything about every book—but we are certain your book is not unique and will have competition.

How to find competitive titles

Here’s some tips on how to handle this important part of a book proposal or pitch:

1. Go to the bookstore and imagine your book as a completed project. Which section will have your book? Go to that area and look at the top books. Visualize your book completed and on the shelf. Make note of these bestselling titles because they are your competition.

2. In your proposal, make a record of these competitive titles including the complete title, author, publisher, and publication date. Use the Internet to research and locate any sales information about these books.

3. Summarize the contents of the competitive title in a sentence or two, and then explain how your book is distinct from that title. Maybe your book will go deeper or in a different direction.

Finally, outside of your work on the proposal, I encourage you to reach out to these “competitors.” Instead of seeing them as competitors (i.e. enemies), consider them colleagues. Ask if you can help them such as review their books or write magazine articles about them. If you have built these relationships, there will come a time when they return the favor but only if you have built such goodwill bridges.

Your proposal can stand out from the others under consideration because you understand your competition and don’t contend your idea is unique.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition released October 5th. You can get a free book proposal checklist. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

Every Book Proposal Needs A Target Audience

For decades, I’ve been an editor meeting with authors and reading their book submissions. Many of these submissions are missing a foundational element: a specific target audience. I’ve read numerous book proposals which proclaim, “My book is for everyone.”

While I’ve written and published many books for traditional publishers, I’d love to write a book for “everyone.” Yet that has never happened. If I am honest, no book is for everyone. Yes, some books reach a broad segment of the reading public, yet every successful writer has a specific target audience. There is an old saying,

“If you aim at nothing, you will be sure to hit it.”

Recently I received an excellent, well-crafted proposal from a business writer. She knew her target reader and was reaching this reader through her on-going marketing efforts (online and in print). While her concept and presentation was fresh and interesting, this author also knew how to test her audience and get feedback. From this testing data, she knew the concepts and stories in her book would meet a reader need. A

proposal where the writer has identified a primary, secondary and tertiary audience is including this foundational material that will attract attention from literary agents and publishers.

In contrast, I’ve also read a proposal from a children’s book author who picked a large age group for their target audience (3 to 12). From the target, I knew this writer had no concept of a particular reader and it showed throughout the pitch.

In particular, children’s books are a segmented market with the words and illustrations targeted to a specific audience. Just walk into any brick-and-mortar bookstore and take the time to study the children’s section. The sections and divisions are clearly marked and are segments every bookstore and library use to divide these books.

While your book may eventually reach more than one target, the proposal needs to be aimed and written to one audience. While literary agents and editors are looking for writers with a target, they also are looking for authors with the ability to reach their target audience. You can reach your target through social media but also an email list, magazine articles, regular speaking, and many other methods.

This audience connection is often called a platform and every writer (fiction or nonfiction) needs to be actively building their audience. I have a free ebook, Platform-Building Ideas for Every Author at: http://terrylinks.com/pb The identification of your audience is the foundation of every book proposal.

know your target

Imagine an archery target. You will have a primary audience (the bullseye) but you will have secondary readers as well (the other circles). The aim and focus of your proposal need to be your target reader. Follow this foundational proposal principle to make your submission standout.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition will release October 5th. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

How to Beef Up Your Proposal Marketing Section

When writers take personality tests, the majority are introverts. They prefer to write more articles or books instead of marketing their books. Yet the marketing section of your proposal can be the difference between rejection and acceptance. Every writer must learn these marketing skills.

The great circus promoter, PT Barnum said, “Without promotion, something terrible happens. Nothing.” Publishers create well-designed and well-edited books that they distribute to bookstores. These companies make large financial investments in the production of these books to get them out to bookstores. Every book inside your brick and mortar bookstore is 100% returnable to that publisher—for the lifetime of the book. It’s a long-standing practice in bookselling since the Great Depression. The returned books are not put out on the used market but destroyed.

What many authors don’t understand is it is up to them to drive their readers to the bookstore to buy those books. If you self-publish, then you have 100% of this marketing responsibility.

When you pitch your book to agents and publishers, I’ve found many publishing professionals will read the marketing section of your proposal before they read your writing. Every publisher is looking for authors who take action and know how to reach their readers to sell books.

Studies have shown people need to hear about your book repeatedly before they will decide to buy your book and take it home from that bookstore or buy it online. Most authors do nothing so if you are actively talking about your book, your efforts will pay off. As marketing expert Sarah Bolem says, “Consumers generally need to be exposed to a new product seven to twelve times before they will purchase it.” What are you doing as an author to stir that awareness and entice readers to purchase your book? There is not just one way but dozens of possible paths in this process.

beef up marketing

The marketing section of your book proposal is where you explain your various ideas. As you write it:

  • Show your passion in actions. Successful authors will continue to market and promote their book long after others have given up. For example, I’m still doing radio interviews to promote my Billy Graham biography even though it was released five years ago. The book continues to sell and reach people as long as the author is engaged in the marketing process. I also continue to tell people about this book every day. Selling books is not a sprint but a marathon—a long term process.
  • Create a practical plan which you can execute on your own timetable. From my biography, I pulled 10 Facts about Billy Graham into an infographic. These facts became a bookmark on one side and the other side includes the book cover and a brief endorsement. Can you create this type of practical tool for your book then distribute the bookmark to bookstores for bag stuffers? Booksellers will appreciate your author activity to help them sell books.
  • Read book marketing books like 1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer or The Book Marketing Coach by Brent Sampson or then apply what you are learning to the marketing section of your proposal.

Build these types of marketing plans into your proposal for it to shine for editors and agents. Every author needs to make their marketing section in their book proposal standout.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition will release October 5th. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

How to Grab Attention in Your Opening Paragraph

 “Don’t Bury the Lead” is a common instruction to new writers. Literary agents and editors receive high volumes of email and physical submissions. If your prime material is over on page six, it may never be read. According to some at any given time there are over a million manuscripts and proposals in the in boxes of agents and editors. With that volume of material, most of us have seconds to give a submission and decide if we are going to do anything other than delete it (yes harsh but the truth).

As writers, it is our task to capture this attention and get the recipient to keep reading and ultimately to work with you on getting that submission published. Your words count and will be the attention-getter for that individual.

There are many ways to capture positive attention from these professionals. Almost every element of a book proposal is important. If you don’t know what goes into a book proposal, then I would encourage you to begin there. Every writer—even if you self-publish needs a book proposal because this document contains information which does not appear in your manuscript but is your business plan for your book.

In this article, I’m encouraging every writer should give their opening paragraph a little bit of extra polish before sending it. Here’s a number of ways to get read:

man working on an article

Tips for an attention-grabbing opening paragraph

1. Begin with a startling statistic related to your book or yourself. If you have millions of potential readers for your topic, beginning with this statistic captures attention. Also if you have a large email list or a social media following, this statistic can kick start the reading process.

2. Ask an intriguing question. A thought-provoking question is another great beginning to a proposal.

3. Open with an engaging story. Everyone loves a moving story. If you can tell this story in a few words with intrigue or entertainment, you pull the editor or agent into your proposal.

Whatever method you use, it is important to get the editor or agent reading your submission. Several years ago I interviewed another acquisitions editor and asked how he found a good submission. He answered: “Terry, I read the first sentence and if it is a good sentence I read the next sentence. If it is a good paragraph, I read the next paragraph and if it is a good page, I read the next page.” This editor revealed if it is a poor sentence or paragraph or page, he stops and goes on to the next submission. To learn more about proposals, I encourage you to check out my free webinar: askaboutproposals.com

Writers have confided to me their key material in the sixth chapter. My advice: don’t do it. Your reader may never get there. Start your proposal with a bang.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition will release October 5th. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

When You Hear Little (or Nothing) from Submissions

We live in a “hurry up” culture. If someone doesn’t answer their email or text you back right away, you figure something went wrong. From my years in the book business, I understand traditional publishing always moves to a slower pace. No matter what time of year you submit your proposal, it can take weeks and months to receive any response.

This year has been unusual with a world-wide pandemic. Editors and agents have moved out of their offices and are working from home. Depending on whether they have school age children at home, their work environment has grown even more complicated and makes getting a decision or any communication even slower than in the past.

I almost hate to tell you this pattern within publishing but need to prepare you for the final months of the year. During November and December, the response time changes to mostly silence or hearing crickets.

What significant actions can you take when your proposal submissions receive no response?

1. Discover new places to send your proposal Leading up to and during the holidays, some editors and literary agents turn to the unsolicited submissions and process them. The market is always changing. Find these places at your local bookstore or use a market guide from your library. Send your well-crafted proposal to different publishers and literary agents. Make sure in your cover letter or toward the first page of your proposal, you inform them it is a simultaneous submission. It is acceptable to submit to multiple places at the same time but if you use this approach, it is expected you will explicitly tell the agent or editor within the submission.

2. Review then rewrite your book proposal and sample chapter. If it has been some time since you’ve reviewed your work, fresh eyes can give you new insights and improvements.

3. Read in your subject area or a how-to book and take action to increase your connection to your audience. Get my free Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. Use several ideas to increase your audience.

4. Plan to attend a spring writers’ conference. Begin to study the editors and agents attending to prepare your pitch. Read their online guidelines and look at their recent publications to assure your book fits their editorial needs.

5. Purchase a resource like Book Proposals That Sell (http://BookProposalsThatSell.com) or take an online course like Write A Book Proposal then apply the new insights to your submission. When you learn more about how editors and agents operate and their needs, your submission will be more desirable.

If you make productive use of these quiet months, you can propel your publishing dreams to new levels of success in the months ahead.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200.. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. He answers to your proposal questions at: www.AskAboutProposals.com. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

Make Your Proposal Stand Out

Recently I met one of my long-term friends, a publisher of a well-known book company. Speaking about how I manage author expectations, I said, “I tell every author it is 80% up to them to sell the book.”

“That 80% is the same thing we tell authors,” he affirmed. Are you taking your responsibility for selling your own book? This attitude is critical in any proposal because it will shine through your words.

Editors and literary agents receive hundreds of submissions. You have seconds to catch their attention before they move to the next one. How can you distinguish your book proposal? Consider these seven keys:

Create an Unforgettable Title. For example, I recently received a proposal from a former nun who wrote a marriage book. The juxtaposition of “nun” with “marriage” caught my attention.

Begin with a great story and continue with thoughtful well-organized content. You don’t just throw the words on the page to have this dynamic. Your writing and rewriting will capture attention.

 Target a specific audience that you know and knows you. Books are not written for everybody but to a particular audience. Your proposal identifies this audience.

  Write a detailed marketing plan to reach your audience. Practical author plans get attention from literary agents and editors.

 Identify five or six competitive books in your proposal. Every book competes and if you understand your competition, you will stand out.

 Carefully craft the first few chapters of your book and include these chapters with your proposal. The sample chapters showcase your writing to the literary agent or editor.

Use my proposal checklist (http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck) to ensure no critical elements are missing.

 A standout proposal takes hard work but you can do this work. This important tool will snag a top agent or get an editor’s attention.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. He answers to your proposal questions at: www.AskAboutProposals.com.

Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

The Covid Affair

Well, here we are. Or … here I am, and there you are. We’re social distancing. This is new for many folks. For everyone if truth be told. It’s new, exhilarating, exciting, exhausting. Draining!

For most of us, as writers, this isn’t a burden whatsoever. We’re used to being holed up in our offices, working by ourselves (if we’re lucky and get the peace and quiet we crave).  In fact, we’ve been training for moments like this as long as we’ve been writing.

So how is it affecting us? A couple folks have said, “Just knowing I can’t go out, if I wanted to, is somehow interrupting my ability to write!” “I can’t get enough of this! It’s awesome!” And others tell me about how difficult it is to know massive work is expected of them during the shutdown. As if writers just turn on a switch and wrote.

I’ll be honest, while I thought it would be just another day at the office, my office, my in-home office, instead, I’ve found it really difficult to work. Oh, I get it done, but I find myself tuning in to much more news than before, being drawn to the outside (where absolutely nothing is happening) through my two office windows, and wanting to get up and move around more than before. Maybe it’s the sourdough starter tempting me to bake for the fifth time this week, and it’s only Wednesday. Sigh. My good intentions of getting a lot more writing done, reading of submissions completed, working on edits for clients, have gone by the wayside, along with that last batch of cinnamon rolls which haven’t gone by the wayside, but directly to my hips.

So what do we do? We can whine, complain, bake another batch of … who knows what, or we can plunk our behinds in our seats and get to work. There will always be distractions. We will have deaths, divorces, births, school papers due, problematic relationships, deadlines with “other” writing, and even friends asking us when we’re finally going to be published. We can freeze under the pressure, or we can press on. Press through. Press beyond what is expected of us. We can persevere and get the job done.

Life is filled with … well … life getting in the way. And in that will come excuses. Excuses to wait till the next day, wait till the virus clears the country, wait till we have more ideas … wait, wait, wait. And the writing never gets done.

As artsy folks, writers have, if you’ll pardon the play on words, “unimaginable” imaginations. Our minds work like the fastest core processors available. While we’re supposed to be writing, we’re already thinking of the sequel, prequel, and possible novellas to give away free for promotion. We’re picking out the publisher that we KNOW will want our novel, the actors who will play the lead rolls in the movie version, and even what to wear while attending the Oscar to see our made-into-movie novel win the best picture award.

Okay, so here I sit. There you sit. Yes, we are. We’re social distancing. I’m writing about what we might do to help during this Covid-19 thing, and you’re reading about it. Neither of us is writing.

C’mon. Let’s get on the shtick and do what we’re supposed to be doing: writing. Doing our best to make life a little better for the folks stuck at home, reading! Just waiting for our next great American novel that might tell … the unbelievable story of an entire world brought to its knees by a tiny virus. Why not? Somebody’s got to write it.

Linda S. Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and also the author of eight novels and two novellas, so she “gets” writers. She represents authors in both the Christian and secular communities. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops around the country each year. Married with three grown children and four grands, she lives in a small town where everyone is family.

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Book Proposals

Always Cover the Basics

From reading many submissions, I’ve seen numerous misspellings of my first and last name. This small but significant mistake makes an immediate negative impression for reading the rest of the proposal. Your professionalism needs to shine through your proposal to a literary agent or an editor.

For a minute,. Imagine yourself as an editor or agent receiving submissions. You are actively looking for wonderful writing and solid authors that you can publish. This fact is good news for authors who wonder if anyone even reads their submissions. The important truth for authors to recall is that you receive hundreds of submissions. The little known truth is writers have only seconds to interest the agent or editor in their work. If that professional opens your submission and sees a glaring error, then that submission is rejected and they press on to the next submission. Rejection can mean receiving a rejection letter or not receiving anything or silence because of the large volume of material the editor or agent is receiving

Here’s some important basics to cover in your submission:   

  1. Address a specific person. Never send an email addressing “Dear Agent” or “Dear Editor.” Besides looking funny, it makes the editor wonder if you are sending this material to thousands at the same time (and normally not saying it is a simultaneous submission). Editors and agents will change positions in the industry. It can be cause for rejection if you address someone who is no longer at that business. Check the agency or publisher website for their guidelines before sending and make sure you have all of the correct details.
  2. Double check every word of your submission is correctly spelled. This point is one of my 21 Secrets in Book Proposals That Sell. I’ve had readers say, “Obvious.” Often submissions contain typos.
  3. After you write your proposal and sample chapter, put it aside for several hours (or several days). With fresh eyes read your submission aloud and use a pencil to immediately adjust errors. The ear is less forgiving than the eye and you will pick up on more details reading aloud. Your goal is for every sentence to make sense.

Recently I’ve updated my free book proposal checklist: http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck Use this checklist to know you have sent a complete proposal. It is time-consuming for the editor to have to write an email asking for a missing section or missing address or _____.  Almost daily I write these emails to authors but I recognize I’m different. Because of the high volume of submissions, many agents and editors will not write for the missing information and instead they will never respond or send a quick rejection.

As a writer, you want to rejection-proof your submission and give it every possible opportunity to get their approval, interest and excitement. Every editor is looking for the next bestseller. Will it come from you? I hope so.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. He answers to your proposal questions at: www.AskAboutProposals.com.

Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Book Proposals

But My Writing’s Good…Why Can’t I Get An Agent?

I remember those days of whining to myself. “But it’s good. Everybody says so, especially all my friends and family.” Sigh … yes, I’ll admit it. I really took those familial critiques as having substantial meaning. And … they … did … not. And not because their opinions weren’t valuable, but because they do not know the market, no matter how many books they read. Or how well versed they think they are.

Most readers have a few authors that they have read for years, maybe even decades, and that makes them loyal readers, not professional reviewers. And once a reader is with an author that they like, they will accept however that author writes for the most part: good or bad, contemporary or old and stale, or anything in between.

Agents are always looking for fresh voices. New takes on old stories, new ways of expressing the same thing, because let’s face it, there aren’t that many new themes and/or ideas out there. So how do we sell it? A fresh voice that uses all of the new trends in writing, that steps outside the box for lack of a better expression, and who knows what the new readers are looking for.

How does a writer stay abreast of trends? How do they develop their voices? How can they get a chance to show off what they can do?

Let’s explore the answers to these questions:

  1. attend conferences and workshops
  2. attend conferences and workshops
  3. attend conferences and workshops

Did I really answer all of those questions the same way? You bet I did. Because at conferences you’ll find numerous agents, editors, web designers, other authors, those who can help you build platform, and so on. It’s an opportunity to network, learn in classroom settings, discuss trends in the industry at appointments, network with and possibly join a critique group, and to get feedback on your work. HONEST feedback from someone who doesn’t have your friendship to lose if they don’t like it.

IN A WORD: invaluable

While I occasionally find authors through my email, most of the clients that I pick up are from conferences. Why is that? Most folks who are willing to pay for a conference have done their homework, learned their craft, and worked hard to be able to get to a conference. It means time away from family, a chip at the finances, but it also means time spent with others who GET US. Other folks with voices in their heads that just have to get out. They are writers who have thick skin and can take it when their work is confronted. They can say, “Wow! I didn’t know that. That certainly isn’t what I learned in Advanced English class.” In other words, they are teachable writers willing to listen, to learn, and to apply.

So, why can’t I get an agent? I am probably not taking all of the above seriously. I am convinced that I already know everything. I don’t work with critique partners. Why bother? They don’t know any more than I already do. I can’t afford to attend a conference (you can’t afford NOT to). I have an MFA in creative writing, so why bother? I know it all, right?

Leaving old notions behind, being teachable, learning to build platform, writing the best novel you possibly can after learning all the ins and outs of the industry, and you WILL be on your way to connecting with an agent or editor for your work.

There are conferences available from $99-all the way to WOW! break the bank.

Do your best! Nothing comes free. It comes with hard work aimed at a teachable spirit!

You can do this … yes, you can!

Linda S. Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and also the author of eight novels and two novellas, so she “gets” writers. She represents authors in both the Christian and secular communities. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops around the country each year. Married with three grown children and four grands, she lives in a small town where everyone is family.

Categories
Book Proposals

Why Every Author Needs A Proposal—Even If You Self-publish

A New Year always brings a chance to start over and begin in a new direction. This year (2020) is especially different because everyone begins a new decade. Self-publishing is growing in leaps and bounds with 1.6 million self-published books last year. What is often NOT said about these books is that on average they sell 100-200 copies during the lifetime of the book.         

            Many people wrongly assume book proposals are only written to find a literary agent and go the traditional publishing route. From my experience after years in publishing, every author needs to create a book proposal—whether they are writing fiction or nonfiction—whether they are going to a traditional publisher or going to self-publish.

            I understand self-publishing is throughout the publishing community. Authors can take action with no screening or review process. Nor do you have to create a book proposal or find a literary agent. Yet the average self-published book is competing for attention with thousands of other authors. Penny Sansevieri, CEO and Founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. in San Diego, said, “Remember there are over 4,500 new books published every day.” She got this number from several sources including R.R. Bowker (that issue ISBNs for books).

            Even if you self-publish, you need a book proposal to create the business plan for your book. As you write the various proposal elements, you will pinpoint the audience for your book, your marketing strategy how you will reach them, and why you are the best to write such a book. There are more details to a proposal included in my free Book Proposal Checklist. I write about this aspect in much more detail in my new book, 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed. In fact, self-publishing is one of my chapters in the book: Myth: Self Publishing Is the Best Way to Get My Book Out into the Market. You can get a taste of the book and the 11th Publishing Myth (not in the book) at this link.   

Many writers resist the hard work to craft an excellent proposal. I’ve written many proposals and understand the hard work that goes into creating each one. When completed, you will have a solid plan for your book and a path to success. If you do the work, you will be equipped with your plan to write and sell your book to a specific hungry audience.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. He answers to your proposal questions at: www.AskAboutProposals.com.

Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Categories
Book Proposals

Why Do They Torture Us With Homework?

We’ve written the book, isn’t that enough? Now they want us to write a query, a pitch, a proposal, a synopsis! What next?

Every agent and editor understands that the dreaded synopsis or query or full proposal is anything but fun. And yet, it gives them a real look into the author’s actual skills. A quickly thrown together synopsis reveals the inability to follow through. A poorly addressed pitch tells them that the author isn’t really sure what the theme of their novel is at the core. And a badly written proposal indicates a lack of ability to organize or follow directions.

So is the purpose of writing these a test? Not at all. Everything is needed for the agent to convince someone else that the author’s work is worthwhile. If you can’t convince the agent, how will she convince the editor?

So let’s break this down. First, a great pitch will intrigue the agent or editor enough that they will want to read more. It’s like a twenty word hook that simply mesmerizes the individual, lures them to read on. The synopsis is a more detailed look at the entire novel’s outcome, telling the agent that the writer can write an introduction, middle, and ending well. And finally, the proposal gives the agent all of the details that he needs to take this brilliant story to an editor and hopefully have it be picked up.

Yes, it’s homework in a sense. It’s the final chapter to the novel that is needed to sell a work. It’s tedious, but necessary. Torture? Maybe a little bit, but all of us as writers have been there, and we all made it to the other side.

Blessings to you and your writing from one who survived.

Linda S. Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and also the author of eight novels and two novellas, so she “gets” writers. She represents authors in both the Christian and secular communities. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops around the country each year. Married with three grown children and four grands, she lives in a small town where everyone is family.

Categories
Book Proposals

Use the Holidays to Beat the Catch-22 of Publishing

      From my experience in publishing, editors and agents are often slow to respond to submissions. This time lag grows even worse during the final months of the year because often these professionals are focused on outside activities like sending holiday greetings and special events.

     Yet time is marching on during the holidays. How can you make the best use of this slow publishing season when you feel like your correspondence goes into a black hole? Take this time to be writing and refining your book proposal. Use my book proposal checklist to make sure you are creating what is expected and needed.

     Also use this holiday season to increase your publishing credits and credibility with the editors and agents. As a New York acquisitions editor, I’ve read thousands of submissions. One of the key elements publishing professionals will notice is your publishing experience. But maybe you’ve never published anything or only self-published and your credits are limited. If you are in this situation, it is like when you get your first job. How do you create a job resume when you don’t have any experience? You are stuck and unsure how to do it—which I call a catch-22 type of situation. It’s the same in publishing but you can get around this catch-22 if you publish in magazines. If you have published other books and in magazines, your proposal gains a more careful reading and consideration.

          The best place to gain publishing experience is in print magazines. Magazines are shorter than books and quicker to accomplish than books. Yet in print magazines you learn how to write for a target audience, for a specific deadline and word count—all valuable skills for your book writing. First select some target publications. Use a Writer’s Market Guide (even from your library). Which publications do you read? Study them and see how much freelance material they are using? Craft a query letter or if they allow it, the full article, then submit this material. Then you will be published and your proposals will gain much more attention.

Use the holidays to improve your publishing potential.

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. Get his free Book Proposal Checklist at: http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck Terry is the author of Book Proposals That Sell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success  and he has written over 60 books and for more than 50 magazines. He has over 200,000 followers on twitter. http://twitter.com/terrywhalin

Categories
Book Proposals

A Simple Proposal Formula

I wrote about fifty books with traditional publishers, including two proposals that got six figure advances—before I began working inside publishing houses over sixteen years ago. At this point, I’m acquiring books for my third publishing house and I have reviewed thousands of proposals and manuscripts (no exaggeration). There are many different templates and models to create a book proposal. Yet there are some consistent elements that need to be in every proposal to capture attention and get published.

After reviewing this wide variety of proposals and manuscripts, I’ve decided attractive proposals boil down to a simple formula. Your proposal needs to contain the standard sections detailed in my free book proposal checklist This formula works no matter what you are writing (nonfiction or fiction).

 Passion + Sales = book contract

Every writer must have a passion about their story or their subject. Possibly you are passionate about the life-changes from people reading your book. Or maybe the story is in the forefront of your mind and you are driven every day to write more pages. Whatever the topic you, will be thinking about it not only during the writing but the marketing process–and without passion you will not be motivated to complete the writing or work on the marketing of the book.

Maybe you’ve specialized in a certain skill or topic that you are writing about. This expertise is something you are ready to tell others about and it’s key to your success. An editor or skilled professional can improve the writing but passion can’t be instilled and must be in the heart and mind of the author.

Sales or potential sales is the second key ingredient for your proposal. Who will buy this book and do you have a reach to this reader? If not, can you create this reach? Whether you have a large or small publisher, in today’s market the author carries 80% of the marketing responsibility. Your publisher can sell your book into the bookstore but without the author’s marketing activity, every retailer can return the books for a full refund. You must have this reach, or the ability to generate this reach, or you will not have sales. Thousands of books (no exaggeration) are published every day.

To get a book contract, you must have these crucial elements.

W. Terry Whalin is a writer and editor who  lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.