Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write: How to Get a Contract and Advance Before Writing Your Book, Revised and Updated

by Elizabeth Lyon

Sign the contract…then write the book. The good news is that almost every nonfiction book published is sold by a proposal. In this comprehensive yet accessible guide, you will learn exactly what a proposal is, what it must contain, and how to pull yours together into an informative, persuasive selling package. Already a favorite for thousands of aspiring writers, this book has been revised and updated by Elizabeth Lyon to feature nearly two dozen actual proposals,     ·         Choosing a topic based on current trends and competing titles ·         Drafting the perfect concept statement—daring agents and editors to reject you ·         Defining and targeting your readership—then connecting with them ·         Preparing a table of contents and chapter summaries ·         Submitting exciting and well-written sample chapters ·         Writing query letters ·         Devising a marketing plan that will excite agents and publishers

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Bonnie Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's face it, not a lot of people know the ins and outs of getting a book published, especially a nonfiction book.

As I was laboring over a nonfiction crafts book proposal I thought I could use a few pointers and this book helped me more than I ever thought possible.

The author spells out every little detail in putting together a successful proposal from the intro to the market analysis. If you're feeling overwhelmed in your book proposal writing process, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. You'll save time, work and heartache.

[Connie Veer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will become your bible if you're writing a non-fiction book! It is clearly organized, easy to read, and practical. I'm often overwhelmed by all the advice out there for writers. Elizabeth Lyon cuts right to the most essential information in an accessible, engaging style.

[Prashant Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful

This book had plenty of solid advise for drafting proposals. And it generated results for me as i got a couple of responses on my proposal.

[Jennifer C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for a novice, aspiring nonfiction author. Will update if and when I have results!

Update (11/2024): book proposal accepted!

[Michele Cacano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Writer's Book. This is extremely well laid out and written, taking an intimidating process for the unpublished author (or the published!) and making it easily conquerable. I extracted ideas from my head that I didn't even know I had about approaching my subject matter... Highly recommended!

[Tom Marcinko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this really useful, but I wonder if there's a more recent edition. The basic advice seems sound and logical to me, but the most recent edition I could find was 2002. That's forever in today's publishing world.

[Jennifer James · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a bit of a snoozer, this book was packed with information on how to write a professional book proposal that will get noticed, as well as how to write a query letter, and information about dealing with the publishing world. It was an excellent start toward the knowledge that I need to get my book published.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old now--the book speaks of the internet as something that may become an important part of our lives--but mostly useful. Even for a veteran of book proposals (mostly academic, though) there are useful reminders about what to include and how to sell you book idea.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyon's approach to writing book proposals is a little overly long and complicated, but by following her process you WILL end up with an excellent book proposal AND a complete plan for your book. I do think that agents and editors prefer proposals that are more succinct than she recommends, but it's best to get the whole plan down and then tighten it, I think.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself glossing over the sections about how it's a great time for the publishing industry because seriously, that stuff needs to be brought up-to-date. But it was nice to have an outline to build my Research Apps project around.

[Jana Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very comprehensive, detailed explanation of what editors and agents want to see in a nonfiction book proposal. A great guide and writing prompt for anyone hoping to get published, Lyons provides many examples of successful proposal sections as well as sidebar lists for quick reference.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty bare-bones guide to writing non-fiction proposals. I say "pretty" as, at times, Lyons launches into unnecessary side-notes. (I.e. "you're probably envisioning yourself on Oprah. Don't.") It was helpful to know what is expected in a proposal, though.

[David Gleeson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best I've read on the subject.

[Lorraine Haataia]

I own the paperback version of this book, but it only has 292 pages.

[Barbc · Rating 5 out of 5]

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