How to Write a Book Proposal: 6 Crucial Elements, Guest Post by John Wilsey

John Wilsey teaches history and philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of One Nation Under God: An Evangelical Critique of Christian America and blogs at johndwilsey.com. Your book proposal needs to be more than good. Your book proposal needs to be magnificent.

Your book proposal is your work’s first introduction to a potential publisher.

It is imperative that your proposal be clean, eloquent, organized, well-researched, realistic, and compelling.

Think of your proposal as your book’s coming-out party. You are giving wealthy suitors the chance to meet the lovely maiden you have raised from infancy. So you better make sure that she has nice teeth.

6 Elements of a Book Proposal

 Element 1: Project Description

The first element of a good book proposal is your topic statement.

In the topic statement, you need to spend a couple of paragraphs broadly summarizing what your book is about.

• Discuss the importance of your topic.
• Clearly state your thesis.
• State the central argument of your book in one or two sentences.
• Give a couple of clear and precise lines about your methodology.
• Explain how your proposed book fits in with your other published works OR clearly indicate if this book will be a revision of your dissertation.
• Write a few lines about your school, your program, and who sat on your committee.

If this first section is clear, concise, and original, your potential publisher will continue reading.

If not, the abyss of obscurity yawns before you.

Element 2: Target Audience

Give details about the target audience for your book.

• Are you writing for scholars?
• Students?
• Religious leaders?
• An informed audience of laypersons?
• Will your book serve as a course text?

Be as specific as possible when you identify your intended audience.

Target audience is one of the publisher’s first considerations.

If your book could serve as a course text, write a list of specific courses that could use your book. Again, be specific. Don’t make up interesting course names.

Look at the course offerings in academic catalogues, and get in touch with professors who teach those courses. Ask these professors if they would include a book such as yours in their course syllabus.

Request their permission to list their name and courses in your proposal.

Element 3: Historiography/Comparable Works Section

Give some information on the related book market.

• Where does your book fit within the literature?
• Why is another book needed on your topic?
• What original contribution does your book make?

Write a bibliography of the current literature related to your book. Annotate the 10 to 15 works that are most closely related to yours.

Annotation Includes:

• A paragraph that summarizes the book
• A paragraph that situates your work within the existing field. (A brief description of how your book will add to and differ from the book you just summarized.)

Provide another 20 to 50 titles that are less closely related to your work, but are still germane to your topic.

Show how your book is different from those as well.

The “Comparable Works” section shows your publisher that you are up on the literature.

It demonstrates that you have looked at the books in your field, and that you are confident your book contributes meaningfully and originally to it.

If you can show that your book is a meaningful and original contribution, then you are assuring your potential publisher that your book will make an impact, and thus a profit.

Element 4: Chapter Outlines/Annotated Table of Contents

You have to balance 2 goals as you write your chapter outlines:

1. Clear presentation of argument

2. Showcase the features and stories that make your book marketable

Note how you will present your thesis in the introduction of your book and explain how your chapters will argue and further your thesis.

Elements of Chapter Outlines:

• List Chapter Titles
• Provide 1 paragraph of summary for each chapter; include how said chapter will argue/further your thesis (NOTE: Do not make your argument in your chapter outlines. Be clear, but include a dash of ambiguity to leave your reader wanting more.)
• Estimate the length of each chapter (10,000 words = approximately 30 pages of typed, double-spaced text). Many trade presses consider a work of 80-90,000 words the sweet spot.

Element 5: References

Include a list of references, scholars in your field who will endorse your ideas.

Ask 15 to 20 people to look over your proposal and ask them if they will affirm that your proposed book has the potential to make a valuable contribution to your field.

To clarify: these are not people who are endorsing the book. They are endorsing: 1. You, as a qualified scholar and 2. Your proposal.

In other words, you want recognized scholars to affirm that your work will be as valuable as you have stated in your proposal.

Your reference list will give comfort to the potential publisher concerning the viability of your proposed work. When recognized scholars in your field vouch for your project’s legitimacy, it bolsters your credibility.

Don’t be shy about contacting senior scholars and asking them for to help you in this way. Some will decline, but you’ll likely be gratified to see that many are happy to help you succeed.

Element 6: Writing Sample

The last element of your proposal will be your writing sample.

The writing sample should consist of a chapter that states your thesis, methodology, and organization.

Make sure, beyond all doubt, that your sample chapter consistently reflects how you’ve written your proposal!

The Finished Proposal

Your completed proposal should be about 10 to 15 pages total excluding your sample chapter.

Conclusion

Your proposal represents your first effort at marketing your book.

Consider it a major project in its own right. Devote time and thought to it.

The quality of your book proposal will determine whether or not a publisher will give your work their full consideration.

Share Your Story

How many books did you include in your comparable works section? 

Did you include references with your book proposal? If so, how did you approach your references?

Jumping In: Book Revisions

How do you revise a non-fiction book? I have pondered this question over the last several months.

Writing my book proposal helped me figure out what stories and information I want to include in my book AMERICA’S FIRST GATEWAY. However, my book proposal did not lay out a clear plan for how I should revise my manuscript.

I finished my book proposal in late September 2013 and since that time I have worked on freelance articles, blog posts, and an academic journal article.

I finished the journal article 2 weeks ago, which means that I finally have to start revising my book, not just talk about it.

Last week I willed myself to start revising.

I opened my book proposal, read through my Chapter 1 description, and dissected it.

I outlined all of the major topics and subtopics for the chapter. Under my subtopics I listed all of the books and article titles that I need to read/skim to write about that subtopic.

This week, I began reading books and articles that will help me find the information I need to revise Chapter 1.

Experimentation

I do not know how long it will take me to revise my book. I do know I want to work smarter than when I wrote my dissertation.

I am trying 3 new techniques to ensure that I write and make progress every day. (Okay, maybe not every day, but most days).

Experiment 1: Early Morning Reading

Each morning I read.

I read an article or part of a book before I sit at my computer.

I love my computer, but it is a major source of distraction.

I used to start my day by checking e-mail, Twitter, and blog feeds. Inevitably, one or more of these items would distract me from the work I needed to do.

Now, I begin with reading, which helps me focus on work before I get distracted.

Experiment 2: Active Note Taking

After I read, I enter my notes into DEVONthink.

The process of typing my notes helps me consider the information I read. After this deliberation, I open Scrivener, click on the book/article card I created, and summarize the reading in my own words.

The act of summarizing ensures that I write every day.

I plan to use my summaries as reference material when I write each subsection.

Experiment 3: Increased Accountability

Progress requires action. It also commands accountability.

I will make myself accountable to others.

I will make weekly progress reports to my writing coach and update my writing group during our bi-weekly meetings.

I will also blog about my revisions work.

Conclusion

I am not sure if my revisions plan is the best plan, but it is one that will help me make steady progress.

What Do You Suggest?

How have you (do you) approach your long-term writing projects?

Do you have a system or technique that allows you to make steady progress?

Challenges: Inarticulateness

Wednesday, February 19, 2014, 12:57pm

I am suffering from inarticulateness this week.

All of my writing feels forced because I cannot easily put the ideas in my head into words on my computer screen.

I do not know why the words won’t flow easily from my brain to the page. Some days or weeks my writing is just inarticulate and forced.

Although it is frustrating, I will to continue to plug away.

I will show up to write every hour that I have budgeted to write.

I am going to try and remedy the situation by taking my dogs for a long walk to clear my head. If that doesn’t work, tomorrow I will change my scenery.

When I feel inarticulate at home sometimes writing at the library or a cafe helps. I have at least 3 alternative writing locations on standby.

What Do You Think?

How do you overcome your inarticulate writing days? The days where your head is swimming with ideas that you can’t put down on paper. 

5 Steps for Marketing Your Academic Book, Guest Post by Michelle Marchetti Coughlin

Michelle Marchetti Coughlin is an independent scholar and the author of One Colonial Woman’s World: The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit (University of Massachusetts Press, 2012). Completing a book manuscript, and then gaining support for that manuscript from a university press editor, peer reviewers, and a faculty editorial board represents an enormous amount of work.

But having your manuscript accepted for publication by an academic press does not mean your efforts to make your work available to a wider audience are over.

In order to make your investment of time and energy truly pay off, you need to participate in the promotion of your book.

Many university presses have small publicity departments tasked with publicizing not only multiple new titles each year, but also backlists numbering in the hundreds.

As a result, the time, attention, and funds these departments are able to bestow on the promotion of a single book are often limited.

The good news is that there are 5 steps authors can take that may dramatically increase the reach of their work.

5 Steps for Marketing Your Academic Book

 1. Establish a Web Presence

An attractive, easily navigable website is an invaluable tool for the promotion of a book.

A website will not only expose your work to a much wider audience, but will provide potential readers with information on how to contact you and where to hear you speak.

Setting up a website can be expensive, but it is a highly worthwhile investment (and a service you might obtain at a discount from a talented college or graduate student).

 Tip: Be sure the pages on your site are encoded for Google Analytics so you can monitor your traffic, and take care to keep your information up to date.

2. Utilize Social Media

If possible, publicize news about your work and speaking engagements through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or a blog as an additional measure to help colleagues, friends, and others interested in your writing keep current with your activities.

3. Contact Print and Other Media

Although your publisher’s publicity department will notify appropriate media outlets about the release of your book (be sure to thoroughly fill out that marketing questionnaire!), you may want to personally contact your hometown media or alumni publications.

Try to arrange an interview with your local radio station or with “Fieldstone Common,” a weekly podcast that reaches an international group of history enthusiasts. These types of non-specialists are an important but sometimes overlooked audience for scholarly books.

4. Set Up Readings and Appearances

Arranging speaking engagements for authors is often outside the purview of university press publicity departments, but these events are necessary for promoting your work.

You should plan to contact libraries, museums, and other institutions offering programming in your field as well as historical, genealogical, and lineage societies to ask if you might present a lecture on the topic of your book.

Create a simple Power Point and make your presentation as interesting and approachable as possible to a general audience.

Try to avoid reading from your notes.

Make sure you have business cards on hand as well as books for sale, if this is appropriate.

Talks that are well received often lead to other opportunities and invitations to give additional lectures, not to mention productive relationships with host institutions.

Be sure to keep your press’s publicity department informed of your appearances (and any other professional developments) so they can broadcast this information on their own social media pages.

5. Maintain a List of Contacts

Create a file of contact information for individuals you’ve met through your speaking engagements and who’ve reached out to you through your website or social media pages.

Whenever possible, thank those who write favorably about your book in blogs or online reviews, such as Amazon or Good Reads.

The connections you make in the process of promoting your book can be wonderful resources that may also provide an audience for your next book.

Conclusion

The above are just a few suggestions for new authors (and do not include opportunities to network with colleagues or publicize one’s work in the academic arena, such as through conferences, panels, and journals).

For further information, you may want to consult William Germano’s chapter “Promoting Your Work” in [amazon_link id="0226288536" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books[/amazon_link] or any of the many other online and print resources available on this topic.

Best of luck!

What Do You Think?

Do you have any additional tips for marketing your academic book? 

For non-academic writers, do Michelle's tips differ for trade publishing?

6 Tips That Will Help You Find Time to Write During the Academic Year, Guest Post by John Wilsey

John Wilsey teaches history and philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of One Nation Under God: An Evangelical Critique of Christian America and blogs at johndwilsey.com. Everyone’s busy.

We all have responsibilities that demand our time and attention.

Teaching is always a time-consuming and work-intensive demand. As are the array of other duties that go along with teaching: committee work, service projects, advisee meetings, and perhaps an administrative agenda.

Then there’s writing.

Writing is an extension of our teaching. Not only is it important element of how we advance our academic careers, it is essential for us to stay sharp in the classroom and in our fields.

Writing is a non-negotiable. If you want to teach, you must write.

So how does a professor find the time to write?

Tip 1: Don’t Find Time, Make Time

You may say—I don’t have the time. I’m too busy. Not only am I maxed out at school, I have a family, a neighborhood, or a faith/civil community that is depends on me.

However, if President Obama sought our regular counsel on some issue that required a time commitment, perhaps we would ask, “how do I make the time to accomplish this task?” rather then “how do I find the time?”

When you write, and write well, you never know, President Obama may indeed sit under your counsel by reading your work.

(Don’t laugh. I wrote a post, "Threats to Our Republic: the HHS Mandate and Incivility," last spring on civility in political discourse from my perspective as a conservative. One of the points I made was that everyone, including conservatives, must show deference to President Obama, because he holds the office of President. Two days later, I had the surprise of a lifetime: I received a note of thanks from Joshua DuBois, special counselor to President Obama on faith-based initiatives.)

Remember writing your dissertation?

When did you make time for that enormous undertaking?

You likely found it in the nooks and crannies of time during the day, in larger chunks late at night, and in the early hours of the morning. When you are busy, you must find time to write in similar ways.

Tip 2: Live By Your Calendar

Set aside blocks of time on a weekly calendar for writing and stick to those times. Be disciplined about your time management.

Ask the important people in your life to help you with time management.

If you’re married and/or have children, ask your spouse and kids to help you schedule your blocks of time on the calendar at the beginning of each semester.

When each semester is over, take a small sabbatical from being hard-nosed about time management—but keep writing.

When the next semester comes around again, go back to your family and your calendar and block out times for writing for the next three or four months.

Tip 3: Prune Hobbies to Create Time and Rewards

Something might have to give.

You may have to give up certain hobbies for a time—not permanently, but for a little while.

Set goals for your writing and reward yourself with a renewal of those fun activities.

I’m an outdoorsman and for a few months I forgo outdoor activities so I can focus on writing. I renew my time in the outdoors each time I accomplish a writing goal.

Tip 4: Surround Yourself With Productive People

Good company encourages good habits: Surround yourself with people who research and write.

Create or join a peer group of people who regularly write. These people will provide positive peer pressure for you to do the same.

Group members should be colleagues who will encourage you in your projects. You should also encourage them.

Participation in a writing community can be a powerful motivator.

Tip 5: See Writing As Important

If you can’t shift the question from “how do I find time?” to “how do I make time?,” you probably aren’t motivated enough to write. That sounds harsh, but it is true.

You will always find time for the activities you most desire to do.

If you don’t want to devote your energies to research and writing, then you won’t do it.

But if writing is important to you—and you see it as important to you—then you will find a way to make it a part of your day.

Tip 6: Methods that will Integrate Writing Into Your Day and Keep You Mentally Sharp

Perhaps you’ll practice your writing by keeping a journal or by keeping a blog that will hone your ability to communicate to a popular audience.

You may write book reviews to stay current in your field or sharpen your research skills by writing papers that you can present at conferences.

Maybe you’ll choose to sharpen your argumentation skills by writing editorials.

Conclusion

You have the time to write and you can make your schedule conform to your desire.

What do You Think?

How do you make time to write?