Chris Webb's Publishing Blog » proposal http://ckwebb.com Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:40:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 The Problem with Book Outlines – Advice for Authors http://ckwebb.com/publishing/books-and-writing/the-problem-with-book-outlines-advice-for-authors/ http://ckwebb.com/publishing/books-and-writing/the-problem-with-book-outlines-advice-for-authors/#comments Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:02:47 +0000 Chris http://ckwebb.com/?p=280 Writing about contentI was speaking with a potential author on the phone today who was having trouble with the outline portion of his book proposal. Of course, building the book outline is one of the most important elements in writing winning book proposals, so all new authors stress over getting it right the first time.

You probably won’t get it right the first time.

I’m not trying to be negative here, so hear me out. Every once in a while I get a proposal where the author just absolutely nails it, but the majority of the time the first draft outline is a great start that needs some fine tuning to get it ready for the shelf.

I look at the book proposal process as a collaborative effort with the author. If I believe in your book idea and you as an author, then I am going to take the time to help you develop your ideas into something that I think has the best chance of success.

An exercise I like to suggest to authors who are bogged down in the outline is to forget that it’s a book. We will worry about turning it into a book a little later, but for now imagine you are creating something other than a book outline. How would you think about your outline differently if I told you were:

  • Drafting a presentation for SxSW, Microsoft TechEd or TED (insert the most appropriate conference here)
  • Writing the script or talking points for a podcast or video
  • Preparing a series of blog posts on a subject

Sometimes thinking about content as just a book is limiting. As publishers move to providing content in a variety of formats – not just books – I think it’s important to open our thinking up a bit during the proposal process. Not everything will necessarily end up in the book per se, but the ideas that don’t may make for great supporting materials, or interesting marketing and promotional angles.

Thinking beyond the book allows you to be a bit more creative with your ideas. Couple that with an editor who is willing to work with you to develop those ideas into a great book is a winning combination.

(Photo credit: Massdistraction)

]]> http://ckwebb.com/publishing/books-and-writing/the-problem-with-book-outlines-advice-for-authors/feed/ 7 The Sell Before the Sale http://ckwebb.com/publishing/books-and-writing/the-sell-before-the-sale/ http://ckwebb.com/publishing/books-and-writing/the-sell-before-the-sale/#comments Wed, 09 May 2007 14:17:19 +0000 Chris http://www.ckwebb.com/books/the-sell-before-the-sale/ bookIt’s been slow blogging for a few days as I have been spending much of my time getting several new books prepared for presentations and approval. Before a book ever reaches the shelves, the editor “sells” it internally to Editorial, Marketing, Sales and the Publisher. This sales process, among other things, involves the preparation of several documents including a competitive analysis, sales estimates, suggested marketing approaches, financial analysis, a sales sheet, and the Author’s proposal and outline. Once these materials are prepared the book is usually subject to multiple approval meetings before the Publisher agrees to bring it to market.

Of all the documents used as part of this process, the Author’s Proposal is the key, as it forms the foundation for the creation of many of the other items. For Authors, the Proposal is the single way in which you influence the process, so writing a good proposal is critical for the success of your book. As an editor, having a good Proposal makes the remaining tasks easier, and increases your chances of getting your book approved.

I also use the Proposal as a gauge of the Author:

  • Is it well written?
  • Did the Author take the time to detail it fully?
  • How well does the author understand the competition?

The quality of the Proposal can serve as an indicator of the quality of the book, so getting it right is important. Authors should always consider the Proposal as a resume and put their best foot forward.

In the coming days I’ll be posting about each element of the book proposal and keys for success.

Now, back to those new books.

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