Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: How to Write a Book Proposal

After reading this I am now thinking how I can tur...

2012-02-09T07:25:15.210-08:00

After reading this I am now thinking how I can turn my non fiction book into a fiction one! :-)

Thanks so much for the great article. This was the...

2011-11-28T15:41:54.024-08:00

Thanks so much for the great article. This was the most concise article on the subject that I could find.

Well done Nathan. Thanks! Shared it with my Face...

2011-11-22T08:37:43.695-08:00

Well done Nathan. Thanks! Shared it with my Facebook buds. Take care!

2011-10-12T00:18:11.944-07:00

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It is important that the proposal include a writin...

2011-09-20T18:55:52.175-07:00

It is important that the proposal include a writing sample, for the editor to have an idea on the sense of your style. You may have great ideas, but that is not enough if you cannot effectively convey them.

Hi Nathan - Love your blog. I recently wrote a me...

2011-04-19T07:10:33.118-07:00

Hi Nathan - Love your blog. I recently wrote a memoir, have been sending out query letters and two agents have asked for my proposal and a sample chapter. Is the proposal in question the same as a non-fiction book proposal? The memoir is about a recent trip to the Middle East - uggggh. Can I just send in a synopsis?

Hi Nathan - Love your blog. I recently wrote a me...

2011-04-19T07:10:12.548-07:00

Hi Nathan, Your blog is wonderful. Thank you for t...

2011-03-21T13:30:59.722-07:00

Hi Nathan,
Your blog is wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge (and humor). I have a meeting with an editor in two months, scheduled through the writing community I belong to. (So she has agreed to meet with people without seeing their queries.) I can now submit a query, a synopsis/overview, and 20 pages of writing. I am writing a collection of essays (humor and parenting). I have scoured the internet looking for a way to do the overview for a book of essays. Could you help point me in the right direction? It doesn't fall under regular non-fiction guidelines. I'd love your help. Thank you! (The book is basically done.)

Hello Nathan Brandsford! great Blog! Very helpful...

2011-03-03T08:27:01.018-08:00

Hello Nathan Brandsford!
great Blog! Very helpful information. Am,i just wonder, if the nonfiction book is about reduce the poverty and crime in the world, reach the milenium revolution in our lives on the planet and all future times, to what or who agen i should send a proposal?
Thank you!
H.Hristov

Nathan, Are your book proposal guidelines any dif...

2010-10-25T05:48:41.740-07:00

Nathan,

Are your book proposal guidelines any different for humor book proposals? I'm writing my first humor book.

Thanks!

Nathan. Great info!!! I am a new writer and my boo...

2010-10-10T10:03:58.249-07:00

Nathan. Great info!!! I am a new writer and my book is a memoir about growing up in Cleveland during the 60's. I am getting conflicting info regarding query vs. proposal. I am being told a proposal must be done. Others say I must finish my book prior to submitting a query; no proposal needed. Whar are your thoughts on this? Thanks!

2010-08-15T14:15:47.101-07:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

My question is fairly simple. When you're writ...

2010-08-15T14:14:03.968-07:00

My question is fairly simple. When you're writing a chapter outline for a proporsal based on a memoir, do you use your name, or do you just say the author? Ex: Jane Doe was shocked to hear the news OR The author was shocked to hear the news?
Thanks kindly,
Cyndi

Wow! I am a total rookie and seems the work involv...

2010-06-13T21:03:33.722-07:00

Wow! I am a total rookie and seems the work involved is far greater than a proposal for a fiction book.

My question is very basic and indeed ignorant, but I will go for it anyway since I can hide my identity behind the computer screen.

Once an agent agrees to "take you on," is an editor assigned to assist the writer in the actual writing/organizing/classifying process or must one simply arrive with a fully edited complete manuscript? For ex., in my case, I have a brief synopsis of each of the chapter of my book- for a total of about 50-70 pages. Is that enough to "use" in order to reel in an agent?

What is a respectable amount of pages for a non-fic book? Sorry, I am not versed in word numbers, I still think in pages...
Thanks so much! Darah

I am working on a non-fiction book at the moment a...

2010-05-25T13:59:51.632-07:00

I am working on a non-fiction book at the moment and am preparing my proposal. The book itself is made up of a series of biographies of different historical women, linked thematically and compared and contrasted with one another. Each biography is one chapter and therefore, my chapters are on the long side (8-12k words).

I am therefore unsure if I should send the full 3 sample chapters sometimes indicated. I know "how long is a chapter" is like asking how long a piece of string is, but I can't help but think an agent is not really interesting in getting a novella-length "sample". I'm sure he or she will have made up their mind long before the end of that!

How much would you recommend I send in these circumstances?

I have a wonderful albeit complicated story for a ...

2010-05-18T11:56:46.565-07:00

I have a wonderful albeit complicated story for a book but I do not consider myself a writer. Do you have any suggestions for a novice?

Just out of curiosity, how much of an effort shoul...

2010-05-05T20:58:49.396-07:00

Just out of curiosity, how much of an effort should an author expect from an agent to sell a book?

I appreciate that this is a bit like asking 'how long is a piece of string?', but I recently received a knock back from an agent who said that although I was writing in a popular genre (the ms. is a biographical non-fiction narrative set in WWII), she felt it was insufficiently 'robust' for it to be a 'slam dunk project' with publishers.

I felt like writing back saying if it was a slam dunk, I wouldn't really be needing her services, because the publishers would be fighting themselves to get to it...

I realise that no agent is expected to flog a dead horse, but to extend her analaogy, is a hail Mary shot from outside the keyhole ever in order?

For the record, I'm an award-winning published author. Grateful your views.

^ I made some misleading grammatical errors. I wil...

2010-04-14T13:14:31.260-07:00

^ I made some misleading grammatical errors. I will be helping her to write about her life, and I will be the non-confidential ghost writer. (I made it seem like I said I would be writing about HER life as a ghost writer - which would not be a very interesting book compared to her real life as a performer and prostitute...)

Hello Nathan, I just found your site and I love ...

2010-04-14T07:09:58.504-07:00

Hello Nathan,

I just found your site and I love the way you give honest and useful information. I know you said to treat memoir like a novel, but I have a special case. I am currently helping a woman who is both well known and notorious in my city to write a short memoir of her life as a non-confidential ghost writer (name on the project). She and I are both dirt poor - so I am not asking her to pay me up front (i know, i know - bad idea, but it wont work otherwise and I like her a lot) and I was planning to get money from an advance to write the book. Now Im scared that I need the whole thing - which I dont have the time to write unless I have some money for it so I can take time off. I guess my question is this: Is it possible to sell a memoir with a proposal and sample chapters only since she is well known already? Do I address the fact that the manuscript is unfinished in the proposal? How should I proceed? Any help would be massively helpful.

Hi Nathan, just found you yesterday and already I ...

2010-03-26T13:22:16.559-07:00

Hi Nathan, just found you yesterday and already I am such a fan of your measured, wise and compassionate approach to the writing life. Your happy writer rules are awesome...and your generous spirit shines very clearly through your blog. I am a follower and fan, and plan in the near future to send a non-fiction proposal. Thank you for the tips.
Best Wishes, Star

Nathan, I just jumped over here from the Authonomy...

2010-03-14T00:03:35.207-08:00

Nathan,
I just jumped over here from the Authonomy site. The place is swarming with fiction, HELP!
I was shocked to see so few non fiction writers. Obviously I'm new, but is that an indication of the agent ratio for non fiction representation?

If so, this might be harder than I dreamed, considering my subject.

JP

www.theytrustednoone.com

Hey Nathan, I like your ideas, but what if my mem...

2010-02-22T19:58:18.498-08:00

Hey Nathan,

I like your ideas, but what if my memoir is also a collective self-portrait of America? Do I have to play by the same rules? Find me on Facebook.

nice share you have here, keep up the good work !

2010-01-13T09:55:57.463-08:00

nice share you have here, keep up the good work !

What is more important in the sample chapters - th...

2009-10-11T21:55:27.446-07:00

What is more important in the sample chapters - the number "three" chapters or a word count? I ask because my first three chapters are a total of 500 words. If the idea is to see 750 words (derived by 3 pages averaging 250 words each), then I would include more chapters.

Thank you.

Nathan, Thank you for the excellent and extremely...

2009-10-08T09:57:42.387-07:00

Nathan,

Thank you for the excellent and extremely useful post! I (and many other readers of this blog, I'm sure) wouldn't mind seeing some of your favorite examples of a good non-fiction query letter. Just sayin'.

I'm writing a query for a non-fiction book that discusses the cultural impact of something that's been, up til now, largely internet-based. Would it be appropriate to include samples of blog posts and their photos in the 'Other' section, to indicate that there's a large and diverse online reach for this specific topic (which would be discussed in the book)? Examples include themed recipes, XBOX mods, fan costumes, snow sculptures, and hundreds of toys and clothing items...as I said, it's diverse. Is there a good way to format stuff like that, if it's okay to present it?

Thanks!