How to Create a Sellable Novel Proposal in 9 Key Points Using the Lover’s Tree
I share the same system I used to sell my novels to publishers
Unless you’re a celebrity, publishers want to see your first novel before they’ll buy it. But second and later novels can be sold on proposal.
That adds a whole new layer of skills for writers to develop.
The trick is, for “pantsers”, they don’t know enough about where the story is going to be able to describe it. They can only describe it after it’s already written. If they try to describe it in too much detail, the story feels like it’s already been told, and they lose interest.
At the other extreme, “planners” may know every intricate detail of the story. They know the name of the main character’s best friend in third grade. How do they distill all that information down into just what the editor wants to see? Or better, how can they find out before doing all that work whether the editor will buy the resulting story?
The solution that I devised to sell my novel proposals was the 9-point Lover’s Tree. As you might guess from the name, it was originally created for romance novels. But it worked just as well when pitching science fiction or fantasy novels.
The Lover’s Tree was inspired by the kabalistic Tree of Life. I saw it in a book, and thought, “That describes the movement of the hero and heroine through a romance novel!”
In all fairness, no one I have described it to since, including all the students at my workshops, ever saw that. So if you can’t see the resemblance, don’t worry about it. It’s not necessary to see the resemblance to plot your story using the Lover’s Tree.
In this article, I’ll describe each of the nine points, then use each of them in an example. Keep in mind that I made up this example story line on the spot for this article, so don’t expect great literature.
Point 1: General description
Your first point is to tell the editor what kind of a book you are writing. About how long will it be? What is the title? Is it part of a series or related to any other books you’ve already published?
Example of general description
“Boi Meets Grrl” is a classic romance novel with a twist, in that hero and heroine are posing as the opposite gender. It will be 90,000 words.
Point 2: Main character
Your second point introduces your main character. In a romance, this was traditionally the heroine, so I’ll use female pronouns.
You want to know the basics about her background. Age, profession, distinguishing characteristics — basically what you’d need to cast an actress.
More importantly, is the emotional root of the story. What burning desire drives her? What does she want and think she can’t have? Or, what does she have and fear losing?
Example of main character
Robin Stone is a young woman in her early 20s, desperate to make it in the competitive world of gourmet dining. The famous chef Dante who selected her to study with him thought Robin was short for Robert. The chef is notorious for only hiring men in his kitchen at his restaurant, The Inferno. To get the priceless experience, Robin pretends to be a boy. She hopes to learn as much as she can before being found out and booted from The Inferno.
Point 3: Love interest / villian
If you’re writing a romance, the third point introduces the love interest. If you’re writing any other type of story, the third point introduces the person (or thing) opposing the MC.
The same rule applies to the opposition character as the main character. Describe the basics to enable the editor to envision him. Then describe his motivation.
Example of love interest
Morgan Rafferty is a young man in his early 20s, longing to make his name as an investigative reporter. He hears about the rampant sexism at The Inferno from a reporter on the society beat. Disguising himself as a woman, he goes undercover as a waitress to get the scoop.
Point 4: The meeting
Now things get interesting. Your main character and opposition character finally meet! When they first interact, there should be no way that both of their motivations can be satisfied. Otherwise, there’s nothing keeping them apart or at odds with each other.
“Comedies of manners” can base an entire book on misunderstandings. That’s because the hero and heroine are not allowed to actually talk to each other. For any other type of story, if the conflict could be resolved with one honest conversation, forget it. Go back to the drawing board and find a real conflict.
Example of the meeting
On her first day at The Inferno, Robin is trying a little too hard to fit in with the guys and not blow her cover. When she sees the new waitress, Morgan, she makes a rude and sexist comment. Morgan fixates on Robin as being an example of what’s wrong with the restaurant’s culture. He’s determine to take notes on everything Robin does, so pretends to find “him” attractive. Meanwhile, Robin is terrified that her charade won’t withstand the attention. She tries everything she can think of to discourage Morgan’s interest. Unfortunately, this just makes Morgan more convinced that Robin is a sexist pig. In other words, a perfect target for his article.
Point 5: The main character’s first solution
As a result of their meeting, the main character faces a threat to her goal. Being an action-oriented protagonist, she tries to come up with a solution for her problem. Of course, it only makes things worse.
Example of the main character’s first solution
Uncomfortable with Morgan’s continued attention, Robin takes “her” aside. He explains that “he” is not interested because “he” is gay. “He” hasn’t come out of the closet yet, though, and doesn’t want the other guys in the restaurant to know.
Point 6: The opposing character’s first solution
The opposing character faces a threat to his goal. It may be from the initial meeting, or it may be from the main character’s first solution. Either way, something needs to be done to get back on course.
The opposing character comes up with a solution to his problem. It may or may not help with his situation, but it definitely doesn’t help the main character. It sets main character and opposing character solidly in opposition to each other. This triggers the next pair of points.
Example of opposing character’s first solution
Morgan proposes that he and Robin pretend to be romantically involved. This will give Robin cover, so no one will suspect “he” is gay. Morgan admits that “she” wants some protection from the attention of some of the other guys, too. A fake romance will give them both cover. But really, it will give Morgan an excuse to hang around when “she” is not working, investigating. Instead of casting Robin as the villain of his article, Morgan is now thinking of him as a victim. Not only is the macho culture of the restaurant toxic to women who work there, it’s a threat to gay men, too.
Point 7: The main character’s second solution
Since things have gone from bad to worse, the main character now has to try something else to fix things. And since the problem has grown bigger, the solution is more extreme. If the character has changed since the beginning, this is when they realize that change. If the character has stayed strong in their beliefs, this is when they reconfirm that.
Example of main character’s second solution
Spending more time with Morgan, Robin begins to develop sexual feelings for “her”. This is very confusing for her, and leads to her making a mistake in the kitchen. After being shouted at by Dante, who says this is exactly why he doesn’t want women in the kitchen, Robin breaks it off. She refuses to have anything more to do with Morgan, so she can focus on her cooking. She recommits that cooking is the most important thing in her life, whatever it takes.
Point 8: The opposing character’s second solution
The opposing character could have everything he thinks he want. But that darn main character keeps messing things up. Now he’s got to figure out a solution that gives him a chance of making his goals.
In a romance, this solution makes it look like the two characters can never get together. In other types of stories, it leads to the “dark night of the soul”.
Example of opposing character’s second solution
Morgan is also confused by his growing feelings for Robin, and gets into a fight with some of the other staff. As a result, “she” is fired. That’s okay. He has plenty of material, and the unjust firing is a perfect finale. He leaves the restaurant and holes up in his apartment, determined to write his expose. And if he outs Robin in the process, well, that’s what “he” gets for “dumping” Morgan.
Point 9: The ending
This is where you describe how the main characters find each other again. What changes do each of them go through so that their goals are no longer in conflict? How is the story resolved so that the reader is satisfied?
This is generally the hardest part of the proposal. Many editors will read the first three points then skip to the ending. If they can’t see character growth between the beginning and here, they’ll pass.
The example ending is intentionally horrible from a story perspective. The conflict is actually solved by a third party, which would get this story a big fat “No” from any editor. You didn’t think I’d give you a plot you could actually sell, did you?
Example of the ending
Morgan goes back to The Inferno as himself, hoping he will be treated differently as a man. He plans to use that contrast to underscore the point of his expose. When he arrives at the restaurant, Robin recognizes him and feels betrayed. She throws the meal she is preparing at him, causing chaos in the kitchen. They get into a fight, and she is revealed to be a woman. Dante swears everyone will know that Robin destroyed his kitchen, then fires her. Morgan knows how much the cooking job meant to her, and promises to help her. She insists he has done enough already, and plans to leave town and start over. Morgan writes the article, determined to showcase Robin’s talents and skills. His editor loves the piece, but has one suggestion. They need a new guest columnist for the restaurant section. If Robin would do that, Morgan’s article would be a great way to introduce her to the paper’s readers. Morgan tracks her down as she’s packing up her stuff, and asks her to read his article before it is printed. She reluctantly agrees, to prevent him from causing any more trouble for her. Then she gets to the part about her being the newspaper’s newest guest food columnist. It’s a side door to the career she wants, allowing her to gain name recognition, and stay in the city. She accepts, if Morgan will help her with the writing. It’s the beginning of a long-term partnership.
Conclusion
By using the 9-point proposal system, you can create a synopsis for a book before writing it. If you’re a “pantser,” it will have enough detail to guide your writing. But it will not have too much detail, so you lose interest. If you’re a “planner,” it will help you edit down the amount of information you share about your story.
The 9 points are:
- General overview
- Main character
- Opposing character
- The meeting
- MC’s first solution
- OC’s first solution
- MC’s second solution
- OC’s second solution
- The ending
Use this system to create an outline for your next novel. It can help you identify plot holes, and make sure the story is strong enough to be worth writing. You can even use the proposal to sell your story before you write it.
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