What I Wish I Knew About Publishing a Book…Before I Even Started Writing It

One essential tool every aspiring author needs to be familiar with throughout the writing journey

So you want to write a book?

You already know that your story and the knowledge you want to share can help transform people’s lives. But in order for your words to reach the people that can most benefit from your message, you need to have a plan.

Perhaps the idea has only crossed your mind, perhaps it’s on your bucket list, or maybe you’ve already started the writing process and have a completed draft. Whatever stage of the book writing journey you are in, knowing more about this one tool will make the experience much smoother and efficient.

Just as you wouldn’t start a business without a business plan, you shouldn’t be writing a book without a book business plan. Enter: THE BOOK PROPOSAL.

HOW I LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A BOOK PROPOSAL

When I first started writing my nonfiction book, I wasn’t even thinking about the ins and outs of the book publishing or marketing process. I honestly didn’t really know who I was writing the book for, much less how I would go about getting it into their hands.

After submitting my manuscript to an editor, I received feedback that awakened me to the fact that I had more work to do. While the content was all fleshed out, it needed to be customized to the ideal reader.

Now that the book is near its final editing stages, I’ve spent a lot of time researching the next step: how do I get the book out into the world so that it reaches the people who need it?

In this research process, I’ve learned that understanding the book publishing process would have made the whole writing journey much smoother from the beginning. In this article, I want to share what I’ve learned to help other writers get their message out into the world faster — because the world needs your message!

About a month ago, while still researching the publishing process for my “main” book, I felt inspired to make a book out of my collection of uplifting poetry and my partner’s travel photos from around Europe. I decided to test out the publishing waters by self-publishing on Amazon through their KDP program while I started learning more about the ins and outs of traditional publishing.

Over the past week, I’ve submitted proposals of this poetry book to over a dozen traditional publishers. Only time will tell how fruitful this process will be…but either way, I have gained invaluable knowledge that I can now use for my main book and any other books I write in the future.

(Since publishing this story, Simona has also released her book to help women overcome self-doubt in pursuing their dreams. You can find Dream, Doubt, & Do It Anyway on Amazon.)

SELF-PUBLISHING VS TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

The main difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing is that in traditional publishing, you can utilize the leverage and connections of a publishing firm to get your book out to more people. In either case, however, you are responsible for the bulk of the marketing of your book.

Self-publishing seems to be the easiest option for many first-time authors while they still build their platform to a point where a traditional publisher would consider taking the book on in the first place. With that said, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least try to get your book published through a traditional publisher. It is absolutely worth it spending some time putting together a general book proposal and submitting it to a few publishers.

If you submit your proposal to only a couple publishers, your odds of the book being picked up by them are much higher than if you had never submitted it to anyone!

THE BENEFITS OF DRAFTING A BOOK PROPOSAL NOW…YES, EVEN BEFORE YOU START YOUR BOOK

In order to get a book published through a “traditional” publisher, you need a solid book proposal. A book proposal is like a sales pitch to invite the publisher to learn more about your book. The publisher needs to feel that a book will have some potential in the marketplace before investing their time into reading your manuscript.

In addition to using it as an entryway to a traditional publisher, putting together a book proposal will help you throughout the writing process in these ways:

• Stay more focused as you write. Once you are clear about your target market, you can become more conscious of the tone and message of your writing. Will your target audience understand and resonate with your voice and language structure?
• Polish your core message and hook. Having a solid grasp of your core message and the benefits your book will bring to readers can help you overcome writing blocks. It can also help you decide what information to include or exclude when you feel unsure about whether to put in that story or quote.
• Start putting your marketing plan together before the book is completed. Have you thought about how you are going to promote the book once it is written? Most authors don’t think about this step until the book is completed. Thinking about this at least a few months in advance of publishing your book can help you leverage the book launch period to maximize the potential of reaching the most readers.

So what are the main components of a book a proposal?

THE 6 ELEMENTS OF A BOOK PROPOSAL

While every publisher has different guidelines (which are often outlined in a “Submissions” section somewhere on their website), there are six main elements that a good book proposal should include:

1. BOOK OVERVIEW AND SYNOPSIS

This part is where you get to condense your book down into a few paragraphs that state what your book is about and how it will help the reader. The wording should captivate readers’ interest by letting them know how they will benefit by investing their time into reading your book.

This section should contain: 1) Title & Subtitle 2) Short Description: a one-sentence “hook” 3) Longer Description: a paragraph or two that can be used for future marketing materials (book summary for websites, back cover etc.)

Things to think about as you draft this section:

• What is your book about — in one sentence? Try writing this down in many different ways if needed — perhaps set a timer and keep writing down different summaries until the time is up. Then pick the sentence that resonates most.
• What are some of the benefits readers will gain from reading your book? Knowledge on how to do X, inspiration to overcome X etc.
• How will you help them get from where they are now to where they want to be? What problem will you help them solve? Through a certain framework or process, or perhaps guiding them through a story?

If you can put these together into one sentence that integrates how your book will benefit the reader through solving a problem, you’ve got a hook!

Example of a Hook Here is a rough draft of the hook for my main book by breaking down the problem, solution, and benefit:

Problem: self-doubt holding you back from going after what you really want Solution: a practical map to understanding and overcoming self-doubt Benefit: increased confidence so you can pursue your dreams fearlessly

Potential hook: “A practical map (solution) to understanding and overcoming self-doubt (problem) so that you can confidently pursue your dreams and become the gift you were meant to be (benefit/reader’s aspirational identity).”

2. TARGET AUDIENCE

Who are you writing for? Who will get the most benefit from this book? How big is this audience? Where will you find them? How will they find your book?

The phrase that I’ve been hearing as I’ve done my research is that “if you’re writing for everyone, you’re writing for no one.”

Having an ideal reader in mind helps you write in a manner that they can understand. It also helps you think about the ways that you can market to them when the book is released.

You likely have one primary audience but then there may be secondary audiences that will benefit. List those too but keep your primary audience in mind as you write. This is similar to identifying a target market for your business. Your product may be amazing but there are certain people who need it more than others.

Your book may be full of great insights but some people will need those insights more than others based on where they currently find themselves in life.

The best advice I have found so far has been to create an image of one ideal reader in your mind. Write down anything you can think of about them — from information that relates to demographics (age, location, nationality) to psychographics (their desires, preferences, needs, fears, challenges, hobbies, interests). What problem can you help them solve through your book? Keep them in mind as you write but also as you think about how you will find more people like them.

3. AUTHOR INFORMATION

All publishers — and most readers — want to know at least a little bit about the author. In particular, why are you the best person to write your book? There is a reason you want to write about your desired topic. You probably have a certain skill or personal life experience that others could benefit from. Don’t be afraid to share that in your bio!

Even if you are not planning to traditionally publish your book just yet, writing an author bio will help you summarize the most important data about your life in a way that connects with your reader.

You can then use this short couple of paragraphs on your Amazon.com page or on your back cover.

As you write this portion of your proposal, it can also help you think about how you want to integrate pieces of your personal story into your book if it’s written more in a teaching style.

Most publishers want some sort of a combination between a bio and a CV/Resume. If you are writing on a more technical or professional topic that you claim to be an expert in, they may want to see your actual qualifications and experience in the field.

4. MARKETING AND PUBLICITY

Imagine that you have completed your manuscript. It has gone through all the necessary edits and you have your beautiful cover design ready to go.

You breathe a sigh of relief and perhaps celebrate with a glass of wine.

But what’s next? You now have to figure out how to actually get the book to those who will benefit most from it.

If you choose the self-publishing route, you are the only one who will be marketing your book. If you want your book to published through a traditional publishing house, they want to know that you have the resources and reach that will help them sell the book.

The Magic Word in Publishing: Platform As I’ve been doing my research on traditional publishing, I’ve learned the importance of the word “platform.”

The likelihood of a traditional publisher picking up any new book is relatively low if the author doesn’t already have an established platform — a means of reaching large amounts of people. This may include having large followings on social media, opportunities lined up for public speaking, or existing clients in your business who would benefit from the book and would help you promote it further. There are many costs associated with publishing a book. The publisher wants to make sure that those costs will be covered through enough sales and a wider platform means more potential sales.

This is the section of the proposal where you need to show the publisher that you have a plan for selling lots of copies of your book.

Think about how you plan to spread the word about your book in order to drive sales: - Will it be through your social media? Which particular platforms? - Through your existing email list or online course? - Through the strength of your personal network in your community?

5. COMPETITIVE TITLES AND MARKET RESEARCH

Depending on the subject you’re writing about, there are probably already many books out there that are similar to yours. Your message is important and unique — you know that. But publishers want to know HOW your message is different.

In this portion of your proposal, you need to find a few books that are similar to your book.

Do a search for books that your target audience would likely look for to help them solve their problem. Pick 3–5 of the more popular ones you come across. Summarize them and then write about how your book is similar to and different from them.

This helps to show the publisher (and yourself)

• that there is an existing audience for your book
• the compelling ways in which your book is different from those that are already on the market

As you write your book, you want to make sure you integrate some elements that will make your book stand out from those that are already out there on this particular topic. This may mean creating your own mental framework or talking about a common problem in a completely new way. This is your unique imprint — integrate it into your work in a manner that you will then be able to get across in your marketing message.

6. WRITING SAMPLES AND MANUSCRIPT EXCERPTS

Most of the publishers that I have submitted proposals to so far do not accept full manuscripts. If they aren’t captivated by a proposal to begin with, they don’t want to spend their time reading a whole book.

Most publishers generally request some or all of the following to get a feel for your writing and the book content:

• Table of Contents
• Two or Three Chapters
• Chapter Outline with a summary of each chapter

Putting together a table of contents and an outline is a crucial step in the writing process as it helps you keep your focus on your core message. It can also help you assess the overall flow of the book. When you summarize one chapter, does it flow well into the next one? Does it support the solution you are offering to help the reader solve their problem?

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

As an exercise to get started with your book proposal, I suggest the following:

1. Create a word document with at least a page or two for each section. 2. Set a timer for 30 minutes. 3. Let your first few ideas flow as you fill in each page and start to create a very rough draft of your proposal. Spend 5 minutes on each section for now. 4. This will help you identify what sections of the book proposal you most need to work on.

Depending on the stage of your book, you can then spend however much more time you need on each section until you are satisfied with it. There are more than enough examples out there. Google a sample book proposal in your particular genre to get some ideas to compare your draft to if you wish.

Writing a book is an exciting journey! Being familiar with a big-picture of the process is extremely helpful throughout every step. I hope that this guide helps you get your book out there so it can help those who need it. So get to writing!

“The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. The more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That’s why we feel so much resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there’d be no resistance.” — Steven Pressfield