Creating a book proposal is essentially creating a blueprint for your book's life.

THIS IS NOT A GUIDE FOR SUBMISSIONS. IT IS TO HELP YOU AS A WRITER.

It provides a skeletal framework for your as the author to follow, and content for your future marketing efforts.

You can create one even before you have started writing, as you are writing or even apply it retrospectively to books you have already written.

Having this reference blueprint or road map of what your book is all about and who it is written for, will help keep you on track both in terms of momentum and direction.

By being clear on what you are doing your efforts will be more efficient and effective. It is when you are not clear that you tend to create a jumbled mess, get yourself tied up in knots with your plot and have no idea how to pitch your book because you don't know who your exact target audience is.

A book proposal helps to guide you out of murky waters and give you a goal to work towards every step of the way.

HOW TO WRITE A BOOK PROPOSAL

by Francesca Hepton

Section 1. CONTENT

1. 
   What is your book about?

Can you describe the premise for your book?

Your premise states a problem or issue that needs to be tackled, addressed or explored. 

You then propose your solution or your message for the premise.

You don’t have time for a long lecture in a radio interview or in a social media post – or before your audience loses interest. Brief is better. Around one paragraph.

HELP: I’ve listed 3 examples from my books below. 

1. Jack’s Roar (picture book): 

A fun story for children that equips them with the tools to understand and handle the issues of bullying.

2. How to Get Fit with Reiki and Music (personal development book): 

A powerful new approach to getting fit. Francesca believes that the clarity and focus found through meditation coupled with the motivational drive offered through specific music is a must-learn technique for anyone trying to get fit or going through rehabilitation.

3. A Case of Mistaken Identity (children’s novel): 

A touching story of friendship with hilarious episodes and engaging characters. The author weaves adventure with empowerment creating a much-needed message in our modern culture of low self-esteem among children—a story to inspire self-confidence. 

-----------------

Your turn

My working premise is:

My solution/ message is:

1. 
   
   What are your book’s Unique Selling Points?

Now you have a clear mission. But before readers invest in your book they need to know how it’s going to uniquely help them. They want to understand the “takeaway” value of your book.

Marketers often refer to this as your unique selling proposition (USP). Don’t let the uncommon terms confuse you. 

"Buy this product, for this specific benefit."

The proposition must be one the competition cannot or does not offer. It must be unique—either in the brand or in a claim the rest of that particular advertising area does not make.

The proposition must be strong enough to move the public, i.e. attract new customers as well as potential customers.

Many authors feel a number of emotions when reading that last paragraph. “Aversion” is a common feeling. Typically, authors don’t like to focus on marketing. In some ways, it feels like we are degrading ourselves, pimping out our art. After all, our job is to write the book and it’s someone else’s job to sell it. Right? Sorry, that’s your job too no matter which avenue you go down (publisher or self-publishing)!

Think about whether at some point in time, somewhere, you found what you considered to be a poor product, book, film, or song bur despite its poor quality, the product did extremely well in terms of sales.

Maybe you had a similar message, product, or song. Maybe yours was even 10 times better. Maybe yours didn’t sell much at all. Your problem wasn’t your product. Your problem was your marketing – how you have presented and packaged your book.

 Every author wants his or her work to connect with readers. This means that those readers must buy their book. In the future, we’ll devote adequate time and energy learning how to become master marketers. That specific training is for another module.

For now, simply write out your unique selling proposition. You don’t need to make it difficult. You can even “borrow” a similar structure on the following page.

HELP: I’ve listed 2 examples below. 

Part 1: If consumers in the target market purchase and read my book, they will (benefits):

Example 1: …identify their coping mechanisms through a process of self-awareness

Example 2: … enjoy a fun adventure and feel empowered at the end.

Part 2: Because the book will (features): 

Example 1:… take the reader through a powerful 5-step model that helps them move through their hurt and into a phase of healing.

Example 2: … inspire self-confidence using the headband worn by the protagonist as a metaphor for the power of self-belief.

Example 1: If consumers in the target market purchase and read my book, they will identify their coping mechanisms through a process of self-awareness because the book will take the reader through a powerful 5-step model that helps them move through their hurt and into a phase of healing.

Example 2: If consumers in the target market purchase and read my book, they will enjoy a fun adventure and feel empowered at the end because the book will inspire self-confidence using the headband worn by the protagonist as a metaphor for the power of self-belief.

-----------------

 Your turn to discover Your Magic Message USP

Part 1:

If consumers in the target market purchase and read my book, they will (benefits):

1.

2.

3.

Part 2:

Because the book will (features): 

1.

2. 

3.

Now write your Magic Message out in full:

1.3 Overview of your book

Now highlight the main points and general flow of your book.

Most books can demonstrate this flow by breaking down the content into parts. Position these parts in a progressive type of framework. 

• 
  A fiction book takes readers on a journey.
• A personal development book takes the reader on a process of transformation.
• An informative book walks the reader through a method or history.

HELP. Example (fiction): 

Start/intro:

Part 1. Normal life

Part 2. Call to adventure/incident of change - intro of other parties (enemies, allies)

Middle/build-up

Part 3. The test

Part 4. Main ordeal

End/resolution

Part 5. Climax

Part 6. Return with new insight, joy, etc.

Here is an example from my book. 

“How to give up drinking and be a part of the world again” (personal development book)

Part 1. Introduction to drinking problem among 30-40-year-old women

Part 2. Own it – admit your problem

Part 3. Hate it – demonise your habit

Part 4. Beat it – retrain your brain

Part 5. What to do in case of a relapse

Part 6. Conclusion/recap

((See Section at the end of the course for an example book proposal that includes an overview for children’s fiction book.))

-----------------

Your turn

Now it’s your turn. Do your best and take us on a journey through the progression of your book. Break it into 3–6 parts. Most books will naturally include an introduction and a conclusion. You don’t need to list these. We’ll assume your book already contains these. After you list them, then use a separate piece of paper and write a one-paragraph description for each section.

Main Parts of your Book:

Part 1. 

Part 2. 

Part 3. 

Part 4. 

Part 5. 

Part 6.

(add more as required)