Proposals Should Sell--not Describe--Your Book

This is the 2nd in my 8-part series sharing my best advice about how to write a nonfiction book proposal that gets the attention of an editor or agent.

As I said in my first post, my goal is to give proposal writing advice that people don’t really think about but, when done right, can make all the difference.

This part focuses on a mistake I see a lot of hopeful authors make in their proposals.  They spend all their time describing what their book is about, not selling their book.

What do I mean by this?

The difference between describing something and selling something is quite important.

Describing a book’s content could be something like:

My book examines seven different types of parenting styles.

Or

My book shows first-time managers how to transition into their new roles.

Okay, I know what the book is about, but . . . I’m not super excited about it.

Selling, however, changes the excitement level.  Selling becomes:

Based on 25 years of in-the field research, working with over 20,000 families, I have identified 7 different styles of parenting. Once parents understand what style works best with their kids’ personality, parents are able to form deeper, more understanding bonds with their children that last a lifetime. My program has been so successful that I’ve been featured in Parenting Magazine and on Good Morning America.  

Or

As a global thought leader who conducts training for new managers throughout the world, this book reveals my proprietary methodology that has helped new managers have a 67% success rate for staying in their roles over 5 years. This is built on my course that I use with my Fortune 500 clients, where I reach over 20,000 new managers a year.

Which version has your attention?

Which do you think will excite an editor or agent more?

Which do you think a publisher’s sales team will have an easier time selling?

If you are working on a book proposal now, I challenge you to go back through each section and ask yourself, am I describing or selling?