Why A Book Proposal is So Damn Hard to Write

A book proposal is the super-hack — it will get you through the gate to agents and publishers. It’s also the most potent form of clarity you’ll ever have. So why is it so hard to write?

You have a brilliant idea—it’s simple, clear and unforgettable. It changes everything.

And you have a wise new story, one that’s never been told. Not like this. Not by you.

Your book idea is true. Excellent news!

Because for nonfiction, a book proposal is the super-hack of all hacks. It is the document that gets you past the gate to agents and publishers. And all you have to do is write 20,000 words.

Not the whole book.

A book proposal makes a persuasive case for your book to exist in the world.

It’s the way you get a book deal.

Once you’ve inked the deal, you will write the book, armed with the most potent form of clarity you could ever imagine.

Your book writes fast.

But I’m sweating blood here…

Most of my author clients don’t like writing the book proposal. They like having written it more than the blood, sweat and tears of writing it. (I actually feel the same way -- even with 10+ years of book coaching multiple hundreds of authors, when it came to writing my own book proposal, it was like pulling teeth -- my own teeth!)

Once done, though, my author clients are effusive in their praise for the process. They say things like, “You have transformed my book!” They feel bold and confident.

The book proposal is a useful tool for more than just getting a literary agent. With a book proposal, you can:

> Send to a literary agent, seeking professional representation.

> Send directly to a publisher that does not require you to be agented.

> Send to all your potential writers of the foreword and endorsements.

> Send to publicity team (your publisher’s, as well any supplemental publicist you hire).

> Send to podcast hosts.

That’s why it’s a useful tool, even if you aren’t choosing traditional publishing—even if you’re choosing a hybrid, university or small press. (And yes, if you self-publish…)

For you, the book proposal does three main things:

> Gives you proof of concept. Shows you a road map to writing the book.

> Gets you through the gate.

> Serves as a marketing plan — and a calling card for promoting the book. A book proposal is your future publicity kit.

Why is it hard? Five reasons why.

But why is it such a bear to write?

Here’s why:

#1 It forces a turn to the reader.

A polished nonfiction book proposal demonstrates again and again, that you, as an author, have mastered the art of turning from “my story” to “your story” to “our story.”

Until you get a handle on the “my story” part of this, this is a hard turn to make. Many authors find they need three drafts to get there. I often say, to clients, at conferences and on my writing retreats that on the first draft, you are telling the story to yourself. On the second draft, you’re hearing what the page tells you, and you’re now telling it past the page with the page as your ally. On the third draft, you hit your stride -- find your voice -- and you are at last telling the story to the reader.

During the book proposal coaching process, you’ll identify your ideal reader and develop your intended audience. You’ll get to know that audience deeply, and in the process, you’ll find that confident, clear voice you need.

You make this turn faster.

#2 It makes you confront the marketplace.

It’s tough out there. It’s a pretty high bar to get someone to invest five or six figures in your book idea. You and your idea must persuade in a way that is irresistible and irrefutable that this book will sell.

That’s quite enough to make you tighten up, try too hard, get stuck. So you want to freeze -- or flee.

But the book proposal is an iterative process, meaning you’ll run through it again and again, like a play in rehearsal.

Or maybe like Socrates. The peripatetic method -- walking around it unless you know it and harness it.

I find the word “drafting” more welcoming than “writing.” Too many writers believe the words are supposed to just flow out and make sense the first time out.

But you honestly can’t yet make sense of something you are just now committing the investment of time to create. Writing is different from talking about your idea with your friends and loved ones, who keep telling you to write a book. Writing is different than thinking about it in the shower or on a long drive.

You really just have to type the words.

So draft, and draft again. Trust that you will become the master at fixing all those first draft issues.

That’s what writing is.

#3 It asks you to be bold.

It’s hard to be bold when it’s a new idea. If all you’ve been doing is talking about it, thinking about it, wishing for it. In my book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Visualization, I tap into the power of intention, imagination and focused action. The tagline for that book is: Imagine. See. Be. You need to believe your book is. That will equip you with the words to be bolder.

In my work as a book coach, I often find that what I’m really doing is elevating the proposal. Encouraging the writer to be bolder. Helping the writer see what I see -- which is a finished book that needs to be in the world.

To that, I say that the test is on the sentence level: Your lines need to land.

Every part of your book proposal needs to sing.

#4 It can expose holes in your idea.

Trust me, you want to know this. Knowing it early is better than late. That’s why I say, early and often, a book proposal is the most potent form of clarity you can get.

Is your idea captivating? Or are you holding back? Do you need to punch it up a level?

Is your argument compelling?

Is your solution bold, innovative, effective?

Is your premise/method/practice/tool singular? Insightful? Surprising? Does it work, and does your book prove it?

And finally, has this been done before? Maybe yes, a thousand times. Mel Robbins (The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About) was certainly not the first person to say for us to let people be who they are. But she is the one who had a surprising and clear way to talk about it -- and it met the moment we are in now.

#5 It’s because the book proposal is three different kinds of writing.

And you may be good at one or two of those, but you haven’t much experience with the other.

> Summarizing in broad brush strokes. That is indeed what an Overview is! It’s the forest, not the trees. Think in headlines. Billboards. The chorus of a hit song. The movie trailer with all the best lines. Hooks in every paragraph.

Touch boldly and clearly on the answers to each of the nine essential questions you must answer in the Overview.

What Your Book Proposal Absolutely Needs

Want to know more about those nine questions? Join me at 11 a.m. MST Wednesday, Jan. 28, for What Your Book Proposal Absolutely Needs.

This two-hour workshop is for:

> Anyone who wants to get off to the right start

> Anyone who has a book proposal and wants to know what’s missing.

> Anyone who has shifted direction with their book and wants to dial in a new vision.

In this workshop, I’ll talk about:

> Six Elements of a Great Overview

> Nine Essential Questions for a Gold-Star Overview

> Eight Sections of a Book Proposal and How to Nail Them.

If you have been a client, you get this for $100 off if you sign up by Dec. 31.

The price is normally $499, but clients can get it for $399.

Plus, if you sign up for this class and choose to use any of my service packages in the next three months (by April 30), you get $100 off that service. That includes book proposal assessments, developmental edits and coaching packages for book proposals, idea-to-outline, chapter draft support or revision.

> Marketing copy with a business purpose. To pull this off, you have to think like a business person. It’s about numbers and markets. It’s about cultural trends and current events. It’s about demographics and psychographics. It’s about positioning your book in the marketplace. It’s about reaching your intended audience with brand touchpoints.

The Overview asked you to think about ideas. This section is about your brand and your audience.

> The writing itself. And now, welcome to my master class about writing with excellence. Writing with voice. Most book proposals contain two sample chapters. The rest can remain unfinished and unsent, but these two must be the best writing you can muster. This is where you prove the promise of the Overview.

So you need three different brains.

And maybe you need a coach who already has three different brains!

As a senior-level journalist, I think in headlines and broad, sweeping summaries that are clear, compelling and concise.

As a brand ambassador for the magazine that I helmed for 16 years, I’ve got you on marketing and promotion.

And as an author with eight books and multiple literary awards, I’ve got you on craft.

I always remind my author clients that writing a book proposal is an act of becoming. You are moving from writer to author, from expert to authority.

Once you are on the other side, you are on your way.

The book proposal is the gift that keeps on giving.