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Write the Perfect Proposal

Want to publish your book? Learn how— it’s easier than you think!

Charismatic authors and literary agents Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman have successfully sold hundreds of titles and learned—through trial and error—how to write a flawless book proposal that publishers can’t resist. Now you can benefit from their hard work and publishing savvy. In this new edition, they offer guidance and advice that will inspire, educate, and, most importantly, give you the necessary edge to get your book published. They explain:

• How to shape your idea and create a title
• Ways to get to know the market and competition
• Tips on writing an effective outline, query letter, and sample chapter
• The art and science of fiction and nonfiction book proposals
• How ten actual proposals (included here) were successfully sold to publishers—and why

Customer Reviews

One of Three Indispensable Sources

To those seeking guidance with writing a book proposal to obtain a literary agent’s services or to obtain a contract from a publisher, I strongly recommend this book. Given the importance and—yes—the difficulty of writing a book proposal, and given the competition to obtain a literary agent and then a publisher, the investment in this book is indeed a small price to pay. The Hermans organize their excellent material within two Sections: “All Aspects of the Proposal—And Some Advice Thrown In,” and, “10 Proposals That Sold—And Why.” The 12 chapters which comprise Section One do indeed provide just about everything an author needs to know about preparing a book proposal. The Hermans then shift their reader’s attention to ten successful proposals and include a wealth of comments and suggestions in the margins of each. For example: “This is a great first paragraph in that it clearly states what the book is about and establishes the author’s expertise.” (page 85) “This is a good example of integrating biographical material with persuasive information.” (page 99) “This is an excellent Table of Contents. It is clear, organized, and clever without being hokey.” (page 116) “Although she wasn’t mentioned on the title page, [Kathryn] Lance is the collaborator. Her bio sketch is strong in its simplicity. Her writing credits are voluminous, but she doesn’t use up space here with a comprehensive listing. Instead she showcases only credits relevant to+ the success of this particular project. Comprehensive author resumes were also attached to the proposal package as an addenda.” (page 174) “This is a blending of `markets’ and `promotions.’ This is fine, but it’s better to separate them. Although promotions are part of an overall marketing strategy, `markets’ occupies a unique place in the proposal, while `promotions’ can describe the details of a marketing plan.” These five annotations correctly suggest the specificity of guidance which the Hermans provide to their reader as she or he examines ten proposals which resulted in the publication of the books they describe. Perhaps while reading this immensely informative book, others will have the same reactions that I did: That it was written expressly for me, that the Hermans had anticipated all of the questions I needed answered (and then carefully answered them for me), and that—meanwhile—they were disabusing me of whatever misconceptions I may have had about the process by which to obtain the services of a literary agent and/or secure a publishing contract. Robert Morris

Good Resource for All

My publisher recommended this book as I prepared to write my second non-fiction book. I was looking for guidelines for proposal writing, and was not disappointed. I found something helpful in each of the ten proposals the Hermans chose to illustrate their guidelines. The list of elements that need to be included in any proposal, no matter the genre, convinced me I’d do well to follow their advice. I recommend this book for new authors looking for help getting their foot in a publisher’s door. Sharon Shaw Elrod, author

Success Breeds Success

Many unpublished authors have never seen a successful book proposal that landed a book contract. In simple, straight-forward language, Jeff Herman and Deborah Herman provide would-be writers with TEN different examples of book proposals which sold—combined with their analysis of why they sold. After reading thousands of book proposals, I know there is no single way to create a book proposal. At the same time, there ARE elements which need to appear in every single book proposal for it to receive serious consideration. Write the Perfect Book Proposal gives you a rich series of examples combined with excellent teaching. W. Terry Whalin, editor and writer

A Perfect Resource for Anyone Writing a Nonfiction Proposal

I recommend this book to anyone who tells me they need help with a nonfiction proposal. Literally. I can’t think of a better resource on the market in terms of giving concrete examples and explaining what a proposal should accomplish, and how precisely it should be organized. A MUST for anyone looking to nail down a nonfiction proposal! Deirdre Knight, author and editor

Proposal Writing Advice that Works

The book was recommended to me by a literary agent and after reading through it and using it as an example I can understand why. It’s just an excellent book proposal reference. The first part of the book goes through the steps and elements necessary for a book proposal. The descriptions are straight-forward, easy to read and follow, and the “formulas” are easy to copy. The second section, as the subtitle says, contains 10 full book proposals, along with margin notes that explain why different elements of the included proposals are good examples to follow. This was the third book proposal writing guide that I read when I was working on my own first book proposal. I liked this one because of the margin notes and the element descriptions. It’s just well put together and follows a logical (to me) format. Plus, I sold my very first proposal, so I guess the advice from the Herman’s works. Gregory A. Kompes, author

A Book That Proves Its Point

I just reread this edition of this wonderful book and came away even more impressed than the first time. Getting a book published on how to write a book proposal sounds like something that would be hard to do. One of the telling points of how good this book is that the authors explain how they did it: No one had ever developed a book that showed what makes for a successful proposal using actual proposals. Like the Chinese philosopher would have said, seeing a successful proposal is worth 1,000 books about how to write one. The examples are even more interesting because they are annotated for their good and bad points. I am working on a business book proposal now, and four of the examples contained very valuable ideas and language that I need to capture for my proposal. I found it very practical, and marked up notes all over the text and examples. I will use this as a guide in my next redraft. I must admit to being chagrined by how much my past successful book proposals fall short of the mark established here. But I would have been slow to improve without the benefit of these examples. If I cannot write a good book proposal now, the fault will be mine, not that of the authors. If you plan to write book proposals for nonfiction books, THIS BOOK IS A MUST! Donald Mitchell, professor, author and consultant

Must have for those who are serious about selling their work

“Write the Perfect Book Proposal: Ten Book Proposals That Sold and Why” is one of my all time best books for writers. Writing a good book means next to nothing if you can’t write a great book proposal since that is what editors need to get the process rolling. I love this book because it gives solid examples of what to do and how to do it. The book is well written, easy to use, and filled with suggestions. This book will help you no mater what type of non fiction book you are writing. Jeff Herman is a successful literary agent who has lots of experience in putting together proposals. The book also discusses cover and query letters as well as some on Fiction proposals. I used this as the model for my first proposal and sold the book in record time. Since then I’ve gotten an agent but the book continues to be valuable. I recommend it on all my writing classes. Carmen Leal

Copyright © 2006, The Jeff Herman Agency. All rights reserved.