Your Book Proposal Must Have a Fresh Angle!

Lots of people have written lots of books about God's love, and shame, and neighbor love, and racial reconciliation, and social justice, and healing, and neighbor love, and redemption.

If you're preparing to write your own book on a popular topic, I don't say that to bum you out. I say it to let you know that you need to bring publishers a unique compelling angle. So your job is, in the words of editor and wordsmith Stephanie Smith, to offer "a fresh frame for a timeless truth."

You must craft a premise that makes plain the clear takeaway value for the reader.

To help you think about the fresh spin you're bringing to the topic, here's a little pitch template:

Your unique angle/concept/spin/premise is that "big idea"!

• How is your big idea different from what others have written on this topic?
• What are you saying that others aren't?
• How does your big idea offer value to the reader?

I want you to assume that the editor receiving your book proposal has already read 100 proposals on the very same subject. Today. How is yours offering something fresh and new?

Writer, It's Not About You.

How is it possible that I wrote five books, including a memoir, before the lightbulb went on for me and I realized that writing a book really wasn't about me?

And how is it possible that it took me five more years to implement practical strategies I was discovering to serve the reader?

That weird situation is possible because no one told me. Well, they may have told me, but I didn't hear it. About six years ago, though, I heard it. And I hope you will, too.

Writers, it's not about you.

Even if you're writing a memoir that is literally about you, it's not about you. The best books serve the reader.

• If you're writing memoir, the way you tell your story resonates with the reader and creates an opportunity for her to reflect on her own experience.
• If you're writing Christian Living, every chapter has takeaway value for the reader. 
• If you're writing self-help, the reader discovers practical strategies to live differently.

For many of us, writing to serve the reader requires a complete inversion of our thinking. I had lots of stories and ideas in my head that I wanted to share with readers, but I wasn't being thoughtful and intentional about meeting their needs.

As I mentioned, that conversion in me happened over time. I learned from Jonathan Merritt how to create a single target reader for my book, and then write to meet her needs. I learned from Margaret Feinberg how to consider the needs of a reader on every page. I learned from Lysa Terkeurst how to identify readers' needs and craft a book, from the inception, to meet those needs.


So What?

If you're anything like me, I suspect that when you're writing you want to brain-dump all those ideas and stories you have crammed into you head. Fine, go ahead. But then be sure to return to every chapter and make sure that it serves the reader.

• At the end of the chapter, can the reader name the one big idea you were communicating in that chapter? (Can you?!)
• Does the reader see what the big idea looks like as it's lived out in the lives of people who are like her and unlike her?
• Is she equipped with practical tools to gain traction with the big idea in her own life?

Craft a book so that it meets a reader's felt need.

And if you really want to grow and develop as a writer who serves readers:

Jonathan and Margaret have created Write Brilliant

Lysa and her team equip writers through Compel Training

Has this revolutionary idea, that it's about the reader and not about you, found traction in your heart and head? If it has, be strategic about meeting readers' needs. If it hasn't, hang on to this idea and commit to discovering practical strategies to meet readers' needs.

Help a Publisher Say Yes By Doing These 2 Things!

There are all kinds of reasons we write books:

Some of us write a book because we want to see our names on the cover of a book.

Some of us write because we’re convinced that God has given us a message to share with the world.

Some of us write a book because someone told us, “You should write a book.”

 Others write because we’re creative or thinkers. We’re always noodling on the things, and we need to get the things out of our heads and onto a page.

None are horrible reasons to write a book, but also: none of these are particularly compelling to publishers. A publisher has one job: The publisher’s job is to serve the reader.

So when you’re writing the proposal for that book God planted in your heart, when you’re pitching that book your aunt insisted you write, the very best thing you can do is to convince a publisher that the book you’re suggesting meets a reader’s need.

(1) You help a publisher say yes when you solve a reader’s problem.

These popular titles do that:

• How to Get a Date Worth Keeping
• The Purpose Driven Life
• Discerning the Voice of God
• Habits of Highly Effective People

Readers buy and read these books because they meet a real need.

But there are lots of books about getting a date, living with purpose, hearing God, and becoming effective, right? Of course there are. So what makes these different?

(2) You help a publisher say yes when your idea has a fresh angle, edge, or slant.

You have to say it in a way they haven’t heard a hundred times before. Editor savant Stephanie Smith calls this unique angle “a fresh frame for a timeless truth.” She explains,

“An angle is simply this: it’s a fresh frame for timeless truth. It’s creative, unexpected, a pinch provocative, and able to power up vital conversations people are compelled to join. It’s the signature of great writing. And it makes all the difference in standing out beyond overdone, underdeveloped, dime-a-dozen concepts.” -Stephanie Smith

*

What does this mean for you?

• It means that when an editor reads your book proposal:
• She recognizes that it meets a real need readers have.
• She notices a timeless truth that's being communicated in a new way.

So if you’re writing on dieting, or simple living, or studying Scripture, or loving your neighbor, you need to communicate it in a way that others have not.

• Maybe you embraced simple living by doing the same 3 things every day. Now readers are curious.
• Maybe you began living simply because you lost everything you owned in a house fire.
• Maybe your practice of designating only one day a week to make purchases radically changed your life.

The big win?

(1) The solution you’ve found is meeting a real need and (2) you’re communicating it in a way that readers haven’t heard before.

"Don't Hire Me": 2 Cautions

Before I try to dissuade you from hiring me, I'll tell you what I do for clients seeking to publish a book:

• If you're seeking a contract with a traditional publisher, I review your book proposal, and coach you on how to strengthen it.

• If you're planning to self-publish, I offer a developmental edit of your book, which is the first of several edits you'll need on the road to publication.

But I don't want you to hire me to do either of those things without counting the cost.

1. Traditional publishing

Authors are submitting proposals with compelling ideas and beautifully written prose, but if he/she doesn't have a "platform" to help a publisher sell that book, publishers often have to say "no."

What that means, practically, is that you need to be reaching readers right now, in any variety of ways: blogging, speaking, social media, publishing articles, etc. (Check out Michael Hyatt's book Platform for ideas about building yours.)

Sometimes a smaller publisher can take a chance on an author with a smaller platform, if they really believe in what you're writing, but those opps are few and far between.

2. Self-Publishing

Front end: I want you to know that self-publishing requires a sizeable investment of money for a developmental edit, line edit, proofreaders, cover design, interior design, printing, etc.

Back end: When you choose to self-publish, you become responsible for selling every single book. Don't choose this path without having a clear plan about how you'll sell those books.

If you have any questions, visit wordmelon.com to send me a message. I am FOR you.

Nailing the Author Marketing Section of Your Book Proposal

The author marketing section of a book proposal is where you demonstrate to an agent or publisher that you will hustle to sell books.

And it's really important.

Keep reading and you'll get to see an awesome example of an excellent author marketing section.

For starters, here are a few tips:

1. Demonstrate What You Will Do

Don't tell a publisher what you're willing to do to promote your book. Don't assure them that you'll go on the 20-city book tour that they'll plan and fund. Cuz that ain't happening. Publishers want to see what kinds of promotional strategies you will create and implement. Give them names of 10 bloggers who've already agreed to let you guest-blog when your book releases. Tell them the name of the TV anchorman from your church who's promised to interview you on air. List the names of the 5 women's conferences where you've already been invited to speak 18 months from now.

2. Demonstrate What You Are Doing

Even better than showing a publisher what you will do is showing them what you're already doing! Don't promise a publisher that you'll grow your mailing list or social media followers. Instead, show that publisher that your numbers have increased by 30% in the last month or that you've hired a publicist who's growing your list. 

3. Be Creative

You may not have access to Oprah to help you promote this book, but with some creativity, you can come up with some innovative strategies to prove to a publisher that you're going to partner with them to sell a lot of books. Do some research online. Buy a book like Michael Hyatt's Platform. Brainstorm with your tribe. What are the networks and resources to which you already have access that you can leverage to sell books?

A few years ago, an author with whom I work wrote a killer author marketing section of a book proposal, and he gave me permission to share it with you here. You're welcome. Even though he has access to some unique networks, I'm convinced that if you put in the effort, you can also craft an impressive author marketing section in your own proposal.

Find this killer author marketing section on my page of resources for authors!

Best of luck you as you write a winning proposal!

1 Great Way to Build Your Subscriber List

A lot of writers are trying to figure out the best way to increase followers, gather a tribe, build an email list, etc. So when I see something that's working, I want to share it with you!

The savvy Jen Wise shared this post with our writers group this morning--about a smart way to build your email subscriber list--and I think it's so useful that I asked her permission to share it with you!

You're welcome.

Jen writes,

"This is a new resource I'm giving away--I wanted to share because there's always a lot of discussion about building engagement and followers and email lists.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RESOURCE JEN IS OFFERING

She continues,

"The easiest way for me to build my email list has always been by creating free resources/devotionals/journals. I never charge for them, because the email list is way more valuable than the small amount of money I cold make on each journal. So, I throw them all into a resource library which requires an email address to enter.

Each time I create a new resource it is with the expressed purpose of gaining new email subscribers, and also retaining the ones I have. (And, of course, I just enjoy creating them.) It's worked really well for me. These are the posts I push the absolute hardest on social media and will always pony up the money to promote.

Sharing this, as some of you are trying to build email lists, and this has been absolutely essential for me in the process--and the most effective."

Smart, right?

It's possible that this approach isn't one that has your name on it, but I love that it's working for Jen!

(Check her out & sign up to get her awesome resources!)

Q & A: "Do I need a literary agent to sell my book?"

Q: Do I need a literary agent to sell my book?

A:  In my experience, publishers take submissions from agents more seriously because they know the writer/project has already been vetted. Agents don't want to ruin their rep with publishers by sending them bad stuff. (That’s pretty sophisticated industry insider lingo: “bad stuff.” Now you know.)

Publishers and literary agents are looking for exactly the same thing: a project with a unique slant—that meets a readers’ felt need—from a talented author who’s reaching audiences and building her/his platform.

Possible exceptions—that might preclude you needing an agent in order to sell your book—include but are not limited to:

1.    A publisher has contacted you because they’re interested in you or your work. (They may have read your article at Christianity Today that went viral or seen you as a featured guest on Good Morning America.)

2.    A person of influence—possibly a best-selling author or CEO of an international organization—introduces you, enthusiastically, to the publisher, offering her/his unflagging support to promote your work.

3.    You are affiliated with a reputable organization or institution that commits to purchase 50,000 books as gifts for their donors.

4.    A smaller publisher is willing to represent you as a new author if an editor there connects with you and what you’re about. It never hurts to have the support of a reputable organization or institution.

Note: although these kinds of opps might lead to getting a book contract, it is always beneficial to have an agent as your advocate with a publisher.

Here are a few ways that agents serve publishers and benefit authors…

·      On the front end: Agents ensure that your contract is fair and they can advocate to increase the value of your contract: advance monies, royalties, deadlines, free books, etc. (They’re not magicians, but they will go to bat for you.)

·      During the writing of the book: Agents are your advocate if you run into any personal or professional bumps during the process of writing the book.

·      On the back end: Agents communicate with the publisher if there are ever any additional questions or issues pertaining to your book.

If you're a Christian writer who is interested in finding an agent, explore agency’s websites to find the one that will be the best fit for you. Questions to ask as you peruse their sites:

·      Does the agency seem to represent only bestselling authors, or do they represent some newbies like me?

·      Does the selection of books the agency represents indicate that they’d champion a book like mine? (subject matter, theological perspective, etc.)

·      What types of books is this agency looking for right now? (Dig around the site, and the agency will often post the kinds of projects they do and don’t want to receive—because that information benefits them and you.)

Note: If an agent doesn’t accept poetry or sci-fi, do the agent and yourself a favor by not sending them your poetry or sci-fi. (Do not, under any circumstance, promise that yours is amazing and different and sure to be a bestseller.)

The best listing of literary agents I know is available for download at: https://michaelhyatt.com/literary-agents-who-represent-christian-authors/

To write a killer cover letter to your dream agent, I highly recommend this little e-book: Writing Pitch, Query, and Cover Letters That Shine. It’s a gem not because I wrote it, but because It’s filled with tips from agents and publishers about what they do and do not want to see in pitch letters!

More questions? Leave them as comments below...