I am wracking my brain over here to come up with a good proposal.
I’ve been working on the thing for a little over three weeks now (instead of the ONE in which I was hoping to have it completed) and I have to admit, I am floundering.
There are roughly five million guidelines for proposals out there, and most of them say proposals are for nonfiction works only.
Those for fiction are as varied as their authors.
Include Market Strategies; don’t include market strategies–your publisher will know this better than you will anyway.
Don’t include Comparative Titles; do include them–your publisher wants to see if you know your genre and market.
Ahhh!
For the love! Please–just, please get together and agree on what you want. Then get back to me! I’ll do it, any of it!
I guess my plan for now is to compile as much as I can, then include whatever the publisher asks of me.
Have you ever put together a proposal for a fiction work?
If so, what was your process?
Here’s what a fiction proposal can include:
- Title Page
- Cover Letter
- One Sentence Hook
- Brief Overview
- Sell Sheet
- Synopsis
- Market Analysis
- Competitive Analysis
- Market Strategies
- About the Author
- Author Marketing
- Table of Contents
- Detailed Table of Contents
- Outline of Chapters
- Two to Three Sample Chapters
- First 30 to 40 pages instead of a set # of chapters
(This is taken from my notes from Dr. Hensley’s class, honestediting.com’s editing service (including proposal packages), and several fiction proposal articles from wherethemapends.com and rachellegardner.com.)
A bit much, you think? :)
Right now I have a massive 50 page proposal including a title page, sell sheet, synopsis, market analysis, competitive analysis, market strategies, about the author, chapter outline, and first three chapters.
And my “Market Analysis” and “Market Strategies” have crickets chirping on those particular pages.
I’m tired just looking at that list. And I’m hoping I get to write fiction again someday. After that proposal is completed.
Ok, thanks guys! Sometimes it is good to just vent and get it all out there!
Any suggestions on what I should focus on?
Until then, back at it! :)
In Him,
Michele
Michele
Thank you, Heather! I now appreciate what my favorite authors go through as well! I had no idea! :) Thank you so much for your comment; it means the world to me!
Heather
That is a lot of information to include!! Wow! Sorry, I don’t have any advice for you, but I’m definitely going to appreciate the work my favorite authors go through!