How to Write a Book Proposal

How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen (2004)

A book proposal is a crucial document for any aspiring author. It serves as a blueprint for your book and a persuasive tool to convince publishers or agents to take on your project.

In his guide, Michael Larsen outlines the essential elements of a successful book proposal. He emphasizes the importance of a clear and compelling concept that grabs the reader's attention from the start.

The proposal should also include a detailed synopsis of the book, highlighting the main plot, characters, and themes. This gives the publisher an overview of what to expect and helps them assess the marketability of your idea.

Larsen also provides valuable tips on writing a strong query letter, which is the first point of contact with potential publishers or agents. The query letter should be concise, engaging, and tailored to the specific interests of the recipient.

In addition to the content, Larsen emphasizes the importance of presentation. The proposal should be well-structured, formatted correctly, and free of errors.

By following Larsen's advice, authors can increase their chances of getting their book proposal noticed and ultimately published.

Either this book was penned by an individual who lacks any knowledge regarding the writing of a book proposal, or perhaps he is writing about entirely different proposals than those I am in search of. Consequently, it becomes imperative that he makes it much more lucid what specific types he is actually writing about. I assert this because nearly everything that I perused within this book was completely distinct and, in certain respects, even contrary to everything that I have read elsewhere. It struck me as being extremely peculiar. Needless to say, the rating assigned to this book was solely due to the fact that I failed to discover the answers to the questions that initially led me to pick up the book in the first place.

I actually had a much older version of this book - copyright 1985. So, I imagine some of my concerns with this version are addressed in the more up-to-date ones. I don't have any money for books right now, so I'm wholly dependent upon what my library has to offer.

When I began "How to Write a Book Proposal" by Michael Larsen, I wasn't sure if I even needed to be reading this book at this time in my book-publishing research. However, I realized by the second page of that first chapter that I have a lot to learn! In those few pages, I learned the average length of a completed manuscript as well as the average length of a book proposal. My knowledge continued to increase with each page.

However, one of my biggest gripes with the book is that I felt as though Mr. Larsen began by addressing writers of all book types since he mentioned fiction, non-fiction, and even children's picture books at a few points. Then, when he was unfolding how to write an outline, he made it seem as though his only focus was a few particular types of books. I think he was simply addressing particular issues typical of those genres, but it still left me feeling a little dazed.

I still have a number of unanswered questions. But, as I mentioned in the earlier note, they are most likely the result of the 25-year-old edition I read.

It was still quite helpful and gave me more knowledge and more to think about as I continue my journey!

A very useful book, though it is somewhat on the terse side.

I truly appreciate the scope of ground that the book endeavors to cover. It is definitely a brisk and fast-paced read.

However, it might be too brisk, in fact. Some of the topics that Mr. Larsen skims through could potentially form an entire book on their own. For instance, when discussing social networking on the web, he might say something like "You need to leverage your social networks to promote your book." While this is undoubtedly true, the question of how to actually do this would require an entire book dedicated to it.

Nevertheless, the advice on how to structure your proposal is straightforward and precisely on topic. I also liked the tone of the book. Mr. Larsen treats books as business proposals, and I think this is a much-needed dose of pragmatism when approaching publication.

On the downside, I found the way he introduced subjects by quoting New Yorker cartoons to be hackneyed and old-fashioned. Additionally, I wish there were more examples of books that made it to publication. But these are minor complaints.

Regarding the Kindle version: I read this book on Kindle Reader for Android, and the formatting is a mess. Some paragraphs are indented right off the page, and the overall formatting is poor. It was almost unreadable because of this, and I now wish I had purchased the paper version.

Few questions deserve to be addressed philosophically. Philosophy is a discipline that delves deep into the fundamental nature of existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It encourages us to think critically and analytically about the world around us and our place in it. By exploring philosophical questions, we can gain a better understanding of ourselves and others, as well as the meaning and purpose of life.

Some of the most important philosophical questions include: What is the nature of reality? How do we know what we know? What are the ethical and moral principles that should guide our actions? What is the meaning of life? These questions have been debated by philosophers throughout history, and there is no one right answer. However, by engaging in philosophical inquiry, we can expand our perspectives and develop our own unique answers.

In conclusion, addressing questions philosophically is an important and valuable pursuit. It allows us to explore the deepest and most profound aspects of human existence and to gain a greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

How To Write A Book Proposal was an extremely valuable resource for me in 2020 when I was engaged in writing and outlining books.

It truly provided significant assistance as I already had a foundation in the form of a podcast transcript/blog post series that I was transforming into a book.

With this resource, I was able to package my materials effectively as a book and then refer to it while writing the proposal.

This, in turn, helped me to identify any necessary edits in my books.

I really liked how highly recommended this resource was (since I had purchased several other book proposal how-to books).

Moreover, it was very thorough in explaining the various sections of a proposal.

Although many of the sections seemed repetitive with slight variations, it clearly and succinctly explained what these changes in audience and intent were for each section, as well as what publishers were looking for.

Finally, I especially enjoyed the sample proposals at the end.

These were extremely helpful for visual learners or those who prefer to see things in action before proceeding, as they provided more context for one's own work.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this resource for anyone interested in writing book proposals and learning more about the act of publishing and the industry.

This review from the PFS Book Club provides a balanced look at a particular book.

What I Liked: It's a useful resource for nonfiction writers eyeing publication. The advice is honest and practical, not shying away from the reality that having a national platform makes getting a nonfiction book published easier, while lacking one is extremely difficult. The book is decently written, with its simplicity and straightforwardness being its greatest asset. It includes example book proposals and lists various other relevant resources. Moreover, the author's continuous updates, now in the fourth edition, ensure its timeliness and relevance to the latest publishing trends.

What I Didn't Like: While the advice is good, the book feels rather skimpy. The reviewer, who bought a used copy in NYC for $8, isn't convinced it's worth that price. Most of the advice, along with examples of book proposals, can be found on several agent blogs. Unless one specifically requires a physical handbook rather than an online one, it might be better to stick to the free resources available on the internet.

Last Thought: In conclusion, the book offers good advice, but it's hard to justify its cost when similar information is freely accessible online.

Review from the PFS Book Club...

Review published at: Over A Cuppa Tea

‘How to Write A Book Proposal’ by Micheal Larson is truly a classic guidebook. It offers valuable insights into the art of crafting an effective proposal for your book, with the aim of getting it published by publishers. As an aspiring author, I have to say that this book is quite useful. Even though I was already familiar with a good portion of the things mentioned within its pages, there were still some nuggets of wisdom that I found beneficial.

In my opinion, the book is rather thick. I believe that some of the content could potentially be omitted without sacrificing the overall quality and essence of the guide. However, despite this minor drawback, it still remains a great reference book. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. It may not be an absolute must-have in everyone's personal library, but it could definitely be helpful for aspiring authors like myself who are looking to improve their book proposal writing skills and increase their chances of getting published.