A book proposal is a short document that makes the case for a book before anyone has agreed to publish it. Jane Friedman, who has written about publishing for years, calls it a business plan for the book, and says it has to answer three blunt questions: So what? Who cares? Who are you? (Jane Friedman).
That sounds cold until you sit on the other side of the desk. A publisher is about to spend months of work and real money on your book. The proposal is how they decide whether readers will want it as much as you do.
What goes in
Proposals vary, but most for Christian nonfiction include these parts.
An overview
A page or two on what the book is and why it’s needed now. Start with the reader’s problem or question, not with how the book came to you.
The reader
Who will buy this book, as specifically as you can describe them. “Women in their thirties and forties who grew up in church and feel stuck in their faith” tells a publisher far more than “Christians.”
Why you
Your experience with the subject and with the reader. A pastor who has walked fifty families through grief has something to say about grief, even if nobody outside the county has heard of him.
Comparable books
Two to four recent books your reader might already own, and how yours is different. This shows you know the shelf you’re trying to join. If you can’t find any, that may be a warning rather than an opportunity.
How readers will find it
Who already listens to you, and what you’ll do to tell them. Be concrete. “I teach a Sunday class of 60 and speak at four women’s retreats a year” is worth more than “I’ll promote it on social media.” Small numbers honestly stated are fine.
Chapter summaries
A paragraph for each chapter showing how the book moves from beginning to end. This is often where a proposal reveals that two chapters are really one, or that the book is missing its middle.
Sample chapters
Usually the introduction and the first chapter or two. They prove you can write the book you’ve described.
Proposing to True Bearing Press
Our submission form asks for a shorter version of the same thing: what the book covers, who it’s for, what readers will take away, a little about you, and an optional sample of up to three chapters. If you’ve written a full proposal for an agent, you can paste from it. If you haven’t, filling out the form is a good way to find out whether you’re ready to.