A book proposal is the business case for a book: what it is, who will buy it, why you are the one to write it and how it will be sold. Nonfiction is usually sold on a proposal before the book is finished. Download the Word template, which has every standard section with prompts, then read the worked examples below; each one is a single section written the way an agent wants to see it.
Download the template
Free, no sign-up. Open it in Word, Google Docs, Pages or LibreOffice and replace the bracketed parts.
Examples
- Overview (first lines): "Every year thousands of first-time landlords sign a lease they do not understand. The Accidental Landlord is the plain-English handbook they wish they had read first."
- Comparable titles: name three to five books from the last five years, one sentence each on what yours does that they do not.
- Author platform: "I run a weekly newsletter for 4,200 small landlords and have spoken at three state housing conferences." Real numbers only.
- Chapter outline: one paragraph per chapter saying what the reader learns, not just the topic.
The sections, in the usual order
- Overview: the hook and the book in one or two pages.
- Target readers: who they are and how many of them you can describe concretely.
- Comparable titles: recent books like yours and how yours differs.
- About the author: why you, with credentials and platform.
- Marketing and promotion: what you will do, not what the publisher should do.
- Book specifications: expected length, delivery date, any illustrations.
- Chapter outline: a paragraph for each chapter.
- Sample chapters: usually one to three, polished.
What to leave out
- Claims you cannot back ("everyone will want this book").
- Sales figures for comparable titles that you cannot source.
- Design ideas for the cover; publishers decide that.
- A long list of famous people you hope will endorse it.
If you are self-publishing
You do not need a proposal to self-publish, but writing the target-reader, comparable-titles and marketing sections first is one of the best ways to find out whether the book will sell, and it becomes your launch plan.
Questions
How long is a book proposal?
Typically 15 to 50 pages including sample chapters. The overview should be readable in a few minutes.
Do novels need a proposal?
Usually not. Fiction is normally sold on a finished manuscript with a query letter and synopsis.
Should I send the whole manuscript too?
Only if the agent's submission guidelines ask for it.
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