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About this Book
A Writer’s Digest Book Club Selection!
The
hard, cold fact about getting a book published is that—without something
close to divine intervention—an author is going to have to write a sales
piece, called a book proposal, that will attract the attention of an editor
or an agent. In fact, at most publishers, this sales piece is going to have
to hold up under the scrutiny of a committee made up of a bevy of editors
and a pod of sales and marketing people.
With The Fast-Track Course on How to Write a
Nonfiction Book Proposal, Mettee, a seasoned book editor and publisher,
cuts to the chase and provides simple, detailed instruction that allows
anyone to write a professional book proposal and hear an editor say Yes!
According to Mettee,
the first rule is: Do no harm. Too many authors don’t pay enough attention
to the small things like spelling and grammar and manuscript format that are
needed to make their book proposals appear professional. They may have a
great idea for a book—and be eminently qualified to write it—but they
schmuck it up with slovenly disregard for the easy stuff.
The last rule is: Be persistent. If you quit after your
first rejection slip or after the thirteenth or the thirtieth, you’ll never
get published. Many books that are rejected scores of times go on to be
best-sellers. You’re not defeated until you give up.
Table of Contents
Preface v
Chapter One: First Things 1
Chapter Two: The Query Letter 25
Chapter Three: The Proposal 37
Sample Query Letter 61
Sample Book Proposal 64
Sample Agency Contract 81
Sample Book Contract 85
Nonfiction Book Proposal Checklist 100
Standard Manuscript Format for a Book Proposal 101
The Author’s Bundle of rights 102 Selected Books 104
Glossary 107
Index 115
About the Author 120
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