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Fiction Proposals

Your fiction proposal should include the following items and should be attached as a single file to an email with “submission: title, authors name and word count” in the subject line:

1) Proposal Cover letter

  • Addressed to Patricia Riddle-Gaddis with title/genre/word count and appropriate contact information in the letter.

  • This letter should give enough information about your work to interest us in reading your proposal.

  • In an email the attached file name should be descriptive – author name / fiction or nonfiction proposal.



2) One-page sell sheet
•    The first line of a one page is: The title, genre and word count
•    tagline- one line pitch of your book
•    back book cover paragraph
•    abbreviated bio with author photo
•    all must fit on a single page
 
3) Biographical sketch
List your writing experience, your education, your achievements, and your prior publishing history.
 
4) Story Synopsis
Prepare a one to three page synopsis of your story.
 
5) Market analysis or Platform

  • Identify your novel’s audience (the specific categories of readers your book is aimed at)

  • Provide specific information on your Facebook, youtube, LinkedIn,Twitter accounts.

  • Give any other literary publications attributed to you (magazine article, newspaper etc.)

  • Past speaking engagements and events where you were featured.


 
6) Competitive analysis
Identify novels published within the past five years that are similar to your proposed work. Tell us why your book should be published, and explain how your book is superior and/or provides a new slant on your topic.
 
7) Marketing strategies

(what will you do to sell your book in cooperation with the publisher?)
Increasingly, fiction and non-fiction authors are encouraged to promote their novels themselves through writers’ conferences, book signings, and web sites. We suggest you establish a web site, and you’ll need to create promotional giveaways, arrange your own book signings, or attend writers’ conferences. Think outside of the box.
 
8) History of the manuscript
Please tell us if the manuscript has been submitted to editors and/or publishers by yourself or another agent.
 
9) The first three chapters
For fiction send the first three chapters. Non-fiction can be your choice of the first three or what you feel best showcases your book.


 

Is It Ready to Submit?
 

To make sure you will capture the interest of an agent or editor you must prepare a professional-looking proposal.

 

The manuscript needs to be formatted properly as well. The object here is not to stand out but to look like an established pro. Too often a submission reveals a lack of professionalism or research showing clearly you are not prepared. An improperly formatted proposal or manuscript will receive little or no attention.

 

As agents, we want to offer editors a clean and professional submission.The following rules cover the primary items for the formatting of the proposal and manuscript, but the submission guidelines posted by the editor or agent you are submitting to should be your guide.

 

While it is true a manuscript might not be rejected for breaking only one of these rules (unless it’s a glaring one), a combination is sure to catch attention.If you need more help preparing to pitch or promote you can buy a helpful book by Terry Burns entitled, A Writer’s Survival Guide to Publication.

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