What to consider as you attempt to persuade book editors to give you a contract.
What counts as scholarship has been expanding, yet in many fields, books are still the key to unlocking professional success and notoriety. That means you need a book contract (since self-publishing is not a common practice in academe), and to get one, you will need a compelling book proposal.
Before you start writing, review the publisher’s formatting guidelines for book proposals. Here are some of the questions that a publisher will want your proposal to answer:
- What is the market for your book? Most publishers will want to know the potential market for your book (which campuses and organizations might find it particularly relevant?) and how you might market it (e.g., blogs, websites, radio). And yes, the onus for promoting your book will be mostly on you.
- What are the competing and comparable texts on your topic? You need to find about four books that relate to your project, and describe how your text will differ or offer something new. What does your book accomplish that the others do not? The differences don’t have to be conceptual — you might be targeting a different audience or using different data sources.
- Who are you? Most publishers will want your CV and a brief bio so that they can ascertain your capability of writing this book. Is it within your area(s) of expertise? Have you published in this area before? Have you published a book before? This is where publishers conduct a risk analysis. How certain are they that you will finish as you’ve promised? Your job in this section is to anticipate any concerns they may have by presenting a brief discussion of how this book fits within your larger body of work.
Continue reading: “Crafting a Convincing Book Proposal,” by Manya Whitaker
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