When and Why
It is a truth universally acknowledged that book proposals are more useful in non-fiction. Many non-fiction books are sold on proposal. If a writer is an expert in her field, and has a following, she can often sell her book based on a thorough proposal and a few sample chapters.
I won’t be covering non-fiction proposals here, because they are pretty well covered already on the interwebs. Instead, let’s chat about their awkward cousin—the fiction proposal.
Most novels can only be sold to a publisher once they’re completely written. But that doesn’t mean novelists don’t ever have to write proposals. I can think of several situations when a fiction proposal can be useful.
First, when an author is established in a genre, she can often sell her next book or series on proposal. This was my path. I’d had several successful books in one particular corner of the romance market, and three times now I’ve sold new work to a Big 5 publisher on proposal.
Second, let’s say you’re a newer writer and you do write a complete novel, which is sold to a publisher. You might be offered a multi-book deal. (Lucky you!) And guess what you’ll need at the midpoint of this relationship? That’s right. A proposal for book 2. Or at least a synopsis. When I sold a romance series to a Big 5 publisher in 2015, the due dates for those synopses were part of my contract.
The third instance is a little peculiar, but hear me out. Sometimes it makes sense to write a proposal for yourself. Let’s say you have a handful of ideas for which book to write next. You’re noodling on all of them, unsure how to commit. That’s when you sit yourself down and try your hand at a proposal.
Why? Because sometimes trying to entice a fictional editor into loving your next project is how you discover just how lovable it is. The easier the proposal comes, the readier you are to write that book. If you can’t say anything lucid about the plot arc, or the character motivations, then maybe that idea is still half baked.
I have an entire Scrivener file just for half-baked proposals. And when one of them is tugging on my consciousness, I open that sucker up and do some work on it. I have, at the moment, thirteen half-baked proposals in there. But a quick flip through them makes it clear which ones have legs, and which will be stuck in the barn for the foreseeable future.
So what does a well-dressed proposal entail?
The flap copy
The vision, voice and vibe
The sample
The synopsis
One: the flap copy
Sure, it’s probably going to change before publication. But you should still write a hooky, tasty book description that states the problem and the characters in a pithy way, and comes in under two hundred words. Does that sound hard? Yes. But the best way to write a book that people want to read is to understand why the book is hooky in the first place. Don’t skip this step.
Two: the vision, voice and vibe
If you have more thoughts about how the book will be packaged, try to get that down on paper, too. Example: “For fans of Lucy Foley.” Or “Succession meets Legally Blonde, in outer space.”
You also want to make some notes about the voice and narrative structure here. Does the book have a linear timeline, or multiple timelines? Is the story told in one voice, or does the narrative rotate between multiple characters?
Last month an editor complimented me on this section of my proposal. She said it helped her see exactly how the book could be positioned in the market.
And? Bonus points if you include an image at the top of the first page. When I’ve read how-to pieces about proposals before, I’ve always seen the advice that you shouldn’t include an image. But I’ve been breaking this rule since 2004, when I sold my first (non-fiction) book on proposal. If you find a single image that truly captures the mood of the book, go write ahead and use it in the header. Humans are visual creatures. It’s a shortcut for getting your idea across.
Three: the sample
Many people will tell you that the sample chapters belong after the synopsis. And in non-fiction, that’s probably true. But for a fiction synopsis, I prefer the reverse. After all, for fiction, the voice of the synopsis and the voice of the book probably won’t match. Example: first person novels probably require a third person synopsis.
I think it’s great to give the reader a taste for the book in its own voice first, and then dazzle them for your plans for the rest of the plot afterward.
And if this arrangement makes you nervous, ask yourself why. Are those early chapters not attention-grabbing enough? Maybe they need more work.
Four: the synopsis
This is easily the most painful part. I hate writing a synopsis, because it neglects all the fun bits—like dialogue. But the challenge of getting the shape of the book down on paper is worth it. If you can see the “through line” of the plot, you’ll know what to do. Just think how happy Future You will be to have this road map!
Tip #1: It’s okay to give your synopsis its own voice, distinct from the tone of the novel. Maybe your book is going to be written in first person. Maybe the tone of your prose will be dark, foreboding and slippery. Your synopsis will probably be neither of those things, though. And since the voice can’t match up perfectly, feel free to use a breezy or humorous tone that shows your personality, even if it can’t match the book’s.
Tip #2: You obviously won’t have room for all the book’s sparkly details. But sprinkle a few in, so your wit or trickery shines through. “Our heroine dreams of going to that ball with her stepsisters, but her underdeveloped sense of worth usually prevents her from getting revenge. Except for that tricky thing she does every morning when she substitutes decaf beans into her stepmonster’s coffee grinder.”
Tip #3: It’s okay to not know every detail of the plot. You can even acknowledge it like this. “We’ll see the heroine suffer at the hands of her evil stepmother when she’s asked to sweep the fireplace and [insert other petty, humiliating things here.]”
You’re done! Now what?
Remember, the fiction proposal is handy for:
Deciding what to write next.
Discussing upcoming ideas with your agent
And occasionally selling books.
Now go forth and tackle that synopsis. You got this!
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