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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Platform

Platform

Why Should I Follow Your Guidelines?

By Steve Laubeon July 21, 2025
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Believe it or not, we once had someone write and say that forcing an author to follow our guidelines when submitting a proposal is the height of arrogance. An artist should be allowed artistic freedom of expression, and cramming ideas into a preprescribed format is squelching that creativity.

While I understand the frustration and the amount of work involved in creating a proposal, there are reasons why we ask that writers follow the guidelines.

Definition of “Guidelines”

We use the word “guidelines” instead of “rules” intentionally. They are designed, in part, as a help to writers who don’t know where to begin when putting together a proposal.

You could say that rules are meant to be broken, but guidelines are meant to be followed. But even then, some get caught up in the details of the guidelines and miss the point. We get questions about font size, preferred font, whether to include an author photo or not, how many pages equal a chapter, page margins, what sort of salutation to use, what to say in the cover letter, etc. They are all legitimate questions; but accompanying the question is a fear that if the writer does it wrong, they will be rejected.

Standardization

When working through our considerable number of submissions, it quickly becomes obvious which writers have taken the time to review our guidelines and try to follow them. It is also obvious that some are oblivious to the help that ours, other agencies, books, and online resources provide.

The advantage of a general format is that we can quickly find the parts of a proposal that help our review process. If I have to dig to find a half-page summary of the book or a section about the writer, I can get frustrated. I’ve seen proposals that lead with chapter one, page one, and bury their cover letter at the end of the document. Please don’t do that.

Treat It Like a Job Application

Writing a proposal is like applying for a job in the technology sector. There are certain things that you know are going to attract Apple, Alphabet (aka Google), Facebook, or X. Those are a “standard” part of every application. But if you are wise, you will have gone to each company’s website and followed their guidelines. If they want a one-page resume, you don’t send two. If they ask for two, you don’t send one. In other words, you should customize your application to meet the interests of that particular company.

Try to stand out as a professional. Artistic rebels can still be professional about their rebellion!

Standing out as a “Grumpy Gus” or worse suggests that working together might be difficult.

The Underlying Reason for Guidelines

One thing to remember is that it isn’t anyone’s arrogance that requests following a guideline. Our guidelines are based on what the publishers ask of us. The publisher wants certain information because the bookselling outlets (online and physical) ask for certain information when being presented with a new book. The store wants that information because they know that you, the consumer, are asking for that information when making a purchasing decision. It is ultimately your fault that we have guidelines! (See me smiling when I write that?)

The bottom line is that we all want to sell books.
The consumer wants to know what the book is about and why they should buy it.
The store wants to know what the book is about and why they should stock it.
The publisher wants to know what the book is about and why they should publish it.
And the literary agent wants to know what the book is about and why they should represent it.

Artistic Freedom

Therefore, the writer, if they want a reader to buy their book, needs to consider what the reader is looking for and put that in the proposal. That doesn’t change what you write in the book. It merely wraps the entire concept into a package that can ultimately be presented to a reader and which says, “Buy me. Read me.”

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Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, Marketing, PlatformTag: book proposals, Get Published, Guidelines

Publishing Without a Platform

By Dan Balowon May 22, 2025
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I spent much of my early career in publishing, working with authors and publishers to market their books. It didn’t take long to experience the number one complaint of all authors working with all publishers: The marketing department didn’t do enough. And even when we did a good job, once the book launched and the initial marketing plan completed, the author and book were abandoned to sail across …

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Category: Platform

How Do You Know What Will (or Will Not) Sell?

By Steve Laubeon February 24, 2025
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There is a mysterious magic embedded in the mythos of the publishing industry: the ability to pick successful books. I was recently asked, “You say ‘no’ so often, how do you know when to say ‘yes?’” I wish I could claim that every agent and publisher have a secret formula we consult to know what will sell. Ask any group of us for that secret and we will all laugh because there is no “secret.” We …

Read moreHow Do You Know What Will (or Will Not) Sell?
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Branding, Career, PlatformTag: Agents, book proposals, Career, Pitching, What Sells, Writers

What’s the Magic Number for Platform?

By Bob Hostetleron February 5, 2025
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I get asked this question a lot at writers conferences, in webinars, and even in line at Dunkin’ Donuts (to be fair, I buy a lot of donuts). It was posed this way in an email from someone I’d met at a writers conference: “At what point is a platform attractive [to publishers]? 10K, 20K, 50K or more?” Simply speaking, writers want to know “What’s the number?” To which I routinely (and sagely) …

Read moreWhat’s the Magic Number for Platform?
Category: Platform

New Book Proposal Course

By Steve Laubeon August 12, 2024
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I have some exciting news to share! The Christian Writers Institute has released an all-new edition of my “Elements of an Effective Book Proposal” course. Completely revised and expanded to provide even more value and insight. Why This Course Matters I have long taught that writing a book proposal is one of the most critical steps in securing a publishing deal. Whether you’re a …

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Pitching, Platform, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

The Power of a Referral

By Steve Laubeon July 22, 2024
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It was recently pointed out that a number of agencies will not accept unsolicited proposals. Instead they state, in their guidelines, that they only take proposals via referrals or from meeting someone at a writers conference. Our agency continues to keep the doors open to any and all who send material following our guidelines. It can be a challenge to read all the incoming proposals, but I prefer …

Read moreThe Power of a Referral
Category: Book Business, Career, Marketing, Pitching, PlatformTag: Agents, Referrals

What About Affinity Groups?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 27, 2024
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When showing author platform, many writers talk about affinity groups. That is, hobbyists, organization members, and people in a particular stage of life who might buy the book. For instance, an author may say that her devotional book titled Single Parents Who Fly Kites will appeal to: 1. Kite flyers 2. Single parents 3. People who work in kite factories 4. People who love windy days 5. Members of …

Read moreWhat About Affinity Groups?
Category: Book Proposals, Marketing, Pitching, Platform

Original Platform

By Dan Balowon May 30, 2024
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In 2021, I wrote a post for this agency blog encouraging writers to write with originality. Original Writing came to mind after seeing a few too many book proposals that were mostly summaries of other authors’ books. While academic and reference works are mostly made up of that type of material, most other nonfiction books require the author to be somewhat of an expert in a field. And the book …

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Category: Platform

The Platform Predicament: How to Connect With Readers Off Social Media With Mary DeMuth

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on March 12, 2024
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social media icons representing the author platform predicament

Learn how to navigate the author platform predicament and what you can do to help change the status quo in the publishing industry.

Read moreThe Platform Predicament: How to Connect With Readers Off Social Media With Mary DeMuth
Category: PlatformTag: Agents, Book Business, Platform, Traditional Publishing

People Over Platform: The Heartbeat of Authentic Authorship

By Megan Brownon March 7, 2024
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Let’s talk about something that’s been the elephant in the room for many of us–the dreaded “P” word: platform. In the realm of publishing, it seems like everyone is fixated on the numbers: how many followers you have, the size of your email list, or the reach of your social-media presence. But what if I told you there’s a more authentic and meaningful approach …

Read morePeople Over Platform: The Heartbeat of Authentic Authorship
Category: Marketing, Platform, The Writing Life
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