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Home » book proposals » Page 10

book proposals

Why Don’t Agents/Editors Give You More Guidance?

By Karen Ballon November 21, 2012
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Proposals are hard work. C’mon, be honest. All the research and writing and preparation that goes into them? Admit it, that sometimes feels like you’re being punished for wanting to write a book. And then, when you’ve poured your heart and time and effort into making that dreaded proposal as perfect as you can, what happens? You send it to the agent or editor, and wait.

And wait. And wait. And wait.

And…well, you get the idea.

Then, FINALLY, a reply wings its way to you:

“Thank you for your submission, but it’s been determined your project, Field Dressing a Beaver in 30 Seconds, doesn’t meet our needs. Best wishes as you seek to serve God in your writing.”

What? That’s it? That’s all you get? No, “here’s why it doesn’t meet our needs,” or “this is what you need to fix to make this proposal stronger”? C’mon! Why can’t these people just give writers a little help?

Fair question. And I’m going to spend the next few blogs giving you some fair answers. Not excuses, friends. Answers. Because there are very good reasons editors and agents don’t send more than form rejections for proposals.

First, let’s talk about some misconceptions (every single one of which have been expressed to me, about me and others, over the years):

Agents & Editors don’t give writers more direction on proposals because:

1.      They don’t want to help writers.

Um…wrong. That’s exactly what they do want to do. Which is why you can meet so many of them face-to-face at writers’ conferences. When agents/editors/published writers take time away from packed schedules to teach at conferences and meet with conferees, it’s exactly because they care about writers and helping them do what they do better. Doing so always costs them, big time. Because the work, including proposals, continues to pile up when they’re out of the office. But they do it. Because they care.

2.      They’re too lazy to do more.

Uh huh. Those people who spend hours upon hours working to serve their clients and writers are lazy. Those folks who take work home, spend weekends at the office, work on the plane when traveling, burn the midnight oil more times than they can count…those lazy people?

Yeah. Nuff said.

3.      All they care about is making money, and if they can’t make money off of you, you’re not worth their time.

Okay, let me just say this: We care about a lot more than making money. Otherwise, we’d be doing something else. I mean, seriously. You know how hard it is to make money in publishing!

But there’s something we all need to keep in mind: this is a business, folks. Those making a living at the work of publishing have to put the preponderance of our time and energy into those projects and writers that will help our businesses survive. And grow. It’s called being fiscally responsible. And you know what? That’s biblical.

And let’s be honest. How would you feel if your agent didn’t have time to work on your project because he’s using his time and energy critiquing proposals from people who aren’t clients? And not just that, but people who aren’t even close to being ready to be clients? It’s not a case of some being worth our time. It’s a case of us being wise and responsible professionals.

4.      They’re sitting there doling out contracts to friends and best-sellers, and I just don’t happen to hold the golden ticket or know the right names to drop.

Yeah…no. Reality check: I did editorial acquisitions for four publishers over the course of 30+ years. I’m still doing acquisitions as an agent when I accept new clients based on their proposals. Not having a certain name or connections isn’t what makes me reject a proposal. Plain and simple, it’s about craft. And skill. And whether or not you’ve done your homework.

Okay, then, let’s get on to some of the real reasons/answers to the question: “Why don’t agents/editors give us more guidance when they reject our proposals?”

Answer #1 (and I’ll warn you right now, you’re not going to like this one):
Time Constraints

Yup, Time Constraints. That’s the first answer. And that’s the reason few of your proposals will actually make it to an editor’s or agent’s desk.

“Not fair!” you cry. “You mean they reject my proposal without even seeing it?”

In a word, Yes.

With the number of proposals editors/agents receive a month, let alone a year, there’s simply no way we can read/review them all and get our work done. Our first priority has to be the people we’ve contracted as writers or clients. And that’s a huge time commitment for one person, let alone the dozens of writers most agents and editors serve. And yet, none of us wants to risk missing out on something wonderful that may come in over the transom. So how do to it all?

Well, I’ll share that in my next blog!

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, KarenTag: Agents, book proposals, Editors, Get Published

Read All About It! – The Back Cover Copy

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 23, 2012
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When you consider purchasing a book, either in a store or online, what do you notice first? The front cover grabs your attention. Right? After that, you might flip inside to read the first few sentences of the book, and then venture to the back cover (online the back cover is displayed as the “Description”). Or you may go to the back cover before opening the book. Regardless, the back cover copy …

Read moreRead All About It! – The Back Cover Copy
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: back cover copy, book proposals

High Concept: Catching Readers One at a Time

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 16, 2012
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Not every fiction proposal needs something called a High Concept, but I like to see one. A High Concept shows that the author can hone in on the story and has thought about what it says and how it can be positioned in the marketplace. It helps the publisher know in a snap of the fingers the unique and compelling nature of your story. One popular way to create a High Concept is to compare your work …

Read moreHigh Concept: Catching Readers One at a Time
Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, TamelaTag: book proposals, High Concept

Get Attention with the Right Title

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 9, 2012
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 When an agent or her assistant tackles the email slush pile, she sees one subject line after another written by authors vying for attention. Some lines describe the book category, while others make a claim about the author himself. But most include the book's title. I tell authors not to get attached to titles because all too often, they are changed somewhere between the time the editor takes the …

Read moreGet Attention with the Right Title
Category: Book Proposals, Marketing, TamelaTag: book proposals, Titles

A Few Tips on Social Media

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 5, 2012
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This may seem like an interruption to my series on writing proposals, but it is not. I plan to address the Marketing section of a proposal in the near future. However, before writers can think about marketing in general, they need to understand social media because an author who has mastered social media will be more attractive to a publisher. They want to partner with savvy authors. Thomas …

Read moreA Few Tips on Social Media
Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, Marketing, TamelaTag: book proposals, Social Media

Who Am I? – About the Author

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 28, 2012
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The author biography section in a book proposal seems to be one of the least anxiety-provoking sections, yet I often see areas that could be improved. Here are a few ideas on how to make your author bio section the best it can be.

Include a portrait

When I was an intern on Capitol Hill, one of my duties was to open the mail. On one occasion, we received a resume that included a portrait, …

Read moreWho Am I? – About the Author
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Branding, Get Published, Marketing, TamelaTag: book proposals, Proposals

My Book is Like…

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 14, 2012
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When I posted about writing great book proposals, I noticed a trend toward anxiety about the market comparison section. This is understandable since authors need to strike a balance between, "I am the next C.S. Lewis," and "You don't want to read this, do you?"

Aspiring to be like...

Most of the time, newer authors don't think about comparing their work to the work of others in the proposal. …

Read moreMy Book is Like…
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: book proposals, comparison, competition

The Synopsis Tells the Tale

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 31, 2012
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Because the synopsis is so critical to a proposal, I decided to write this spin-off of last week's blog, "Keys to a Great Synopsis,"  in hopes of helping authors not only write more effective synopses, but to impart a bit about the fiction market, too.

When I read synopses from authors, much is revealed. For instance, I see:
Cozy mysteries that are meant to be romance.
Gothic plots presented …

Read moreThe Synopsis Tells the Tale
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: book proposals, synopsis

Keys to a Great Synopsis

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 24, 2012
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When I posted my ideas on some Keys to a Great Book Proposal, a few writers said they were challenged to write a synopsis. I agree that writing an interesting synopsis is difficult. However, it’s not an element you want to omit from your proposal because a synopsis orients the editor to the book’s contents. Here are my answers to often-asked questions: 1.) Do I need a …

Read moreKeys to a Great Synopsis
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: book proposals, synopsis

The Keys to a Great Book Proposal

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 17, 2012
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"I think book proposals are one of the most difficult things to write, second only to obituaries."

When I received this email from one of my authors, Sherry Gore, (and yes, I have permission to quote her), I could relate. I've never written obituaries, even though writing one's own is a popular goal-setting exercise. But I have written and read many book proposals so I know they aren't easy to …

Read moreThe Keys to a Great Book Proposal
Category: Book Proposal Basics, Book Proposals, Branding, Get Published, Marketing, TamelaTag: book proposals, Get Published, Marketing
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