YOUR BOOK PROPOSAL TEMPLATE… The  treasure  map  to  that  book  deal  you’ve  been  dreaming  about.  

Yay!  I’m  so  glad  you’re  here.  Thank  you  for  downloading  this  template  of  my  favorite  sections  of  a  winning  book  proposal—a  little  something  I’ve  put  together  over  a  career  of  helping  countless  people  get  published.  I’m  Linda  Sivertsen,  and  I  love  this  stuff.  But  that  wasn’t  always  the  case.  When  I  first  heard  the  words,  “You  need  a  book  proposal”  from  my  agent,  who  was  selling  my  book,  Lives  Charmed,  I  was  more  than  intimidated.  I  was  devastated!  What  do  you  mean  editors  hardly  ever  read  manuscripts  without  proposals?  I’d  written  nearly  the  whole  book  already!  What  the  hell  was  a  proposal,  and  how  was  I  supposed  to  write  one?  

Ha.  Well,  I  learned  a  lot  about  this  “business  plan”  biz—outlining  a  book  for  publishers—by  trial  and  error.  By  studying  everything  I  could  get  my  hands  on.  By  getting  rejected  by  editors  in  Manhattan,  over  and  over.  Until  I  had  written  the  best  proposal  possible.  And  that’s  when  things  got  fun,  and  my  book  sold  easily.  So  did  many  others  I  helped  craft  proposals  for  soon  afterward.  

Seems  I  had  figured  out  a  thing  or  two,  which  fueled  my  passion  and  bestselling  results.  Which  is  why,  along  with  writing  my  own  books,  developing  apps  and  promoting  them  in  the  media—and  living  a  life  I  love—I’m  still  sharing  what  I  know.  Feels  something  like  dharma.      

Okay,  let’s  get  to  YOU,  and  your  book  proposal  template.  This  is  the  easiest  way  I  know  to  show  you  what’s  going  to  be  asked  of  you  from  agents  and  editors  when  showcasing  your  book  ideas.  You  won’t  need  to  include  every  section  that  I’ve  got  here  (most  people  don’t),  but  the  more  you  know,  the  more  options  you  have  at  your  disposal.  And,  please,  when  looking  at  this  list,  try  to  have  an  open  mind.  What  might  seem  overwhelming,  too  hard,  or  like  something  that  doesn’t  apply  to  you,  could  turn  out  to  be  a  lot  easier  (+  more  profitable)  than  you  think.    

I’ve  had  clients  say  to  me,  “Corporate  sponsorship?  No  way!  I  could  never  do  that,”  only  to  call  me  a  week  later  and  say,  “You’ll  never  guess  who  I  just  met  through  a  friend  that  promised  to  buy  5,000  copies  of  my  book  for  their  giveaway  program,  with  a  confirmation  letter  for  my  proposal!”  Bam.  I  hear  these  stories  all  the  time.  If  a  section  initially  turns  you  off,  sit  with  it  a  while.  Do  your  research.  See  how  others  may  have  tackled  that  section.  Listen  to  your  creative  genius  in  the  car,  in  the  shower,  in  your  dreams.  Take  notes,  and  use  the  voice  recorder  on  your  phone.  Bottom  line:  think  big,  dream  bigger,  and  be  ready  to  roll  up  your  sleeves  and  get  busy.  Beautiful.    

Much  love  to  you.  Can’t  wait  to  hear  about  your  upcoming  book  deal!  Now,  let’s  get  started…  

xo  

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Key Proposal Elements:Keep  in  mind  that  a  book  proposal  is  a  highly  creative  piece  of  work,  and  you  may  choose  to  use  catchier  titles  and  subtitles,  add  sections  that  aren’t  listed  here,  and  put  things  in  a  different  order.  Don’t  stress.  Use  this  as  a  guide,  and  then  follow  your  heart  +  gut.  Just  be  sure  that  whatever  you  submit  is  clean  (meaning,  without  typos),  tight  (i.e.,  doesn’t  ramble  on  and  on,  or  include  a  lot  of  filler  words),  and  is  beautifully  written!    

Cover Page  (your  title,  subtitle,  genre,  and  contact  info—yours  or  your  agent’s)

Hook Page  (hooks  can  also  be  in  your  Overview,  but  mama  loves  a  good  hook  pg)

Proposal Table of Contents  (so  your  reader  can  easily  find  any  section)  

Overview  (what  your  book  is,  why  it’s  needed,  &  a  teaser  about  you  +  your  market)  

About the Author  (more  on  you;  if  not  already,  this  is  where  they  fall  in  love)  

! About  the  Co-­‐Author/Ghostwriter  

Market  (your  readers:  who  are  they,  where  they  are,  and  why  they’ll  buy  you)  

! Primary  Audience  ! Secondary  Audience  ! Other  Groups  ! Special  Sales  

Competition  (since  your  book’s  not  out  yet,  what  are  your  readers  reading  now?)

PR/Media/Platform  (um,  yea,  tap  dancin’  for  your  supper)  

! Strategy  ! TV  &  Radio  ! Print  Media:  Newspapers/Magazines  ! Media  Contacts  ! Social  Media  ! Media  Angels/Hooks  ! Multi-­‐Media  ! Email  Lists/Alliances  ! Personal  Book  Orders  ! Publicist  

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Speaking/Seminars (shows  you’re  hoofin’  it  +  have  bodies  in  seats  to  sell  to)

! Schedule  ! Fees/Bureaus  ! Topics  ! Testimonials  ! Products  +  Back-­‐of-­‐the-­‐Room  Sales  

Testimonials (who  loves  ya,  baby?...  permission  to  share  their  love  publicly)  

! Client  Quotes  ! Speaking  Letters  of  Recommendation  ! Celebrity  or  Expert-­‐in-­‐Your-­‐Field  Raves  ! Bookstore/Special  Venue  Support  

Website (it’s  in  the  works,  right…  or  preferably,  already  visible  in  some  form)  

! Domain  Name  ! Services  Offered  ! Monthly  Hits  ! Access  Codes/Special  Programs  ! Newsletters/E-­‐Magazines  ! Blogs  ! Vlogs  ! Podcasts  ! Retail  Goods  

Book Specs (these  details  may  show  up  elsewhere,  or  in  their  own  headings)  

! Title  ! Cover  Ideas/Design  ! Format/Layout  ! Design  &  Production  ! Delivery  of  the  Manuscript  ! Legalities  

Spin-Off Books (don’t  force;  only  include  if  they’re  hot  and  seem  a  natural  fit)  

Philanthropy/Charity (fun  +  feels  good…  media  loves  to  share  the  love,  too)  

! A  Portion  of  the  Proceeds  Goes  to…  ! Alliances/Cross  Promotion  

Chapter Summaries (the  gist:  your  book  in  short  ditties—1/2-­‐2  pgs  ea.)

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Appendices/Attachments (meaning,  in  a  separate  Word  doc  or  PDF)

Sample Chapters (as  good  as  can  be;  some  editors  START  reading  here)

Press Clippings (if  you’ve  got  ‘em,  flaunt  ‘em)

Brochures, Biz Cards, Photos… (fun  stuff  you  may  have  lying  around)

Media Reel (a  youtube  link  of  you  on  camera  is  fun  +  easy  peazy  for  them  to  view)

Query Letter (you  send  this  to  agents  to  ask  if  they’d  like  to  see  your  awesome  proposal)

There  you  have  it.  Hope  this  gives  you  some  great  ideas  +  motivation.  If  you’d  like  to  learn  more,  I  have  resources  to  walk  you  through  this  process  in  much  more  depth.    

For  starters,  there’s  Your  Big  Beautiful  Book  Plan  (a  mac-­‐daddy  downloadable  program  I  created  with  Danielle  LaPorte  that’s  helping  LOTS  of  writers  get  big  book  deals  at  top  houses).  If  you  prefer  to  work  with  structure  and  a  class-­‐like  tribe  vibe,  you’ll  also  find  a  link  to  my  recent  “Big  Beautiful  4-­‐Session  Tele-­‐course”—downloadable  immediately—that's  helped  starry-­‐eyed  writers  in  multiple  countries  get  organized,  motivated,  on  task,  and  even  done  already.      

There’s  also  a  way  we  can  work  together  live  and  in  person  on  your  book  or  proposal,  and  that’s  in  my  favorite  place  in  the  world—at  my  Carmel  Writing  Retreats.    

Plus,  now  that  you’re  on  my  list,  be  sure  to  watch  your  inbox  for  my  latest  publishing  blogs  +  updates  +  new  offers.  It’s  always  my  goal  to  give  you  everything  I  can  to  take  you  from  idea  to  deal.  

Best  of  luck  to  you,  my  new  writing  friend.  I  can’t  wait  to  hear  your  good  book  news!  

Linda  Sivertsen  

P.S.  Oh,  and  my  app  doesn't  just  keep  your  relationships  on  track.  Use  it  to  monitor  +  encourage  your  writing  practice!  If  you've  got  an  iPhone  or  iPad,  give  it  a  try  and  see  how  much  more  focused  +  productive  you  get  :-)  

xo  

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