What does a book proposal look like? What elements should it contain? Should my book proposal be single spaced or double spaced? Can I just see some sort of proposal template?
Yes. Yes you can.
Ultimately, your book proposal is about communicating your ideas to the editor. It’s the content that matters, not the format. As an editor, I’m not going to deduct points because you used a font I don’t like* or you didn’t space it a certain way.** (There aren’t points!) As with anything in your life, if you’re willing to meet people where they are, you’ll learn a lot of what they have to tell you. So just help me meet you partway, okay? Tell me your idea, show me your excitement, and answer the questions that you know (from this blog) that I’m going to have.
But if a template would make things easier, here you go. This is a link to a Google doc that contains a blank proposal template. Here’s how to use it:
- Download it (File -> Download as) and save it somewhere on your computer where you can get back to it easily.
- Replace all the [text in brackets] with your own text. So for example, I would type “Tiffany Hill” in place of “[Author].”
- There are some hints in brackets too. Just delete them and replace them with your own words. If you want more details about what to put in any section, come back to this blog. I’m here to help.
- Load it up with images. This is optional, but a good picture is worth a thousand words! Show me your projects.
- Save it as a PDF before submitting it, so your formatting doesn’t get wonky when opened on someone else’s computer. If the submission guidelines specify Word or if you can’t save something as a PDF, a Word document is fine too.
Query Tip: Just like when you turned in a paper in school, or when you submit a resume somewhere, put your name or book title in the proposal file name, not the name of the company you’re submitting it to.
That should get you started! This template is very similar to the templates I’ve used to write a ton of book proposals on a wide range of nonfiction topics, and I find it helpful for organizing my thoughts. I hope it will be just as helpful for you!
Tiffany Hill, Editor 