Book Proposal
If you are looking for a literary agent for your memoir or non-fiction manuscript, be aware that they will not approach an acquisitions editor without a book proposal, so it is best to do it, or hire someone else to do it, as soon as possible.
An agent will be very happy to find you have already assembled your book proposal because, upon accepting you, it is one of the first things they will want you to get started on. The proposal is a combination of portfolio and business plan, containing every argument you can put forward to demonstrate that your book will sell. It should be around thirty double-spaced pages of condensed information, plus three or four sample chapters showcasing your writing. It lists your professional achievements, discusses your existing author platform and your plans to extend it, and what avenues of marketing and promotion you see ahead of you.
The agent will then use the proposal to present a strong case for your book when they are shopping it. A good book proposal shows a publisher that the subject of your book has a place in the market, that you are the best person to write it, and that you are going to be an active participant in its promotion. Some non-fiction books are sold while still being written, on the strength of a few sample chapters and a book proposal. That’s how powerful a properly designed proposal can be.
The problem is that they’re time-consuming and difficult to prepare. Some authors do their own with the help of books and blogs, while others prefer to spend their time in more creative pursuits, and offload it. Either way, agents and publishers will not care who wrote the proposal—for them it is simply a means to an end.
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—depending on length and density of manuscript, and whether meaningful research and editorial contributions have already been made by the client, $2,000–$3,000