GUIDE TO WRITING A PROPOSAL

PREPARING YOUR PROPOSAL

Writing a book is a major undertaking. It can often require the participation of dozens of people and years of work. Faced with such a prospect, even experienced authors often wonder where to begin. At Addison Wesley Longman we firmly believe the first step towards getting your book on paper (and eventually into print) is an exciting and well-conceived proposal.

WHY WRITE A PROPOSAL

Many authors are eager to plunge into the actual writing of their book. They wonder why they should spend time and effort on something that will not be part of the finished book. But a good proposal is anything but a waste of time.

THE PROPOSAL AS A SALES TOOL

Initially, your proposal will help you attract the attention of commissioning editors and determine the best publisher for your book. A positive reception of your proposal by the academics or professionals called on by the publisher to review it will assure confidence in the saleability of your book. It will also help ‘presell’ the book and garner the kinds of constructive criticism that will help you produce a book with the greatest possible appeal.

THE PROPOSAL AS A WRITING TOOL

A good proposal is also the framework for the book. It - and the editor’s and reviewers’ comments - should serve as a guide in preparing an initial manuscript. If you can execute the ideas embodied in a well-received proposal, you may expect a similarly warm reception for your book.

THE PROPOSAL AS A PREFACE

Finally, you should look at your proposal as the basis of the preface you will eventually need to write. If you incorporate the elements specified below, you will have already written most of a preface that will sell your published book.
WHAT BELONGS IN A PROPOSAL

If your proposal is to achieve all the above goals, it needs to answer a variety of questions.

YOUR VISION OF THE MARKET

How do you view the market for your book? Where do you see it going in the next five years? Whom do you hope to reach with your book? What is the typical profile of your target audience?

For A Professional/Trade Book:

In what way will your book help professionals with their job? What can they expect to gain from reading your book? What aspects of the book will appeal to the professionals (for example, types of examples, case studies, references, hands-on instruction, and so on)?

For An Academic Book:

What course(s) will it best fit? Who teaches these courses? Who takes them (for example, majors, non-majors)? What level is this course? What are the teaching challenges for the instructor? What are the learning challenges for the students? What aspects of the book will appeal to students/instructors in these courses (for example, level, type of examples, pedagogy, appendices, references, special features)? Is there an audience for your book outside of university courses? If so, what is the audience like? How can it be reached?

YOUR VISION OF THE BOOK

Why another book? Many markets are crowded with competing titles usually including several very popular ones. Why should someone be interested in your book? What aspects will set your book apart from existing ones (for example, approach, organisation, special topics, illustrations, boxed inserts, and so on)? Which books now available will your project most closely compete with, and why? Why do you think these books have succeeded?

NUTS AND BOLTS

How long will your complete manuscript be? Roughly how many illustrations (photos, tables, graphs, drawings) will it contain? When do you expect to complete your manuscript?

SUPPLEMENTING YOUR BOOK

For A Professional/Trade Book:

Are you considering including disk or CD-ROM with your book? If so, what software and/or utilities do you plan to include and how would they benefit the reader? What special offers might be appropriate for this book? If you have suggested possible tie-ins with specific companies please provide a contact name and number at each company (telephone, fax, e-mail, address).
For An Academic Book:

Although the book is still the heart of a learning and teaching package, today many publishers provide auxiliary materials such as instructor’s guides, student study guides, workbooks, transparencies, test banks and so on. Which supplements do you see as crucial to the success of your book in the current market? Which so you see as unnecessary? What supplements would be desirable ‘extras’? What features would you want to include in these ancillaries? Do you envisage any supplements that would be new or unique to your market? If so, do you plan to create these yourself or would the publisher need to contract for them with a specialist? Do you think that software or other media are needed to support your book?

YOU, THE AUTHOR

For A Professional/Trade Book:

What are your qualifications and experience relevant to the writing of the book? What are your areas of expertise? How do you acquire this expertise? How long have you been working in this area? Have you written any other texts? Have you ever presented or taught the material to other professionals?

For An Academic Book:

How long have you taught the course? Have you written any other textbooks or scholarly works?

Note that the proposal is not the plate for a full CV. Rather, you should focus on aspects of your career and writing that bear directly on your planned book. Of course, if your academic or practical background is likely to influence reviewers and editors positively, you will want to include this information.

IS A PROPOSAL ENOUGH

The proposal is a vital element in the publishing decision process. However, reviewers - and editors - can give more specific evaluation of your proposed book if they are given complete details. To give a full sense of the scope of the project a detailed table of contents is essential. Moreover, because the proposal is targeted at a specific audience, including one or more chapters that reflect the level and writing style you plan to use will give a more accurate picture of your book. (This is especially true for introductory level books and those with specialised writing or presentation styles).

We at Addison Wesley Longman believe that writing a proposal is an important phase in a book’s development. For us, it represents the pre-planning and attention to detail vital to creating a successful book. We hope that, when your proposal is complete, you will give us the opportunity to consider your project for publication. Together, we can produce a book that satisfies the market and reflects your enthusiasm and expertise.