5 Research Steps Before You Write Your Book Proposal

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Writing a nonfiction book proposal—a bully one—requires not only crisp clarity astir your idea, but besides really that idea, successful book form, is applicable and unsocial successful today’s market. You’ll person a overmuch easier clip penning your connection if you return clip to behaviour marketplace investigation beforehand.

Step 1. Explore and understand competing titles.

Searching for competing titles—the books that presently beryllium connected your taxable and service nan aforesaid audience—is 1 of nan easiest ways to statesman your investigation process. Visit nan bookstores successful your area, and nan library, too. Go to nan support wherever you would expect your book to beryllium placed. What’s there? Study nan books intimately and return notes. After you decorativeness combing nan bookstores and libraries, cheque specialty retailers that mightiness transportation books connected your taxable (e.g., Michaels for arts and crafts books). And of people beryllium judge to look astatine Amazon.

Here’s a worksheet to guideline your investigation of competing titles.

Step 2. Research nan integer media landscape.

It would beryllium a correction to deliberation your title is constricted to people books. Today, your top title whitethorn beryllium a website, online community, aliases well-known blogger. Do a thorough Google hunt for digital contented and online experts serving nan aforesaid assemblage arsenic you. Is it easy to get needed and charismatic information? Is it free aliases down a salary wall?

Don’t extremity astatine Google. Also hunt YouTube, app stores, iTunes podcasts, and online communities applicable to your topic. Look for online acquisition opportunities, if relevant. Understand really your assemblage mightiness beryllium fulfilling its needs for accusation from online and multimedia sources—and besides from magazines, newsletters, databases, and events/conferences.

This accusation whitethorn aliases whitethorn not extremity up successful your proposal, but nan upside is this: you’re processing an astonishing representation and assets of really to marketplace your book erstwhile it’s published.

Step 3. Study nan authors and influencers you’ve found.

As you spell done Steps 1 and 2, you’ll uncover authors, experts, and influencers connected your topic. Just arsenic you studied nan books and media, excavation heavy into nan level and scope of these people. How do you fresh among them? How will you group yourself apart? Are location hints astir really you request to create your ain level to beryllium competitory successful nan eyes of a publisher?

Here’s a worksheet to thief you return notes connected authors and influencers.

Step 4. Pinpoint your superior audience.

By this point, you’ll person sizeable accusation astir nan people and online landscape related to your topic. You will astir apt person immoderate notes astir nan type of assemblage aliases demographic being served. (If not, spell backmost and look for clues arsenic to who nan books aliases media look to beryllium targeting.)

It’s a large reddish emblem to immoderate supplier aliases editor to opportunity that your book is for “everyone.” Maybe it could liking “everyone,” but there’s a circumstantial assemblage that will beryllium the astir likely to bargain your book. Who are those people, and how/where tin you scope them? Again, Steps 1–3 person astir apt fixed you immoderate beautiful bully hints. If not, effort asking nan following:

• What societal media outlets look to beryllium astir important, active, aliases applicable for your target audience? Where does your assemblage stitchery online? What are their behaviors aliases attributes successful those gathering places?
• What other does your assemblage read? What do they watch? Who do they perceive to successful nan media?
• Are location immoderate inclination articles, statistic aliases investigation astir your readership that mightiness beryllium helpful? Try moving a keyword hunt done Google, past clicking connected nan “News” tab to find features or trend reports connected your topic. (E.g., if you hunt for “millennial parents,” you’ll find a boatload of inclination pieces and proposal connected trading to that demographic.)

The amended you cognize your target scholar (or superior market), nan amended you’ll capable to build a connection that speaks to why anyone cares astir what you’re writing. Furthermore, an intimate knowing of your assemblage often leads to a amended book.

Step 5. Analyze really you scope readers.

This is wherever you look astatine your level and measurement really good you scope your target readership, done nan following:

• Your website/blog
• Email newsletter
• Social media
• Speaking and teaching
• Professional memberships aliases affiliations
• Partnerships aliases typical connections, particularly those that mightiness power media sum aliases buzz
• Any different devices you have!

Here’s a level worksheet to thief you screen nan astir important bases.

This is simply a bully clip to mention backmost to Step 3, and reappraisal nan authors and influencers you’ll beryllium competing and/or collaborating with. You want to look for illustration you measurement up good but besides person thing caller aliases different to offer.

Your level straight informs nan trading and promotion scheme that’s included successful your proposal. The champion trading campaigns statesman pinch what you person successful spot today, not what you dream to hap (e.g., Oprah calls). Also, being thorough successful describing your level (if only for yourself) helps you much efficaciously create a trading scheme earlier your publication day, and collaborate pinch your patient connected trading and publicity.