Speaker - December 2011

writing like you belong there. Meanwhile, here are some other tips:

AVOID THE
7;DEADLY;SINS

KNOW HOW AGENTS AND PUBLISHERS WORK. Many people don’t realize that you don’t write a book first, and then shop for a publisher. Most nonfiction books are sold on the basis of a proposal, which includes a summary, detailed outline, marketing analysis, and one or more sample chapters. Learn how a good proposal is structured, from resources such as agent and publisher directories.

KNOW YOUR COMPETITION. You ultimately want to know where your book stands relative to other books that sell in large quantities. One of the first places a publisher looks in your proposal will be its competitive analysis, to answer the single biggest question that lurks in their minds: How many copies will your book sell?

CREATE A KILLER TITLE. Why did you pick up your last book? Because its title attracted you! Be creative, think like a reader, and keep wordsmithing your own title until it is bright, shiny and perfect.

BOIL IT DOWN INTO A PARAGRAPH.

Your book may run two or three hundred pages. But you will first “hook” an agent or publisher with a one-paragraph email query that describes its benefits. Nail this one paragraph, and you will have a receptive audience for all that follows.

Most people think about writing a book in terms of starting on page 1 and finishing somewhere on page 253. Instead, I want you to start looking at it as a process that is similar to creating a seven-layer brownie: Get a good recipe, measure carefully, and start baking. Drink deeply from the many resources out there for creating good nonfiction book proposals, and use this knowledge to wrap your great idea in a form that is comfortable and familiar to the publishing industry.

Finally, just like dating, you have less than 30 seconds to make an impression when an agent or editor looks over your proposal. So let’s close with some of the things well-intentioned authors do that make their editors’ eyes roll and move on to the next proposal:

1IT’S ALL ABOUT ME. Your story is very interesting—to you. And there is often a time and place for it in a book. But make sure you put your reader in the driver’s seat.

2THIS BOOK IS FOR EVERYONE. No, it isn’t. All books sell to particular demographics. Identify and target the markets that books in your genre sell to, and the more specific, the better.

3IT WILL BE A BEST-SELLER. The market gets to decide that, and publishers know it. Even they only guess right a percentage of the time. Save the self-aggrandizement for your relatives.

4LONG PARAGRAPHS. Some authors purposely use these to add “weight” to the tone of their book. But most readers need to come up for air once in a while. Shorter is generally much better.

5TOO MUCH DESCRIPTION. Beginning writers often have “too much sauce and not enough steak.” Learn to get to the point.

6IGNORING THE BASICS. Loose is the opposite of tight. If you use this word in place of “lose,” and do things like this too often, you lose. Have someone really good proofread your work.

7LIMP OPENINGS. Your book, and each of your chapters, in turn, should go “pow” with benefits for the reader. For example, one of my favorite books is Just Listen by fellow communications skills author Mark Goulston, MD. He trains hostage negotiators, and starts his book by walking you through what to say to someone pointing a gun at himself in the parking lot. Who wouldn’t want to read more?

The deeper point, of course, is that these are all areas where good writers are supposed to know better, and publishers know it. So take a look at your own writing through a fresh set of eyes, and keep learning from how the best do it.

GO FOR IT!

There is one other type of book proposal that never, ever gets the attention of a publisher—the one that doesn’t get written. Have faith in yourself. Think of what a great book will do for your speaking career. And then get to work! With a little luck, you, too, could soon be on bookshelves around the country.

Rich Gallagher is a communi- cations skills author, speaker, and writing coach who heads Point of Contact Group in Ithaca, NY. His eight books include the national No. 1 customer service best-seller, What to Say to a Porcupine, as well as his latest book, How to Tell Anyone Anything. His site for writers is at www. YourOnlineWritingCoach.com.