6. MOVE FORWARD THE RIGHT WAY…
If you feel you are ready to send something to a publisher, here are our suggestions. We do not personally deliver manuscripts or book ideas to editors. We feel this would be an inappropriate use of relationships we have developed over the past two-decades of working with Christian publishers. What we can do is guide you in a way that will get your work into the hands of the right person in the right format. This means you will avoid the part of the process where many of the manuscripts are tossed out. You will start as the smaller percentage of manuscripts that gets put into the hands of an AE. Then, your work will have to stand on its own merit.
Here is what we suggest:
Pray for the Lord to lead the process. If it is God’s plan for your work to be published, He will guide you. Be prayerful every step of the way.
Get your book proposal to the right person. Never just send your work to a publisher. Call first and ask for the name of the editor who should receive it. For instance, if you are writing a book on marriage, simply call and ask for the acquisitions editor who handles books about marriage. Once you have a name, be sure to send your work to their attention. Add a cover letter that introduces you, your vision, and expresses your appreciation for them taking time to look at your work. Be sure your cover letter is less than one page. Less is more! These are very busy people. You might even try to call the AE to whom you will be sending your proposal and ask for a brief five minute conversation to share the vision of your book and give them a heads-up that it is coming.
Quality, Quality, Quality! Your cover letter and proposal need to be professional and high quality. If they are full of mistakes, the chances of your proposal progressing drops fast! Everything you send in needs to reflect your skill as a writer and your commitment to excellence.
Send only what they want and need. There is a very specific format and content needed in a book proposal. If you include the following things in the order we give them, your proposal will be complete and professional. Please, don’t add lots of extras. Less is more!
- Cover page: A proposal for…book title (top and center on the page). At the bottom of the page put your name, address, phone number and e-mail
- Proposal summary: A page or less giving the heartbeat and focus of the book.
- About the author: Tell about yourself. Why are you qualified to write on this topic? Do you have a platform from which you speak on this topic? What else have you published? Keep this to less than a page.
- Audience: Who will want to read this book? Why will they buy it? Here are two very important reminders. 1) Don’t say that everyone will want to read your book. This is simply not true. Think specifically about who will be excited enough to pay for your book and list these people. 2) Publishers must sell books to stay in business. Don’t resent the fact that there must be a strong audience for your book. If Christian publishers are not wise and discerning about what they commit to produce, they will go out of business. If they are not discerning, they will forfeit their position of influence for God’s Kingdom.
- Competition: List five or six books (both classic and newer) that have been written on the same topic. You can do a search on the internet to help with this. Be honest, even Solomon said there was nothing new under the sun (and that was thousands of years ago). The truth is that what you want to write about has already been said, and said very well. However, if you have a unique spin or perspective, make it clear. What will make your book stand out?
- Suggested length, format and completion date: Be clear about how long you feel the book needs to be. How long will it take for you to complete the book?
- Book introduction: Include a copy of the introduction to your book. It needs to be clear, compelling, and very well written. An AE will toss out the whole thing if the introduction does not hit home. Make sure this is no longer than two pages.
- Chapter 1: Include a copy of the first chapter of the book. Again, this needs to be your best writing. It must grip the reader immediately and convince an AE that there is reason to consider publishing your book. If you have already written the book, do not send the whole manuscript! Send only the first chapter. If they want more, they will ask.
- Chapter summaries: Give a title and one paragraph overview of every chapter of the book. Keep it tight, but make it compelling and clear.
That’s it! Once you send in your proposal, pray again and entrust the whole process to the Lord. We hope this is helpful as you consider your next steps as a writer. Again, write out of love, passion and calling. If you get published, great! If not, remain faithful.
Sometimes God calls us to write for Him, for ourselves, or for those close to us.
God bless,
Kevin and Sherry Harney
