NONFICTION

“I am incredibly grateful to Charles Kim and Regina Brooks for guiding me through the entire publishing process. They were supportive and kind and demystified the entire journey. Their intentionality in supporting writers of color is also an important reason I ultimately chose to work with them. They understand the transformative power of diverse voices!”

Dr. Jenny T. Wang

SUBMITTING YOUR WORK

Nonfiction submissions are unique. If a fiction query is an attempt to market a completed manuscript, a nonfiction query is usually an attempt to sell a well-developed concept. The success of such a submission depends on the quality of the idea, the specific subjects it covers, the demonstrated need for new entries in the field, and the relevance of the author’s credentials and experience. Such proposals are usually submitted before the book is completely written. Even if you have completed your nonfiction book in its entirety, you will still need to complete a proposal. Please review our nonfiction proposal guidelines prior to completing the form.

​If we’re intrigued by what we see, we’ll be in touch to discuss your idea. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we ask that you exercise patience as we review your work. We are no longer accepting snail mail.

Click here to submit your work.

NONFICTION PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

A proposal is a type of business plan that’s attempting to sell a well developed concept. Your book should be filling a need that has otherwise been ignored or not expanded upon. The proposal needs to show where your book identifies a problem, makes a promise, offers hope, and is informative.

​Some of the main components that need to be clearly detailed within your proposal include but are not limited to the following:

MARKET & PUBLISHING RATIONALE

Why do you think this book is needed in the marketplace? Who will it benefit and why? Why have you chosen to write it? This should describe the market opportunity (market, size, growth, etc.).

AUDIENCE:

Why do you think this book is needed in the marketplace? Who will it benefit and why? Why have you chosen to write it? This should describe the market opportunity (market, size, growth, etc.).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

A one-to-three-sentence summary of the book. Think of this as potential back cover copy, which would describe the book in a nutshell.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/CHAPTER OUTLINE:

This should be a solid description of what the book is and what it’s trying to achieve. It should include the table of contents, with chapter heads, and a brief description of each chapter.

KEY FEATURES & SELLING POINTS:

A bulleted list of key reasons why this will be the best book on the market. Include “Special Editorial Features” and “Key Sales/Marketing Features.”

​MARKET:

Do you have any special relationship to the market? Are there any special conferences, trade shows, or magazines for which your book would be an ideal candidate? Is the timing of publication crucial to the sales of the book?

COMPETITIVE/RELATED TITLES

What other titles might this book relate to? Are there other recent books that discuss the same topic? How does your title offer a different approach? What information will the reader get from your title that isn’t already out there? What are you providing that the current competition is not? Please include the author, title, publisher, page count, and publication date of the competitors’ works.

​BOOK SPECIFICATIONS:

How many pages will be in the book? Are you interested in a special format? Are there any special design features anticipated?

​Understand that these components are staples throughout most proposals but are uniquely customized for every proposal. No two proposals are the same, and while the proposal is meant to “sell” the author, it also gives a glimpse into the “personality” of the book and what will make your project come to life.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, no aspect of your proposal should be written in a question-and-answer format. Your book won’t be written that way, and neither should your proposal. Your proposal should be written as a narrative and capture the individuality and necessity of this book in the marketplace. It should be engaging and informative.

After reading your proposal, we should have a very clear idea of what your book is about, be able to visualize what it will look like, and have faith that you have the capability to write the book. Nothing within your proposal is throw-away, and each section is equally important.