A book proposal changes how you are viewed. 

On a recent one-on-one coaching call, an aspiring author spent 25 minutes unpacking his book idea. The book idea was smart and entertaining - it had publishing potential...if the author could have 25 minutes to unpack it with each publishing stakeholder. It’s highly unlikely you’ll get that kind of face-time with a literary agent or editor, and even if you did, having a succinct, accessible idea is crucial.  

The reality of today’s attention span demands a book proposal. You have to be able to share your book idea in such a way that it creates the same kind of excitement as if you were having coffee or lunch with an editor. 

What this writer needed was a book proposal. 

A book proposal is the difference between being a professional and showing up looking like an amateur. Amateurs are dependent on earning time with someone, captivating their already divided attention. What the professional knows is that a book proposal relieves the burden...

Does your platform need help?

Platform is one of the biggest, if not the largest, hurdles you face when trying to publish and sell your book. With limited time and energy, what’s the best thing an author can focus on to grow their platform? In today’s post, we want to introduce you to the highest point of contribution when it comes to platform building. 

Have you ever missed a big announcement from your favorite band? Maybe it was a chance to buy tickets for their upcoming show in your town? Maybe you didn’t even know they were coming to town?

It never feels good to miss out on something you care about.

That’s why collecting email addresses is so important for your platform. That mailing list is what saves your readers from missing out on the next big thing.

Too often, authors focus on growing other parts of their platform when their highest point of contribution is focusing on nurturing and growing their email list.

This blog post is about the importance of email and the one thi...

This will be on the final test...for your book. 

It’s easy to list the Hunger Games as a comparable title. Surely there’s a Malcolm Gladwell book orbiting your book idea. Spend a minute reviewing the bestseller list and you’ll find one or two books similar to yours, close enough that you can list them as a comparable title in your book proposal. This is a trap, and it’s the fastest way to get your book proposal ignored. 

Comparable titles are a great way to start the conversation.

There’s a hurdle out there waiting to trip up your book proposal and derail your project. It’s lurking, waiting to come up in conversations. You might even think you’ve checked that box.

Oftentimes when we are in a conversation with a potential author, we’ll ask them about their comparable titles for their book proposal. It’s a test. We want to know if you know what you are doing. How you answer can determine where the next steps in your conversation go with an agent or editor.

Comparable titles show age...

Are they of any value or should they go?

Not too long ago, the Wall Street Journal did a piece on pre-publication blurbs. In it, they asked: Are they of any value or mere relics that deserve to go? It’s an interesting debate, one worth considering for every author, but for today’s post, we’re going to be pro-blurbs.

You’ve seen them on the covers of books, declaring a book “Brilliant,” “Classic,” and the frequent, “A must-read.” They are almost as common as the other elements on the cover – title, author’s name…and blurb. What was once considered a highly valued marketing tactic, a blurb can still be a very effective tool for garnering a reader’s attention, in our opinion.

On a recent call with a client, they asked, who should I ask for an endorsement? In publishing, the words “blurb” and “endorsement” are used synonymously. An endorsement can be about the person or the book’s content, encouraging readers to read that book. If another author can’t write an endorsement for the book, ...

What’s the deal with book proposals?

Recently on a coaching call with a potential author, they told us about how they’ve got a great book idea but the response they were getting was crickets. Have you ever experienced that in your writing journey? It's one of the top frustrations we hear about at Author Coaching.

But what if it’s not what you are saying but how you are saying it?

If you want to give your book idea the best possible chance at success, it needs to be in a proposal.

“If you want your book idea to be taken seriously, you need a book proposal.”

What’s a proposal?

It’s the key to securing a literary agent, a publishing partner, and a future for your book idea.

When a publishing professional gets your email, the difference in getting a response or silence comes down to making your book idea as accessible as possible. You know this because you’ve heard it before: literary agents and editors receive dozens, if not hundreds of queries every day. The competition for their ...

Have you ever pre-ordered a book?

It’s okay if you haven’t. Most consumers don’t pre-order books. Very few take advantage of the opportunity, even though retailers like Amazon offer the lowest guaranteed price: “Amazon.com's price for not-yet-released items sometimes changes between the time the item is listed for sale and the time it is released and shipped. Whenever you pre-order an item eligible for Pre-order Price Guarantee, the price we charge when we ship it to you will be the lowest price offered by Amazon.com between the time you place your order and the end of the day of the release date.” That’s a pretty great guarantee!!! Unless you are a super fan of books like Harry Potter, you probably weren’t aware of that hidden pre-order perk.

As literary agents and book enthusiasts, we preach the benefits of pre-ordering all the time. You save money and get a book you were already going to buy the day it releases. That’s a win-win!

But what if there was more to it than just that?

What’s the deal with book proposals?


You can’t apply for a job without a resume, nor can you find a publishing partner without a proposal. That’s why book proposals are so important: They are a resume for your book idea.

A proposal is like a job resume for your book. Literary agents and publishers review them to gauge their interest in working with you. Just like a resume, it needs to have professional elements to help garner more interest. You wouldn’t show up to a job interview in cargo shorts and your favorite team’s t-shirt, would you? Remember that old adage, “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have?” If you want your book idea to be taken seriously, you have to make sure it looks the part for the role.

That’s why book proposals are so important.

Book proposals are essential. They are the key to advancing your publishing career. Without them, the chances of finding an agent or a publisher go down drastically. That’s why we want to take the guesswork out of creating you...

Suffering is not a requirement of writing.

Too often writers associate passion with suffering. If you are not suffering for your writing - for your craft - are you really passionate enough about it? These questions often come up when burnout begins to hinder the writing process. Like an indicator light on a vehicle’s dashboard, burnout is warning us that something needs to change. Today, let’s focus on three tips that can help you avoid burnout in your writing.

The first tip is to lean into your habits.

Maybe you are coming out of a busy season and you’ve neglected your writing. You are feeling exhausted and burned out from your home life or maybe work has been especially hard - or both. Habits are a great way to hit the reset button.

Give yourself the grace to get back to your writing habit again. Sometimes returning to habits can feel tricky. We start hearing that voice in our head tell us we wouldn’t have to start over if we had stuck to it and other writers don’t face this issu...

What’s an easy trick to get your book from your head to the page?

Writing is a lot harder than Netflix or Disney+. If binge-watching The Mandalorian was as easy as writing a book, you wouldn’t have signed up to receive this email. The truth is writing is hard. It takes a lot of work! This simple trick is going to help shift your mindset and make the work of finishing your book that much easier. 

Are you letting distractions keep you from writing your book?

When it comes to writing books, there are a million things that are easier to do. Everything becomes a distraction. Do you know what’s easier than writing your book? Talking about your book. Complaining about not having time to write your book...well, there might be as much time spent doing that as it would take to actually write the book.

That’s why we often share this easy trick to help writers shake off distractions like Netflix or Disney+, etc.: “Butt in chair.” It’s that commitment to showing up that makes all the difference...

What’s the best way for me to figure out if my book idea is any good?

There’s this great cartoon of a doctor holding up an x-ray to a patient and saying, “It looks like you’ve got a book in you.” In the x-ray, there’s a book lodged in the patient’s ribs. 

If you’re reading this, you probably feel a lot like the patient, metaphorically, of course. Instead of wondering if your book idea is any good, let us help you figure that out.

Great book ideas start with the premise!!!

The very first step you should take when trying to figure out which book you should pursue first is to sit down and write out a premise of your book idea. The premise of your book is basically its thesis statement.

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“What are the important factors I should consider 

when I am developing my book idea?”

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But what if you have two book ideas and can’t decide which to write about first? The premise is a great way to compare ideas and share them with friends and fellow writers. T...