The Essential Book Proposal is an 11-module video course that gives you the inside scoop on every element your proposal needs to catch the attention of agents and editors. Each module unpacks the different essential components of your book proposal, explaining exactly what agents and publishers are looking for and how to captivate them from start to finish.  Plus, we use examples from actual proposals we’ve worked on that received significant advances to not just tell you, but SHOW you what you need to do. Then we provide you with a homework packet to walk you step-by-step through composing your own awesome book proposal. If you want to be traditionally published, this is the course you need to give yourself the best possible chance of landing a contract.

This course was created by the publishing experts at Yates & Yates, one of the nation’s leading literary agencies. With more than 120 years of collective experience in publishing, our expertise has been honed over decades of coaching authors on everything from growing a platform to developing content, creating marketing plans, and executing bestselling book launches. We’ve shepherded over 40 books to the New York Times bestseller list, working with authors like John Maxwell, Ben Carson, David Jeremiah, Jon Acuff, Jennie Allen, Beth Moore, Henry Cloud & John Townsend, Phil Robertson, Lecrae, Danielle Walker, John Eldredge, and David Platt. Simply put, we look at and work on book proposals day in and day out.

Each module is packed full of information, ideas, and action items to help you craft the kind of book proposal that agents and editors crave. We have relationships with editors and publishers ALL over the industry. We know what they want, and what they don’t want. Too often authors receive advice from other authors, who might have only written or developed one or two book proposals, perhaps written one or two books, maybe published with one or two different publishers. By contrast, the breadth of our experience is expansive and unparalleled, having worked with dozens of publishers with over $130,000,000 in publishing deals in just the last 17 years. We don’t just “dabble.” This is what we do.

This course is for you if:

• You want to be traditionally published, whether you’ve previously published or not.
• You realize the importance of a book proposal in landing an agent and securing a publishing deal.
• You’re willing to do the work to make your publishing dream happen -- starting with crafting an awesome book proposal.
• You’re tired of the uncertainty or roadblocks you’ve experienced in getting your foot in the door with publishers.
• You’ve tried submitting your book proposal to agents and editors with no success, and you wonder what might be lacking or what you’ve done wrong.
• You want to make sure that you don’t waste any opportunity to get your book published

Please note, this is NOT a writing course, and it is not for people who are just exploring the idea of writing a book. This is a get-your-hands-dirty, dive-in, write your book proposal course.  (If you are just beginning your publishing journey, check out our Start Here course.)  We want to give you clear, expert wisdom on your book proposal and how to get the attention of agents and editors.  This course is for authors who are willing to receive that advice and take specific steps toward their goal!

In this course, you will learn...

• How book proposals are evaluated by professionals in publishing.
• How to start your proposal with a bang — what is a professional, catchy cover page, short summary, and overview.
• How to develop the unique selling proposition (USP) that will separate your book from the competition.
• How to communicate a clear idea of who you’re writing your book for — and how those people can be reached.
• How to size up your competition and demonstrate why their audiences would also be interested in your book.
• What makes a great author platform and what to tell publishers about your ability to reach readers.
• How to position any previous sales history.
• How to pique curiosity about yourself in a way that demonstrates your credibility, relevant experience, your mission, and what makes you unique or attractive to your target audience.
• How do you organize and structure your book to capture the attention of an agent or publisher?
• What kind of extra bonus features you could add to really make your proposal stand out.

AND, when you are done with this course (and corresponding workbook) you will literally walk away with a first draft of your book proposal.  You’ll have total confidence that you haven’t just “guessed” at how to write a book proposal. You’ll learn exactly what matters most from expert literary agents, and you will execute to create a compelling, dazzling book proposal. 

The regular price for The Essential Book Proposal is $1497. 

There are 11 modules in the course, and each video is approximately 8 to 20 minutes long. You can watch at your own pace, having full access to the course after your purchase. You could complete the entire course over a weekend, or carve out a day a week for 11 weeks to finish.  After each module, you’ll have exercises to complete in your homework packet to help you put your new knowledge into practice. And the homework packet contains examples from authors we work with, from actual proposals we sent out, that received significant advances, so you really grasp the material. (We recommend watching one video a day (or one a week) to be able to fully absorb the material and do the homework our experts will give you. But it is up to you.)

Once you finish working through The Essential Book Proposal course, you will have the first draft of your book proposal completed. But it will be just that – a first draft. At that point, you’ll need to decide whose objective input you will solicit regarding how to make sure it’s the best it can be before you send it out to anyone. If you’d like to have personalized feedback from an expert who optimizes book proposals for New York Times bestselling authors day in and day out, then the Book Proposal Critique is what you’re looking for. And if you purchase the Book Proposal Critique at the same time you purchase The Essential Book Proposal, you’ll essentially be getting the course for free because of the cost savings.

Your purchase is protected by our 7-day money-back guarantee. We believe you’ll see the value of the course immediately, but if you get access and feel like the material is not right for you, just email our team within one week to get a full refund. It’s as simple as that. You’ll get 100% of your money back, no questions asked!