Sunday, July 30, 2023

Writing a Book Proposal

Now that I'm finally over Covid and can focus on preparing a proposal for the publishing house representative who requested it during my appointment at the Realm Makers Conference, I thought I'd share with your what is involved with putting one together.

First of all, it takes a lot of work. The publisher you're trying to impress needs to know more than what your book's about. They want to know about the author. How much have you invested into your writing career? Do you have a website? Are you on social media? Your fans will want to find you online. And they want to know what you can bring to the table when it comes to marketing. Are you willing to put together a blog train and do author signings? What other marketing techniques can you offer based on your unique niche in the world and niches related to your book?

A proposal is the whole package. You introduce both the author and the book and let the publisher know what you bring to the table. Beyond that, they will want a synopsis and the first several chapters of your book.

IMPORTANT - Whatever you do when you prepare a proposal--and I can't stress this enough--make certain that you follow the specific guidelines set forth by the publisher. If you're sending your proposal to four different publishers and the guidelines for each are slightly different, then you need to prepare four different proposals with tweaks in each to meet the specific requests of each publisher. Reading proposals takes time as well. They don't set up their guidelines just to be different from everyone else and make authors do more work. Each part of a proposal that a publisher asks for, in the specific way they ask for it, is there because it fits their needs and the way they operate. 

Most guidelines for a proposal will include the following items (although they sometimes have different names):

Cover Letter - This is your chance to make a good first impression. It is your introduction. Be honest and don't try to oversell yourself or your book, but if you have something related to your writing or your book that's extra-special, make it shine!

One Sheet - Think of this as a brochure for your and your book. Include a very short synopsis as well as your own bio. Many will want to see a picture of you. You will also want to highlight the wordcount and genre and a few endorsements. It's the one page they can go to for a quick overview of your book.

Biographical Sketch - You want to focus on your writing-related experience only! You may be the best realtor or plumber or attorney in your state for  multiple years in a row, but that's not likely to help you sell any books. So other than stating your educational background, only include items here that have something to do with writing.

Market Analysis - You need to zoom in on the specific readers who would be interested in your book. Saying that all women who have children would like your book is WAY too broad. Urban women or rural women? Women in the south or women in the north? Find the niches, like quirks about the protagonist (is she a painter, a zookeeper, a daycare worker?) Then provide statistics for each of these niches. For my Fast Track Thriller series, I zoomed in on the NASCAR aspect, the fact that heroes with unusual abilities are very popular, and that the Christian suspense market is growing.

Uniqueness - Let them know why a reader would want to read your book. What is different about your book than what is currently on the market?
Any potential for a series - If you plan to write sequels, tell them your ideas here.

Endorsements - If you've got some really great endorsements, let them shine here!

Competitive Analysis - Find several books that have come out within the last five years or so which are similar to your book. Show how your book is similar but offers something more or something different.

Marketing Strategies - At a minimum, you need to be on social media. A website is great too, because it is your space for people to find you online. Beyond that, they want to know how broad your reach is. How many Facebook "friends" do you have, etc. List the type of marketing techniques you are willing to organize: book signings, blog tours, give-aways and freebies. Think outside the box. Are you willing to approach church librarians across your state and ask them to include your book? Will you create questions for book clubs to use to talk about important aspects of your book. The sky's the limit! (but make sure that your really  willing to do the activities that you list)

Synopsis - Types of synopsis: 1-page, chapter-by-chapter

First Several Chapters - Most often they will ask for the first three or five chapters. Make sure they are polished and free of grammatical and typographic errors. Write a hook in the first paragraph or two that will pull them in and make them want to read more.

Suzanne Hartman

Author of the Fast Track Thriller series:

Saturday, July 22, 2023

More Covid News

I have good news and bad news. As I mentioned in my previous post, I exposed my husband's entire family at the family gathering we hosted only two days before I started showing Covid symptoms. Now my sister-in-law from Las Vegas, who stayed with us while she was visiting, has Covid. That's part of the bad news. The good news, however, is that none of the rest of those who came to the family get-together caught it. I am especially thankful that my in-laws, who are in their eighties, did not catch it!

The other part of the bad news is that my husband started showing Covid symptoms the day after I did, but his test came back negative. After another couple of days with continued symptoms getting worse, especially the cough, I had him take a test again. Sure enough, it came back positive. Our hypothesis is that he took the test too soon. Either that or it was just a test that had gone bad (although we got them all at the same time).

Thankfully, a wonderful friend stopped by and dropped off Gatorade and some things that will help my throat feel better. She has had Covid multiple times (she's a teacher) and knew what we would need most. Beyond that, we are able to fix meals for ourselves. They're simple, but good. The rest of the time, you can find us curled up in bed or on resting on the couch. 

As I am often told when I have a kidney stone (I've had many)...this too shall pass.


Suzanne Hartman
Author of the Fast Track Thriller series:

 

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Bad News! I Brought More Than Just Books Home From the Realm Makers Conference

I woke up yesterday morning with a headache. No big deal, right? So I went to Bible Study, as usual. By dinner, my headache had passed, but I had a stuffy head, a sore throat, and had started wheezing. After these symptoms continued to worsen over the course of the day, my husband finally pulled out a Covid test and told me to take it.

It didn't take very long after inserting the specimen from my nose into the tester before the line indicating a positive test showed up. I called my doctor today, and since it had already gone down into my chest and I'm at risk for a virus to turn into pneumonia, she sent in a prescription for a strong antibiotic and recommended something available over-the-counter for the symptoms.

To make things even worse, I exposed my husband's entire family at a gathering we had two days ago...at our house, because my husband's sister and a nephew who live in Las Vegas were here for a visit. I am praying that none of them get it too! 

What a terrible time to be sick! I'm so excited about the positive publisher appointments I had at Realm Makers, but the work I need to do to get a proposal ready then start to finish two books will have to wait until I feel better. Right now all I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep.


Suzanne Hartman
Author of the Fast Track Thriller series:

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Great News from the Realm Makers Writers' Conference!

 Now that the Realm Makers Conference is over, and I have time to process everything that happened, I have great news to share! I mentioned in my last post that I was able to sign up for two appointments with publishers. They both went very well, and I was asked to send each more information. I'm SO excited!!!

The first publisher I met was interested in the Fast Track Thriller series. He got so into the story as I was explaining it that he kept asking if what I mentioned meant...and he guessed a tangent that I had never thought of. He did this several times, and by the time my appointment was over, I felt like I might be able to create another book or two for the series. That was an extra bonus I certainly hadn't expected! The really good news, though, is that he asked me to send him a proposal for the Fast Track Thriller series, and gave me his email address to send it to rather than the general email where unrequested/ unagented submissions are sent. That's a huge plus!

The second publisher I met with said that the Fast Track Thriller series didn't fit the type of thrillers  they publish. She said they publish psychological thrillers, and these books definitely don't fit that description. Instead of ending the appointment right there, she asked if I had anything else. I said I had a women's fiction novel titled Disappearing Mom which is approximately 75%, and as I explained the premise to her, I realized that this story was actually based on a psychological proposition. Needless to say, she was very interested! She also gave me a card with her email address on it. Instead of a full proposal, however, she requested that I send her a synopsis and the first five chapters when I finish the book.

Now I have a lot of work to do! A proposal includes information about me and the book(s) the author is pitching to an agent or publisher, including a synopsis, market analysis, comparative books, marketing strategies, the first several chapters of the book, and more. And I have two books--both with approximately 25% left to complete. Piece of cake, right?


Suzanne Hartman
Author of the Fast Track Thriller series:

Thursday, July 13, 2023

At Realm Makers Writers' Conference

 I'm so excited to be back at the Realm Makers Conference after not being able to attend last year. This is such a special conference. When you attend and start meeting people and making friends, your shared desire to write Christian speculative fiction binds you in a way that doesn't happen in most other writers' conferences. It's like you join a (very, very large) family, and every time you attend, it's like you're coming to a family reunion.

This is the ninth Realm Makers conference I've attended, and I've made so many friends there. I'm so excited to see most of the special friends I've made here! Not only that, but for the first time, I brought a friend with me--a young author who is also a talented artist, and I'm thrilled to personally introduce someone into the world of Realm Makers!

And I'll be pitching the full Fast Track Thrillers series to two publishers! I had signed up for one pitch appointment when I registered for the conference, but when I arrived, I learned that we could sign up for another. I spend some time looking up the other publishers who had appointments available, found another one that seemed like it might be a good fit, and signed up. I'm sure I'll have some butterflies in my stomach tomorrow, when both of my pitch appointments are scheduled, but for now, I'm just excited for the opportunity to put the Fast Track Thrillers before some publishers who I'm praying will be interested in them.


Suzanne Hartman
Author of the Fast Track Thriller series:

Fighting Formatting

Finally, I am in the home stretch with the proposal for my Fast Track Thriller series. I took a little break for the Labor Day weekend becau...