Book Proposals
the Business Plan for your book
Your goal for your fabulous nonfiction book is a traditional publisher, a small press, or a university press.
You need a fabulous nonfiction book proposal. Let’s make it perfect.
WHEN TO WRITE
HOW I HELP
WHO IT’S FOR
HOW IT WORKS
TESTIMONIALS
PRICING
Your book deserves its best chance in the world.
It’s that simple.
But a book proposal is a complicated document and can feel overwhelming.
It’s the one shot you get to let your dream agent or publisher know why and how your book will make a difference in your reader’s life.
I often say that the book proposal needs to be a better book than the book itself.
So when you’re ready to write it, I’m here to help.
WHEN DO YOU NEED A PROPOSAL?
When you’re writing a nonfiction book – whether general or academic nonfiction – you should write and pitch your book proposal before you complete the manuscript.
Agents and presses don’t expect a full draft before they decide to work with you. They want to support you as you bring it to life.
If you’re writing a memoir, on the other hand, you write your proposal after your manuscript is complete.
If your agent or press is interested in the proposal, they will ask to see the entire book before making a decision.
If the time is right for your book, let’s get started.
HOW I HELP
I’ve worked with writers across a range of nonfiction specialities to secure their perfect agent or publisher, from traditional to university presses, from academic writing to memoir.
Working with me as your coach as your build your proposal means you have a pro in your corner to ensure you meet the needs of your ideal publisher as well as your ideal reader.
Your Pitch-perfect Nonfiction Book Proposal components:
OVERVIEW
The start of your proposal lets the agent/publisher see not only the topical overview of the book, but also how it will change your reader’s life.
Author Bio
This isn’t your resume; this is where you let the agent/publisher know what makes you the best person to write this book.
AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
You need to know everything about your ideal reader so you can write for them. Share all those intimate details with the agent/publisher.
COMP TITLES
What recent books give your book context? Explain to your agent/publisher where your book will live on the bookstore shelf.
MARKETING PLAN
A lot of the business-work of a proposal sits here. Map out the marketing plan for your book so that your agent/publisher trusts your partnership.
extended Table of Contents
Since your agent/publisher isn’t reading the whole book, this is where you showcase exactly what’s there. Be direct. Be clear. Be confident.
Do you have questions like these?
- What do I need to include in my book proposal?
- How do I know if it’s long enough, or ready enough?
- Is my structure confident and effective?
- Am I making the clearest, most confident case for my book?
- How do I choose the best comp titles?
- How much data and statistics should I include versus story?
- How do I choose agents and presses?
- Will my book work in the current market?
- What should my pitch plan look like?
If this sounds like you, I can help.
Questions?
Let’s have a quick chat to see exactly what you need and how I can help you accomplish your goals.
HOW IT WORKS
Choose the level of proposal support that suits your needs. Complete the checkout process and submit your deposit.
I’ll follow up to get more details about your goals and schedule a 30-minute starting call to set our plan and schedule.
When our work begins, in the first month, we’ll meet weekly to work out your book’s foundations and proposal outline.
In subsequent months, we’ll trade pages for writing, review, and revision, and meet twice a month.
We’ll work towards your complete draft, or beyond, to get your confident in your proposal and your pitch strategy.
I’m honest, direct, and fiercely committed to more great women like you
writing and publishing nonfiction.
The successful publication of your book starts now.
Certifications & Memberships
I cherished every session.
Working with Caroline was one of the best investments I could’ve made in my book — and as writers know — in myself. She drew out so much depth and insight from between the lines of my writing, and leveled my book up significantly through her feedback and understanding.
I cherished every session with her and learned more in three months than I had in two years of writing (and working with an agent!). I couldn’t recommend her more if you’re stuck, keeping yourself small, or discouraged by the publishing process.
Hiring a coach was a way for me to put myself and my project first for a change, and to get both accountability and professional guidance as I did so.
I’m someone who values the back-and-forth of feedback, especially when that feedback pushes me to really dig in and make something better. Caroline offered me the ideal combination of keen insight, accessible support, and a friendly kick in the pants when I needed it most. She knows her stuff, asks great questions, and is deeply invested in her clients’ projects. Plus she’s a delightful person to hang out with!
Our work together was hard and fun! My book literally did not exist outside of my own brain when we started working together. Thanks to Caroline’s coaching, I now know exactly what my book will be and I have a clear understanding of how best to sell my idea to others. When I finally pulled all the pieces of the proposal together into the full draft, it was so rewarding to see how our months of work together had brought this brand-new thing into being. It can be a vulnerable thing for a writer to hire a coach, but with Caroline I always knew I was in good hands.
It was a challenging experience but worth the effort.
I contacted Caroline for help with my first book pitch to a publishing company. Caroline was patient, helpful and informed, guiding me through the steps and pushing me to fill the gaps in my pitch. Also to ‘stress test’ the idea and really push me to push myself to my limits!
My pitch got accepted by my dream publisher. Hurrah.
* Six Figures in School Hours (Major Street Press, 2023) *
I feel a lot more confident and ready to conquer any challenges.
I am a hardcore academic writer and that was not the way to write this [trade] proposal. Every part of this was a new adventure in writing for me and a practice in unlearning how I was trained to write. Having accountability and Caroline’s insight was so helpful for me. She was able to provide context for me, while also giving me great, supportive feedback.
Book Proposal Coaching Options
Proposal kickstart
1 day to get it all on the page* 1 x 30-minute planning call to talk about where your book is and where it’s going.
* Proposal guide & outline to fill in in advance of our day (i.e. build a very rough draft)
* 1 x 30-minute goal-setting, kickoff call to start the day, and to establish expectations and path
* Live, on-demand support as you write 9am to 5pm
* Cycle of revisions and feedback as you write and revise each proposal section all day long.
* 2-4 review calls (roughly 90-min intervals) throughout the day to reset, ask questions, catch your breath.
* 1 x 30-minute review and wrap-up call at the end of the day
* In-line comments and feedback on all work written during the day
* $500 deposit
Proposal Momentum
4 months to build confidenceMonth 1:
* Weekly exchange of prompts and exercises, with in-line comments and feedback.
* Goal: Identifying foundational components of your book and mapping out a starting outline of your proposal
Subsequent Months:
* Weekly exchange of pages for review and revising, with in-line comments and feedback.
* Unlimited Weekly 30-min 1:1 coaching sessions to discuss progress and set plans
* Collaborative support in agent/publisher selection, including a personalized, curated list of 10-12 agents/publishers
* Goal: Full draft of all major proposal sections (not including sample chapter)
* $500 deposit
Questions?
Let’s have a quick chat to see exactly what you need and how I can help you accomplish your goals.
FAQs
I'm nervous about sharing my work. How can I know my IP is safe?
Your manuscript and proposal are your sole intellectual property. As your coach and editor, I do not use or share any of your writing in any way.
Is my deposit refundable?
Your deposit secures time on my schedule. It is refundable thru our initial 30-minute planning call. After that call, the deposit is non-refundable.
What is the payment schedule for working on my proposal?
For 1-Day Kickstart, balance is due before our Kickstart day.
For long-term proposal coaching, my standard payment plan is:
- 50% of the balance due before our first call
- 50% due 60 days after the first call.
Monthly payment options can be discussed during our initial call, if needed.
What does working together look like?
In the first month, I’ll share “homework” with you each week – prompts and questions that will help you dig into the foundational underpinnings of your book. Everything from your target reader to your title to your starting structure.
After that, each week you’ll work on a core component of the proposal, using our foundational month’s work as your starting point.
- You’ll draft 1-3 pages, share them with me.
- I’ll return them with questions and comments.
- We repeat as necessary once a week until we’re confident the draft is at least 80% ready.
- Then, we move on to the next component.
- Once we have all components at 80%, we revise the document as a whole to make sure every piece is working together and cumulatively building your confidence and pitch.
We have weekly calls to talk through anything we need to review in-person.
Are our coaching calls recorded?
Yes. I use Otter.ai to record audio and generate transcripts of our calls. You’ll get a copy afterwards.
What happens if I have to reschedule a call?
You can reschedule any call once with 24-hours notice.
After that, if you cancel again, that call will be forfeit (no refunds).
What if I have personal conflicts/plans during our our months working together?
Due to the long-term nature of this kind of coaching support, we will likely both have fun life plans happening along the way, from scheduled holidays or planned vacations to unexpected emergencies.
There is flexibility to our monthly schedule within reason, but repeated delays should not accumulate, or they will get in the way of your success.
All sessions and work together must happen within 6 months.
Unused work or calls together do not have a refund.
What happens if my proposal is incomplete at the end of our months working together
Our goal is to get your draft complete. Our goal is not a 100% polished, ready-to-hit-send final draft. That may take more time.
The success of our work together depends on many factors. I can make time management suggestions, but I can not control how much or how often you work on your proposal.
Our meetings are designed to help you plan to hit key benchmarks, which, provided you stay on track. will result in a complete draft.
Sometimes authors want or need to take an extra month or so to feel fully confident in their proposal.
That is always an option.
What happens if my proposal is complete and ready to go in less time than we plan?
Our goal is to get your draft complete.
Should you exceed that target and arrive at a 100% polished, ready-to-hit-send final version in less than 4 (or 5) months, let me congratulate you now!
What we would do in that instance is pivot directly into the next thing: writing your draft.
Any unused months or calls would apply directly towards coaching for your manuscript draft.
If I choose "Book Proposal Plus," what does "a sample chapter" entail?
The Book Proposal Plus plan includes 2 additional calls and exchanges of pages with an expectation that you will draft part or all of your first chapter.
As with the other timing of our work together on your proposal, the quantity of this work depends on what you write.
By Month 5, we will already know how long your chapters will be.
So, we’ll set a target or either half or all of a chapter; you’ll write a (very rough) first draft, send it to me for feedback, and we’ll review on a call.
We then repeat the process.
Can we add extra months to our work together?
Absolutely.
Many authors choose to keep working together beyond the initial proposal draft and we continue our monthly work as they complete the entire manuscript.
Coaching Terms & Conditions
- My editing and feedback is for advice and consultation only. I can not and do not guarantee our work will lead to the publication of your book.
- This package is an estimate of the work that can be completed in the given timeline (4 or 5 months). It is not a guarantee of any particular level of completion of that work, which depends on many factors, not the least of which is the time you are able to take to do the writing.
- All packages must be used within 6 months (for 4-month work) or 7 months (for 5-month work).
Book Proposal Coaching Options
Proposal kickstart
1 day to get it all on the page* 1 x 30-minute planning call to talk about where your book is and where it’s going.
* Proposal guide & outline to fill in in advance of our day (i.e. build a very rough draft)
* 1 x 30-minute goal-setting, kickoff call to start the day, and to establish expectations and path
* Live, on-demand support as you write 9am to 5pm
* Cycle of revisions and feedback as you write and revise each proposal section all day long.
* 2-4 review calls (roughly 90-min intervals) throughout the day to reset, ask questions, catch your breath.
* 1 x 30-minute review and wrap-up call at the end of the day
* In-line comments and feedback on all work written during the day
* $500 deposit
Proposal Momentum
4 months to build confidenceMonth 1:
* Weekly exchange of prompts and exercises, with in-line comments and feedback.
* Goal: Identifying foundational components of your book and mapping out a starting outline of your proposal
Subsequent Months:
* Weekly exchange of pages for review and revising, with in-line comments and feedback.
* Unlimited Weekly 30-min 1:1 coaching sessions to discuss progress and set plans
* Collaborative support in agent/publisher selection, including a personalized, curated list of 10-12 agents/publishers
* Goal: Full draft of all major proposal sections (not including sample chapter)
* $500 deposit
Questions?
Let’s have a quick chat to see exactly what you need and how I can help you accomplish your goals.