Are you ready to Live Your Bestseller Life?
Take a Peek at the Workshop…
Week 1
It Was A Dark and Stormy Night: The Intro
Welcome to the first step in writing that book! In this first class, we’ll dive right in and discuss why a proposal is a necessary first step to getting any nonfiction book published. Whether you’re planning on pitching a big-time agent, sending straight to a small publisher or even self-publishing, you’ll get your feet wet in this first class. From learning what a proposal is, and why we need to create one, to understanding the goals of a proposal, we’ll cover it all. Most importantly, I’ll listen to your idea, and we’ll make sure your concept is on solid ground. We’ll confirm it has an audience and “legs” to carry an entire book, that way we can ensure that you’re beginning your publishing journey with a strong foundation.
Week 2
Setting the Scene: The Overview
In this class, we’ll tackle the first page of the proposal: the overview. We’ll discuss overviews as sales material and learn why they need to start with catchy lines to sell your book. We’ll go over deceptively “good” overviews (hint: don’t tell us the whole book) and why they don’t actually work and compare them with successful proposals that sold! Lastly, you’ll write an overview and set the stage for your whole proposal in a way that would make anyone want to read more.
Week 3
The Main Character: Bio & Portrait of a Reader
Now is when we learn the difference between a publishing bio and other bios.
You might have the right idea, but why are you the perfect author to write this book? We’ll make you sound like an author, and I’ll pull out those special parts of your story that you didn’t even realize were important. We’ll talk about key buzzwords to use and angles to explore. I often speak to clients who offhandedly mention they’re the recipient of an esteemed award and then say, “Should I mention that?” Of course! This is no time to be humble. It’s a brag, brag world out there. At the end of this class, you’ll be writing your own bio and singing your own praises.
Week 4
Shelf Life: Marketing Plan & Comp Titles
This week is all about that “p” word you keep hearing again and again—platform. What is it? What’s the magic number of Instagram or Twitter followers you need to really sell books, and how do you get a platform/following? We’ll also talk about how to create a marketing plan that publishers will love. I’ll show you why you have more media contacts than you think. You’ll also realize that you know your audience better than anyone. In fact, you are your audience! How do you find books? We’ll explore the books that would live on the shelf with yours (also known as comparison titles) and add them into our proposal for a well-rounded picture of how your title will live in the world.
Week 5
The Spine: Table of Contents
This is where we really test the solidity of your concept. Your table of contents should live in a neat container, and we’re going to decide what yours looks like. We’ll learn to think about books architecturally and mathematically so that they feel less daunting and easier to tackle. You’ll imagine the reader’s experience of journeying your book and make sure your audience will be satisfied. Every book has a beginning, middle, and end, and this is where we’ll create a narrative arc for yours. We’ll look at examples of good and not-so-good tables of contents in both published books and proposals, and by the end of the class, you’ll be an expert in book building. Writing a book is easy to tackle when you follow the formula!
Week 6
Cover to Cover: Chapter Summaries
In this class, we’re going to look at your table of contents and build it out into paragraphs. These are your mini overviews like the sweeping one you did in the beginning, but they’re overviews of each chapter. If you really want to show off your writing skills, you can propose a first paragraph of the chapter with bullet points of what’s to come after. We will look at examples of successful chapter summaries and others that don’t work and why. Remember your overview is the foundation of the house. Are these chapters successful rooms? Are they building out your narrative arc? These summaries will become markers on your road map when you begin to write your book.
Week 7
Pen to Paper: Sample Chapters
The proposal is meant to illustrate the depth and breadth of your book, and here you’re able to show off your depth. What kind of voice do you have? Are you going to win them over with humor? School them with science? Inspire with anecdotes? This is your chance to show editors (or just yourself) how engaging you can be. This part of the proposal is so important that many editors tell me they often flip right to the sample chapters and start reading that first. Many will only go back and read the remainder of the proposal if the sample is working. Usually, these are chapters one and two. I call the first line of your sample chapter beachfront property and the first paragraph prime real estate because these are the most valuable sentences in your book. It sets the mindset for the rest. (Hint: read the first two chapters of five books in your category before you sit down to write yours). Learn from books you love. All the work you’ve done up until now from your table of contents to your portrait of a reader is prep work for this.
Week 8
Book Binding: Putting It All Together
Here’s where we take a step back and admire our good work! At this point, you have a solid, polished piece of work that will garner the attention of any agent or set the stage for you to write a killer book with ease. We can talk about design formats and graphics to put the final touches on your work and dust off that query letter you wrote in the first class. We’ll also discuss any final questions, exchange emails so you can keep the party going, and talk recommendation and next steps for how you should be submitting this gorgeous package you’ve just created. Happy graduation!