WD Editors

Bulletproof Book Proposals
By Pam Brodowsky and Eric Neuhaus
ISBN 1-58297-367-9
Available in November 2006

Publishing Industry Secrets for Beating the 98% Rejection Rate

To stand out from the slush pile, a book proposal needs an edge. Bulletproof Book Proposals brings together three unique perspectives in the publishing process — agent, editor, and author — to deliver publishing trade secrets on how each of these people give a book proposal.

Readers will also find a simple 10-step game plan to transform book ideas into a blockbuster proposal, plus gain insight from more than a dozen proposals that succeeded, with point-of-view comments from agent, author, and publisher.

About the Authors

Pamela K. Brodowsky is an experienced literary agent, co-author of The Staying Sane Series (Da Capo Press, November 2005) and Girl’s Night Out: A Ladies Guide to Beginners Poker (Citadel, (January 2007 ) She is the founder of International Literary Arts, a full-service literary agency (www.internationalliteraryarts.com).

Eric Neuhaus is a writer, journalist, and award-winning television producer. He is the co-author of The World’s Fittest You: Four Weeks to Total Fitness (Dutton, January 2004) and Iron Yoga (Rodale, 2005) He has written for numerous magazines including Body & Soul, Experience Life and Clublife. He is also an adjunct professor at New York University in the division of Film, Video and Broadcasting where he teaches news writing. He started his career as a story editor and producer at ABC News 20/20 and has worked for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Court TV. To find out more, see www.ericneuhaus.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Writing Your Proposal
Chapter 1: Defining Your Idea
Chapter 2: Standing Out From the Crowd
Chapter 3: Crafting the Opener
Chapter 4: Defining Your Market
Chapter 5: Surpassing the Competition
Chapter 6: Getting Noticed
Chapter 7: Selling Yourself
Chapter 8: Creating a Mini-Book
Chapter 9: Displaying Your Capabilities
Chapter 10: Packaging Your Proposal

Part II: The Sample Proposals
Proposal 1: PR on a Budget
Proposal 2: The Killer Book of True Crime Trivia
Proposal 3: Now What Do I Do? The Woman’s Guide to a New Career
Proposal 4: Gadget Nation: A Journey Through the Underbelly of American Invention
Proposal 5: Diabetic-Free Kids!
Proposal 6: Project Management for Design Professionals
Proposal 7: How to Raise Children You Want to Keep
Proposal 8: The Right Weight
Proposal 9: Powerwriting: The Hidden Skills You Need to Transform Your Business Writing
Proposal 10: Yoga for Depressionyoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga
Proposal 11: Pragmatism and the Method of Modern Architecture
Proposal 12: Office E-mails That Really Click

Appendix: Notable Web Sites To Visit
Index