Do you have a solid idea for a nonfiction book you feel driven to write?
Do you have your sights set on selling your book to an established publisher?
A well-written book proposal is the key to the sale.
I created Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal to help committed writers with a solid book idea design, write, and polish their book proposal so they can begin pitching their idea to agents and publishers.
A professional book proposal shows agents and publishers that:
a) you have a great idea
b) you’ve done your homework
c) you’re the perfect person to bring the book to fruition.
Writing an irresistible book proposal is an art, but it’s an art that can be learned.
Program Overview
Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal is an intensive, content-packed virtual class that guides writers through the process of writing, and completing, a solid book proposal over the course of 12 powerful lessons. My goal in shaping the class was to offer practical content, thought-out approaches, solid examples, motivation, and inspiration so that any writer with a book idea and a desire to take action can go from concept to completed proposal with confidence.
WYIBP features:
12 Class Videos: Informative videos that focus on providing you with a true understanding of each book proposal element, applying the learning to your particular project, and building your proposal elements piece by piece.
12 Class Packets: Detailed packets for each class featuring content recaps, exercises, and homework assignments.
Sample Proposals: Examples from real book proposals so you can understand how the elements work together.
Expert Interviews: 4 bonus audio interviews with experts in branding, marketing, promotion, and pitching for authors.
“Most writers dread the book proposal process, but the fact remains: a proposal should shine like a precious gem. Debbie understands this. She knows that a writer must play the role of diamond cutter when crafting a proposal that will dazzle agents and editors. Debbie helped me steer through this process for my first book, and I couldn’t have asked for a savvier guide.”
Langdon Cook, author of The Mushroom Hunters and Fat of the Land.
Bonus Expert Insight
To give you different perspectives into the nuances of publishing, I’ve reached out to experts in marketing, branding, and publishing and asked them to share their insights with us. When you sign up for Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal, you’ll receive downloadable interviews with:
Samantha Ettus
Author & leading lifestyle and parenting expert for women
Samantha Ettus is the bestselling author of the The Pie Life (Ghost Mountain Books, 2016) and four books from Random House, including The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do, which has sold over 200,000 copies. She specializes in coaching the busiest parents on the planet, is a contributor to Forbes and Disney’s Babble, and a nationally syndicated radio show host. She makes regular national television appearances and is a sought after speaker. Sam gives us insight in developing a powerful, multimedia platform. Visit Samantha’s website here.
Tim Grahl
Author and Book Marketing Authority
Through his company, Tim works with writers, speakers, and world changers to build their platforms, engage their tribes, and grow their businesses. He has launched multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestsellers, including books by Dan Pink, Chip and Dan Heath, Charles Duhigg, and Pamela Slim, and is the author of Your First 1000 Copies: The Step by Step Guide to Marketing Your Book. In our interview, Tim shares his insights about the importance of marketing and building an audience for authors. Learn more about Tim here.
Liz Dennery Sanders
Brand Consultant, Creative Director, Stylist, and Founder of SheBrand
A member of the Vogue 100 — Vogue Magazine’s list of influential decision makers and opinion leaders – Liz works with fellow entrepreneurs to build their buzz, position themselves as experts in their industries, develop a success mindset and attract more clients, money and freedom. A branding guru, Liz shares her tips authors can use in building their personal brands. Find out more about Liz and SheBrand here.
Jennifer Repo
Freelance writer and book editor
Jennifer has been an editor at Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc., where she worked with such best-selling authors as Robert Thurman, Rachel Remen, and Joan Borysenko, and Perigee Books, another imprint within the Penguin Group where she focused on acquiring and editing non-fiction in the areas of women’s issues, health, fitness, business, self-help, and spirituality. Some of these books appeared on Oprah, became bestsellers, and three were nominated for a Books For A Better Life Award. Jennifer gives us a look inside the acquisition process and working with literary agents.
“Debbie Reber’s book coaching course worked brilliantly for me. Her Skype sessions were supportive and her online course helped me to frame up the book proposal that attracted a NY publisher. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Dr. Sam Harrington, author of the forthcoming book, Exit Sense
Detailed Program Breakdown
Module 1: The Big Idea
Get clarity on your idea and the “hook” for your book, name your personal “why” and unique POV, understand what makes a good idea stand out to publishers, and identify how to best position your idea. Outcome: A focused concept that will be the foundation for your book proposal.
Module 2: Marketers For the Book
Explore the various markets for their book, identify the different audiences and their needs, and gain a true understanding of where your idea fits into the larger publishing marketplace. Outcome: A draft of the Markets for the Book section of the proposal.
Module 3: Competitive Review
Understand the criteria for a competitive title, learn how to communicate how your idea is differentiated, and engage in identifying 4-6 ideal appropriate competitive titles for your book. Outcome: A draft of the Competitive Review section of the proposal.
Module 4: Promotional Plan
Understand the critical role and function of the proposal’s Promotional Plan, explore and assess your author “platform,” and develop creative strategies for promoting your particular book. Outcome: A draft of the Promotional Plan section of the proposal.
Module 5: About The Author
Identify how to best present yourself as the book’s ideal author, establish credibility, tie together your relevant experience, and convey your personal brand and platform in the form of a compelling bio. Outcome: A draft of the About the Author section of the proposal.
Module 6: Book Overview
Develop a powerful editorial appeal for your idea, identify the most compelling elements of your proposal, and combine them in crafting an introduction that will keep agents and publishers reading. Outcome: A draft of the Overview section of the proposal.
Module 7: The Book Outline
Learn strategies for developing and writing a detailed outline for your book, as well as approaches for organizing your thoughts and notes so you can craft a logical, clear, flowing outline. Outcome: A draft of the Book Outline for the proposal.
Module 8: Sample Chapters
Select the best sample chapters to include, learn strategies for writing them, and develop an approach for scheduling time to write and dealing with resistance. Outcome: Completing 2-3 sample chapters.
Module 9: The Book Proposal Extras
Determine whether your proposal would be strengthened by the inclusion of optional proposal elements, including Format for the Book, sample images, press clips, and more. Outcome: Completion of book proposal extras (if applicable) for inclusion in proposal.
Module 10: The Book Title
Consider what makes a strong title and subtitle for a book and learn methods for
brainstorming a powerful title for your book. Outcome: Identify a title and subtitle that strengthens your book pitch.
Module 11: Finalizing and Formatting the Proposal
It’s time to put it all together! Compile, format, and finalize your irresistible book proposal. Outcome: A completed, polished book proposal ready to send out into the world!
Module 12: Querying Agents & Next Steps
Learn about the role of agents in the book pitching process, find out how and where to find them, what to look for in an agent, and how to query them. Outcome: A short list of agents ideal for pitching your book idea to, as well as solid draft of an agent query letter.
“Debbie is a book proposal expert and publishing world guru. And she’s not just a great writer, but a great teacher — clear, engaging, knowledgeable, inspiring. I took Debbie’s book proposal class when I had just the bud of an idea; she gave me the information and inspiration I needed to bring my book project to fruition.”
Janna Cawrse Esarey, author The Motion of the Ocean.
This program is right for you if you:
- Have a solid idea for a nonfiction book that you want to write
- Have a goal of traditionally publishing the book as opposed to self-publishing
- Have the energy and passion to write the proposal but would benefit from the structure of a step-by-step process to guide you through to completion
- Want to gain a deep understanding of the submission and publishing process
Just so we’re on the same page, writing a compelling book proposal is a big undertaking. In fact, some people (including yours truly) feel that writing the proposal is the hardest part of writing books. But a professional, powerful book proposal is the single most important part of selling book ideas to publishers. The bonus? Once you’ve written your book proposal, the actual writing of the book will be a smooth process because you’ll have already worked out your ideas about content, structure, and flow.
Through the Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal program, you’ll reach your goal of a completed proposal by doing the following:
LEARN: Get the information you need to take action through the online classes and class packets.
RESEARCH & REFLECT: Use the homework to guide you through understanding how the information you’ve learned specifically applies to your idea and proposal.
DO THE WORK: Build your solid book proposal, module by module, section by section.
About Your Instructor
I’m Debbie Reber, and I’m an author, speaker, and writing coach who’s written more than eighteen books, including children’s fiction, young adult and adult nonfiction, and young adult fiction for publishers including Simon & Schuster, Beyond Words, Penguin Putnam, and HCI Books.
In 2013, I sold my sixth book proposal to Beyond Words / Simon Pulse for Doable: The Girls’ Guide to Accomplishing Just About Anything, a young adult book which came out in early 2015. Other favorite titles include Chill: Stress-Reducing Techniques for a More Balanced, Peaceful You and In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe Their Amazing Careers. One of my most challenging, and most rewarding, publishing projects was creating and editing the first ever series of teen-authored memoirs, Louder Than Words, for HCI Books. (For a list of all my writing credits, check out my author site here.) I’m also the founder of TiLT Parenting and host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast, which supports parents raising neurologically atypical kids.
My work as a writing coach has allowed me to connect and work with many writers at various stages of their projects, and help them push their own writing lives forward. There is perhaps nothing I love more than supporting writers in finding their voice and sharing their stories. I hope to be that support for you!
“I took a book proposal workshop from Debbie several years ago, and on the strength of it was able to secure a literary agent. Debbie is a hands-on teacher who is friendly and encouraging, and makes the process of developing, pitching, and finally executing a book idea seem less mysterious and more achievable than many think.”
Jane Hodges, author Rent Vs. Own
By the time you’ve completed WYIBP, you will:
- Feel confident in your idea and knowledge about how to write a professional, sellable book proposal.
- Have a completed proposal that will be ready to pitch to agents and/or publishers.
- Have a deep understanding of ways to boost your author platform, as well as market and promote your book.
- Be prepared to write the book itself because you’ll have taken the time to work out its structure and flow.
Ready to get started? Sign up now to get instant access to all the course materials!
LEVEL 1 includes:
12 Class Videos: Informative videos that focus on providing you with a true understanding of each book proposal element, applying the learning to your particular project, and building your proposal elements piece by piece.
12 Class Packets: Detailed packets for each class featuring content recaps, exercises, and homework assignments.
Sample Proposals: Examples from real book proposals so you can understand how the elements work together.
Expert Interviews: 4 bonus audio interviews with experts in branding, marketing, promotion, and pitching for authors.
LEVEL 2 includes all of the above, plus:
Private Facebook Group: Participation in a private Facebook Group for ongoing support, community engagement, and a forum for asking questions and getting direct feedback.
30-Minute One-on-One Call: Ask questions, get feedback, and pick Debbie’s brain about your book proposal while you’re writing it.
NOTE: Level 2 is not open for enrollment at this time. Email Debbie to be notified when doors open again.
LEVEL 3 includes all of the above, plus:
Book Proposal Critique: Get written feedback on every section of your proposal — overview, promotional plan, competitive review, markets for the book, about the author, outline, and sample chapter — including specific editorial and content suggestions for improving the whole pitch package, as well as sample proposal elements to guide you in your revisions.
60-Minute One-on-One Call: A private 60-minute phone or Skype follow-up session to answer any additional questions following the Book Proposal Critique process.
NOTE: Level 3 is not open for enrollment at this time. Email Debbie to be notified when doors open again.
