7 Reasons Why All Authors Need to Complete a Book Proposal

You may have heard this axiom before: those who fail to plan, plan to fail.  You may be able to write and launch a book without planning but I can guarantee you that you will not experience nearly as much success if you don’t have a well thought out plan. 

At Juxtabook, we work with each author to write a book and marketing proposal whether they plan to self-publish or traditionally publish.  

Why does it matter?  

Because a thorough book proposal is the ultimate business plan for your book, it accomplishes 7 things: 

1. It gives you a roadmap to understand and connect your book, author platform, and marketing strategy. 
2. It helps you get crystal clear on who your readers are and how your book will provide solutions for their problems and challenges.
3. It integrates your author goals with your book goals for optimum impact.
4. It challenges you to think  Beyond the Book. 
5. It identifies the gaps in your author platforms and gives you the runway and opportunity to close that gap.
6. It forces you to plan a specific and laser-focused pre-launch, launch, and post-launch plan. 
7. It helps you see the big picture of your book and details the why, what, and how of the book.

A well-defined plan and proposal isn’t easy and may take a few weeks to build, but it is ultimately worth every moment you spend on it.

A book proposal isn’t just to sell your manuscript to a publisher. A well thought out book proposal will help you whether you traditionally publish or self-publish.  Here’s how.   

Traditional Publishing

If you want to publish traditionally, a proposal is a must.  Agents and publishers require a proposal to make a decision on whether they want to work with you and publish your book.  An agent can help you refine your proposal if they see a) a potential market fit for your book b) you are credible to speak to the book topic, c) you meet the author platform requirements, and d) you have a launch and marketing plan.

Self-Publishing

If you want to self-publish your book, everything in the proposal will guide you along the way to getting it done because it’s all up to you.  The writing, editing, design, printing, distribution, ebook creation, audiobook creation, launch, continued marketing, etc... 

(You don’t have to do all of these things yourself.  It can be hired out, but it means that you will need a way to fund it. And you’ll need to find the human resources to do those things.)

It can be overwhelming and can feel like a million piece puzzle to put together. It’s the million pieces that go into writing, publishing, and launching a book. 

A book proposal organizes all of that into a bite-size step-by-step plan. You don’t want to find yourself pushed or accidentally falling into a book or marketing plan that won’t serve your book to its full potential.  

In each phase of your book proposal, your plan may change, but it’s a lot easier to tweak and refine a plan rather than to have no plan or all or to rush a plan at the last minute. 

A plan in the form of a strong and viable book proposal is an investment in time that will pay dividends when your book launches.  You can do it.

Start today by downloading Juxtabook’s Free Perfect Book Proposal Template.