Customer Reviews

The Art of the Book Proposal

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. . . this is exactly what it would be like. There are several excellent books on how to prepare book proposals and I have made it a practice to read them as they come out. Each of these books feature their authors' imprimaturs and tend to be suited to individual writers depending on their proclivities. This book is comprehensive in all the areas of preparing a book proposal but is particularly strong in the area that the majority of writers are weakest - thinking their concept through before preparing and submitting the proposal. About one-third of the book is devoted to figuring out what you want to say, how you are going to say it, and how you are going to express the book concept in the proposal. Having reviewed hundreds of book proposals, my opinion is that the aspect of not thinking the project through is the factor that accounts for most rejections. There were a couple of areas in which I somewhat disagree with the author: (1) I feel that the sample chapter should almost always be from the middle of the book because using a introductory chapter does not show how the writer will handle the meat of the book, and (2) I feel that chapter summaries should always be done in a narrative style because excerpts don't get to the point and bulleted lists are basically a power point approach to a selling a non-power point product. Nonetheless, the author has been published many times more than I have and what he says carries weight.

This book really explains what the stages of writing a book proposal feel like and look like. Maisel discusses all the false starts, sudden endings, and re-starts, the works. It is equally heartening to have someone clearly spell out the single most important aspect of writing a book (or proposal), that it involves repeated, concentrated, hard-worked-on thought. As I coach people who want to write book proposals (and books) as part of what I do professionally, I can't thank Eric Maisel enough for offering such an insightful and truthful book on this topic. He has done everyone who is thinking of writing a proposal an enormous service. This book is vastly different from all the existing books on this subject, too -- no mean feat, in and of itself -- considering how many really good books there already are on this topic.

Maisel's new book goes where the other book proposal books haven't ventured, into the territory of ideas. He carefully describes how ideas morph the more you think about the book you're intending to write and why that morphing is such a challenge for the nonfiction book writer. Then he tells you exactly how to stay with the process so that you end up not only with a polished, effective book proposal but with a book that matches the dream you had for it.

Unlike the other book proposal books, which have been written by literary agents or editors, this one comes from a real writer. This is a terrific book and I recommend it without qualification or reservation.

In addition to five fiction titles, Eric Maisel has written somewhere in the vicinity of twenty non-fiction books, mostly about writing, creativity, and the writing life. Having already read a dozen of his books, I came to this new volume with excitement. I wasn't disappointed.

Several authors and experts have covered the topic of writing book proposals, but none have done it in the organic, yet sensible, way Maisel does. Drawing on his experience as both author and creativity coach, he walks the reader through all parts of the process, including shaping the idea, titling the book, creating all aspects of the proposal, and understanding the agent and publisher's expectations. Particularly useful are his checklists and suggested formats for keeping track of project and proposal.

Any writer serious about creating a work of non-fiction should run-don't walk!-to your nearest book outlet, get this book, and read it from cover to cover. The few hours spent will be immensely worthwhile not just for writing the proposal, but also for devising the general (perhaps even specific) outline to follow in the actual writing of the book.

Maisel includes a tremendously helpful Appendix: a sample book proposal for what turned out to be his previous book, THE VAN GOGH BLUES, which is a mind-blowingly wonderful book. With his focus on helping authors succeed and to access their creativity in the most profitable and satisfactory ways, Maisel has made this a book no writer should miss. ~Lori L. Lake, reviewer for The Independent Gay Writer and Midwest Book Review

Not only did this book give great insights and practical tips, it also got me excited about writing a book proposal, made it easier and made me feel like it could be fun rather than drudgery. I have read only one other book proposal book, a very famous one, and this one beats it by a mile. Thanks, Eric.

Dr. Maisel's book is comprehensive and practical - with exercises and checklists that'll get you through the proposal-writing process successfully. I highly recommend this book.

Two major problems with this book. the first is that it specifically caters (not mentioning it on the front or back) towards a book proposal for a NON-FICTION book that you HAVEN'T written yet. The second is that of all advice, half of it is basic common sense, which I'm all for, but it was way too basic. By the last chapter, I was flipping through the pages just reading the headlines to consider reading the paragraphs. If you are thinking about writing a book and have never done so, THIS BOK IS FOR YOU, especially if it is going to be non-fiction. Otherwise, don't bother, it don't help you that much.