Book Proposals That Sell: 21 SECRETS TO SPEED YOUR SUCCESS [Paperback]

W. Terry Whalin (Author), Donna Clark Goodrich (Author), Steven R. Laube (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1932124640 | ISBN-13: 978-1932124644

This book reveals insider information to help you avoid the pitfalls of rejection in writing a book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Write Now Publications (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932124640
• ISBN-13: 978-1932124644
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

W. Terry Whalin knows and understands both sides of the editorial desk--as an editor and a writer and a literary agent. A former literary agent, now Terry's an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He worked as a magazine editor for Decision and In Other Words magazines. His magazine articles have appeared in more than 50 Christian and general market publications plus he's written more than 60 books for traditional publishers. His personal site is located at: www.terrywhalin.com.

A journalism graduate from Indiana University, Terry writes a wide spectrum of subjects and topics for the magazine and book marketplace--from children to teen to adult.

His latest books include Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams (Morgan James Publishing), Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success (Write Now Publications) and Running On Ice by Vonetta Flowers with Whalin (New Hope Publishers). He is an active member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (the leading nonfiction writers group in the nation).

Also Terry is the creator of a popular site for writers at:
www.right-writing.com. Terry blogs about his life as a writer and editor at The Writing Life or www.thewritinglife.ws. Terry and his wife, Christine, live in Irvine, California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A ROAD MAP FOR TURNING YOUR DREAMS INTO PRINT July 21, 2005

By Heather Ivester

Format:Paperback

You've got an idea that you're bursting to put into words. You think you may even have a book in you. You talk about it with your friends and family, and they tell you it sounds amazing. Now what?

Weeks pass. Months go by. Maybe even years. That idea just won't go away! So, finally you sit down at your computer and begin typing it out. You become engrossed in your topic -- swamped in research, personal anecdotes, and fresh twists on age-old issues. You're convinced every publisher will be clamoring for your book.

Unfortunately, if you send your masterpiece out without a bodyguard (an agent), it may end up in a tottering pile of manuscripts in the corner of an editor's office. Or worse -- it may not even make it to his desk because a first reader deemed it inappropriate for the publishing house.

Never fear. That's where Terry Whalin's book will save you the months and years of heartache as you turn your passion into print. He explains, "Many writers focus only on the creative aspects of writing a book and getting it published, but the executives inside a publishing house are business people who want to sell books and turn a profit at the end of the day. It's a delicate balance between creating the best possible product and assuring that each product has the best opportunity to sell into the market and reach the target audience."

BOOK PROPOSALS THAT SELL is your road map for bypassing the long, winding route that gets you nowhere and shows you the shortcuts for learning what publishers are really looking for. The author explains that more than 80% of nonfiction books are first sold as proposals. How can you capture an editor's interest? Where should you start?

The 21 secrets in this book will teach you what really goes on behind the closed doors of an editorial meeting. And they obviously work -- since Terry Whalin has published over 60 nonfiction books and also works as an acquisitions editor. His personal web of stories spun from a career in the publishing world make the book a dynamic read. And it's fun to learn about all the goofy stuff people do to try to get their foot in the door. (Yes, you get all the nitty-gritty details...Like the one about the writer who wanted to know if she could have a response over the weekend!)

What makes this book truly worth the money is that it's only a springboard into the topic of book publishing. It's filled with up-to-date websites that will further your education. Want to see a sample proposal that sold for six figures? It's in there. Want to see a list of agents, hear which conferences are the best, or learn about book marketing? Having this book will save you hours of surfing the web because you'll receive the author's list of the very best sites.

If you're planning a trip to a new place, you wouldn't dream of going without a map. And writing a book is a journey with the destination of getting your ideas into the minds of your readers. Whalin says, "With good writing skills and using the secrets in this book, you can beat the odds and get a contract." I'm sure the sequel will contain success stories from those who followed the author's advice!

--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Really Awful March 6, 2011

By Book Writer

Format:Paperback

Not a good resource AT ALL. I didn't learn anything from this book that I didn't already know from a few hours of researching on the internet. I bought this after seeing so many positive reviews and was incredibly disappointed. It is heavily biased towards Christian literature and all the examples given are about religious books. The "Sample Book Proposal that Sold for a 6 Figure Advance" is laughable as something you can use as an example to follow; it is for a book about a new Christian movement called Promise Keepers and it is written by a bishop. The movement is new so there are no competing books and it is by a bishop so of course Christian people are going to buy it! Unfortunately this type of situation isn't going to apply to the other 99.99% of people writing book proposals. This book also says that it comes with a CD to help you develop a marketing strategy for your book. However, I never got the CD and Amazon.com says that in fact there is no CD with this book. Great... It probably sucked anyway. And a lot of these 21 "secrets" are just inane. "Know the topic of your book". That is secret #1. Are you kidding me?! "Never Trust the Spellchecker" is secret #12. "Proposal Writing Takes lots of Work" is secret #18. Give me break. I paid for this?! My favorite secret is #10, "Get high profile endorsements". Yeah right. How am I supposed to do that? Maybe I could if I was a bishop..

Save your money. This thing is a piece of garbage.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets from an Insider December 12, 2005

By Jeanne Zornes

Format:Paperback

Before you even think about writing a book, you need to read Terry's book. Finally, in helpful detail, we have an insider explaining what goes on in those mysterious caverns called publishing offices. Terry teaches you how to write a book that will pass the scrutiny of those guarding the publishing house gates and eventually reach the golden status of "published." He introduces his book with some insight into non-fiction trends in publishing, then launches into the twenty-one "secrets" that comprise a winning book proposal. From sharpening a book's topic and identifying an audience, to defining marketing plans and putting together a winning proposal package, he gives helpful, inspiring advice. His thorough treatment offers a comprehensive education in the business side of book writing that you'd never get from a conference or course. It's a paperback mentor you can't pass by.