Customer Reviews

Your Novel Proposal From Creation to Contract : The Complete Guide to Writing Query Letters, Synopses, and Proposals for Agents and Editors

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From the very first sentence in the introduction--A quote by Tom Clancy: "If you don't believe in yourself, who the hell will?"--to the appendix filled with resources for writers, authors Blythe and Marshall supply all the information needed to submit a novel proposal that works. In part one, The Approach, the authors show readers the many publishing options and make sense of the multifaceted world of imprints and publishing house ownership. Part one teaches readers how to find the correct agent or editor, how to properly format the query letter, and how to pitch the project. In part two, The Package, chapter five is titled, Give 'em What They Want--advises writers how to respond to editors' or agents' requests. Synopses are discussed in chapter six and cover letters in chapter seven. Unlike other writing books, Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract discusses what to do after you have submitted--handling the wait, preparing for the possibility of rejection, and working with agents and editors. The book includes many checklists, samples and numbered lists to help the reader assimilate the information. If you're writing a novel, you need this book. Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract makes a terrific addition to any writer's personal library...

Wow! Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract will hold the new writer by the hand; the thoroughness of the topics covered in the book helps to make sense of the scary and uncertain world of publishing. I appreciated and learned much from items such as (1) the sample cover letters and how to format (2) query letter tips (3) sample synopses with a final checklist of what to do when submitting (4) what to do when you're rejected (5) the practical information that more than likely you're going to be rejected, etc. The more information you receive, the better prepared you will be to submit your package when attempting to sell your novel. Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook have done future authors a superb service in creating such a practical and informative book on novel proposals. Great job!

A nicely organized and readable guide that answers many "how to" questions for new writers. For me, showing examples of query letters and synopsis proposals, along with a checklist of what to include was very helpful. Also, I found the web site guide in the appendix useful. Overall, it's well worth the price.

This book really shows you how to market your project and how to tailor your approach to specific agents. It turned out to be what I thought "The First Five Pages" would be and wasn't.

I went from clueless to really getting a sense of the industry and how it chooses the next author to publish. The odds are always long, of course, but this book puts you in the running. I'm convinced that my success in finding a literary agent can be traced back to this book.

Whether you believe writing is an art or a business will color your view of Your Novel Proposal. If you believe writing is only an art, you write, and scoff at "how-to" books. If you believe it is a business, you realize there are procedures required to share your writing.

Publishing is a profit-oriented business controlled by a limited number of publishers, each with their rules, and that's the crux of the book. Your Novel Proposal is a straightforward "how-to" book. Step by step, it takes you through what is required to overcome a series of hurdles required to gain attention from a publisher, and gives alternative approaches, concrete easy to understand examples, and outlines common pitfalls.

Although I may be living under a rock, I found this one of the better "how-to" books on identifying and fulfilling the rules.

I'd certainly recommend this book - if only to focus your thoughts. Although there are several books with chapters devoted to query writing, this book examines each essential part and highlights the dos and don'ts.

It might make it a lot easier than repeated rejections and learning by doing.

Bad news: It didn't help me get my novel published, although I followed all the steps.

Good news: It taught me some things I didn't know, but that would be true of almost any book on writing I've come across.

What I found the most useful was sample synopsis, something that can be extremely difficult for a novice to the book-submitting game to develop.

I also admire the upbeat and encouraging tone. I wouldn't hesitate to give it as a gift to a writer, but I would warn them not to expect miracles or instant publication.

This book should be on every new writer's bookshelf! It's an excellent source of information chock full of suggestions, ideas, tips, dos and don'ts and terrific examples. Query letters and synopsis's are covered in great detail, and the authors present them in a way that the normally dreaded task can actually be a fun exercise and a challenge. I especially praise them for their positive approach, encouraging new writers to keep on writing in spite of rejections, that can actually serve as a learning experience and convert a mediocre writer into a great author. They emphasize rewriting or honing what one has written rather than giving up.

I thought I knew how to write proposals; and I did. For non-fiction. The whole approach for fiction is very different and this book guided me through the processes, but more important, through how to think about it. It's "thump you in the forehead" writing that permits no excuses, no evasions. The title says what it's about and it certainly is. Steps, examples and overriding principles. Examples of queries and synopses from their flawed first drafts to their polished conclusions. A great lot of information broken into tidy chunks. Written transparently and synpathetically.

Finally a how-to book for novelists who are writing a book proposal. This book takes you step-by-step through the process and shows you what is necessary to complete an acceptable proposal. The book includes insights from respected agents and editors. Camenson and Cook discuss marketing of your novel from the query through cover letter, synopsis, chapter outline and sample chapters, including many examples that worked for best-selling authors. On page 20 the authors write, "The purpose of the proposal is to get the editor (or agent) to ask for the rest of the manuscript." Then the book goes on to clearly show you each step of developing the proposal and gives many checklists to keep you on track. Highly recommended.