Writing a Nonfiction Book Proposal: Hiring a Book Proposal Coach vs. Hiring a Book Proposal Editor
Should you hire a nonfiction book proposal coach or a nonfiction book proposal editor?
You’re putting the finishing touches on a book manuscript and you’re ready to start shopping it to agents and/or publishers. It’s about time, right?
But those agents and publishers require a formal book proposal. In the words of Charlie Brown, “Good Grief!”
The gatekeepers to the publishing industry are choosy. They’ll be scrutinizing. Everything. You want to put your best foot forward, so to speak.
And you don’t have the time or the expertise to do this all on your own.
Maybe you’ve already tried writing a formal book proposal but need another set of eyes. Maybe you’ve even tried shopping your book manuscript around, but without much luck.
You can try (and potentially struggle) to take this on yourself. I’ve got a book recommendation for you later on in this article if that’s your strategy.
But because book proposal writing is not easy, and getting a publishing deal isn’t easy, either—
You can hire a proposal writing coach for your nonfiction book proposal.
You can hire a proposal editor for your nonfiction book proposal.
Or you may prefer to hire a book coach who wraps both author services into one, like my GET PUBLISHED author coaching package.
What is a book proposal?
Traditional publishing (a publisher that pays an advance and/or royalties in exchange for some or all of the author’s “rights” to the book and who designs, prints, and distributes said book) requires a query and a book proposal.
Within the world of traditional publishing are the large multinational publishing companies like Penguin Random House and its smaller divisions and imprints, independently-owned publishers like W. W. Norton & Company who may specialize in smaller niches, Christian publishing companies, university presses, and more.
The publishing query
The publishing query (also known as the publishing query letter) is a brief pitch written to entice the agent or acquisitions editor to ask for more. It includes a note establishing a connection, a short overview of the project, a brief bio of the author, and an offer to send more materials.
The book proposal, at a glance
The book proposal is a multi-part file that follows a familiar format.
It includes several components, such as an overview, a chapter outline or annotated table of contents, a brief analysis of comparable titles (AKA the competitive analysis), and more.
What is a book proposal coach? What is book proposal coaching?
A book proposal coach is someone with sharp insight into the publishing industry who helps authors form and fine-tune the materials that the publishing industry requires as the first steps toward getting a publishing contract.
Book proposal coaching helps authors pitch their book to agents and/or acquisitions editors in order to get a book deal in the world of traditional publishing.
Some book proposal coaches offer, as part of their paid services, a book proposal outline for you to follow.
A book proposal coach can also help you find agents or publishers to pitch to, and can help you strategize and prioritize on how to go about pitching your book manuscript.
In this case, they may call themselves a book publishing coach or a publishing consultant, or something to that effect.
What is a book proposal editor? What is book proposal editing?
A book proposal editor can do one of two things: copy editing or developmental editing (or both, wrapped into one).
What is book proposal copy editing?
A book proposal copy editor will find and fix grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling errors. They’ll make sure dates and numbers are properly written. And they’ll find and remedy unclear sentences, inconsistencies, and continuity issues.
They’ll typically make edits and comments electronically in MS Word using Track Changes or in Google Drive, or by marking up a PDF document.
Copy editing will leave your proposal clear, concise, and persuasive. It will show your writing at its best.
What is book proposal developmental editing?
This term is often synonymous/interchangeable with coaching. A developmental editor evaluates and helps with the overall structure of your proposal, based on what they know of what agents and publishers are looking for.
A developmental editor helps you conceptualize or overhaul a proposal, but isn’t necessarily interested in the sentence-level details. They’re focused on the concept and, generally speaking, how you define and sell your idea to agents and/or publishers.
A developmental editor will help you optimize your title and chapter titles, too.
Neither an editor nor a coach will write your proposal for you.
But they should be making comments, suggestions, and at times, proposing rewrites.
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with additional resources that will help you on your author journey (advice intended for US-based authors)
The best “how to write a book proposal book”
You do have another option:
You can try (try being the operative word) to write and pitch your proposal yourself.
The best book on how to write a book proposal is Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why by long-time agents Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman.
It goes through the book proposal format section by section and gives examples of winning book proposals. It is also sprinkled with bits of humor along the way.
How much does book proposal coaching cost? How much does book proposal editing cost?
Most editors charge by the word or by the hour. In the US, $.020 to .$.035 per word or $40 to $60 per hour is typical.
Coaching calls are often available by the hour. Rates vary.
Expect to pay between $250 to $750 for book proposal editing or coaching, depending on the nature of the work, the materials you’ll be receiving from the coach or editor, and the amount of time required.
To have a chapter or two edited from your book might cost $200 to $300, on average.
In general, nonfiction rates are higher than fiction rates.
A good coach and editor can help your book achieve its potential, save you time and confusion, and, in the long run, make you money (or opportunities).
While the cost might seem intimidating to some, keep in mind that opportunities in the publishing industry are scarce, and if you have a great coach or editor, you’ll also learn a lot that you can apply to future books.
My book proposal coaching and book proposal editing rates:
Tips for hiring a book proposal coach or a book proposal editor
Most editors and coaches have an on-boarding process to follow. The aim is to learn about your book and your goals and to help gauge whether or not they’re a fit for you.
Always find an editor who is enthusiastic about your book and who understands what you’re trying to do and what it will take to get your book traditionally published and will be honest and constructive with you.
If you’re writing a nonfiction book, work with a pro who specializes in nonfiction books.
When you talk with your prospective editor or coach (a phone call or Zoom is preferable to email only), agree on exactly is included and what isn’t, and get it in writing. What are the deliverables? What won’t they do? Are one-on-one calls included? What is the agreed to time-frame? And get a firm estimate, in writing.
Book proposal coaching vs. book proposal editing, in sum
Editing helps you improve your writing so it is more likely to move and impress agents and publishers. After all, publishing professionals value excellent writing skills.
Coaching helps you compile and create your book proposal, piece by piece, with templates to follow and one-on-one guidance.
An author coach can also help you come up with a plan to pitch your book to agents and publishers—helping you identify who to target and how to do so.
Let’s recap your options when it comes to your book proposal.
You can have your book proposal materials professionally copy edited. Punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, flow. (You can also have some or all of your book manuscript copy edited, as many authors do.)
You can hire a developmental editor (or author coach/book coach) to help you create and write your book proposal. Overall organization, big concepts, deep-dive help.
You can combine the two in a package deal (with some publishing coaching added in).
Writing a book proposal isn’t easy, but with a little help from a pro you can better ensure that you’re speaking agents’ and publishers’ language and put yourself in the best position to get a publishing deal.
Not all books are destined to be traditionally published.
The topic, the timing, the audience, and the potential for sales has to be a perfect fit for a publisher to offer a contract.
Some authors do not have the patience or the time to jump through all the hoops required of them.
Some authors do not “need” a traditional publishing book contract to meet their goals or objectives.
Traditionally publishing is not for all authors.
A good coach or editor will help you refine your book’s message, better identify and speak to your target audience, and improve your writing—all of which are valuable to you, no matter how you end up getting your book published.
You might also be interested in
What’s the Ideal Word Count for a Nonfiction Book? (Article)
What Are the Big 5 Publishers and What Are the Keys to Getting a Big 5 Publishing Deal? (Article)
Daniel Tortora book coaching packages and author coaching calls
You’ve got this!