A New Free Resource: Nonfiction Book Proposal Templates and Notes for Writers Who Don’t Have a Huge Platform
Are you a writer who thinks you need 10K, 20K, or more followers to get a book contract?
It’s just not true. (I’m proof it’s not true!)
I signed a contract in 2019 for my first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other, with maybe 1500 Twitter followers and 500 Instagram followers. I’m currently negotiating a contract for my next book with a larger social media following, but it’s still super small relative to many writers. (If you pray, please pray for these negotiations. It’s going well, but this stuff always takes longer than one prefers!)
This is what I’ve heard from several different people:
Publishers are looking for AT LEAST TWO of these THREE things when considering nonfiction book proposals:
▪️A Big Idea
▪️Good Writing
▪️A Large Platform
This makes sense to me because there are plenty of published authors with huge platforms and big ideas and bad-to-mediocre writing.
Those of us without large platforms just need to have really great ideas and better-than-average writing.
It also helps to know people.
I’m always happy to connect my writing friends and Spiritual Direction for Writers clients with editors if I’m familiar with their writing, think they have great ideas, and know they’ll write good books.
I’ve helped some clients with the book proposal process. I happily send them the template Lil Copan gave me several years ago. (Lil is an amazing editor who has worked with Madeleine L'Engle, Lauren Winner, and several other great writers.)
Also. If you want a larger platform, social media advertising is one way to do it. Advertising may not work for everyone, but it has worked pretty well for me.
Also. If agents are requiring large platforms, don’t use one! I don’t have one. I don’t want one. Yet.
Also. Self publishing is an option but I know nothing about it, so find someone else for that scoop.
Thanks to @faithdwight and her recent Instagram post (and my comment on her post) for inspiring this resource.
Sometimes it helps to talk through all of this with someone. If you’d like to meet one-on-one to discuss your book ideas and book proposal, you can email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com to set up a 15-minute introductory call. I’m happy to open up my schedule for a handful of Book Proposal sessions. You can purchase those sessions here. Each session is $40 and lasts one hour.
Please note I can’t guarantee you will get a book contract, but I will give you honest feedback on your book idea or book proposal, offer suggestions, help you brainstorm ideas to build your platform in ways that feel authentic to you, etc.
How am I qualified to help you?
I have an MFA in creative writing, so I’m trained to teach creative writing at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
I have a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and have been practicing spiritual direction with writers for four+ years.
I’ve published one book with a traditional publisher and am negotiating a contract for my next book with a traditional publisher.
I’ve worked with dozens of writers at all stages of the writing/publishing journey.
*A version of this post was originally published on my Instagram account.
Spiritual Direction for Writers™ provides nourishing rhythms, retreats, courses, free resources, and more for writers from Charlotte Donlon and our partners. You can subscribe to Spiritual Direction for Writers here and connect with us on Instagram here.
Charlotte Donlon helps her readers and clients notice how they belong to themselves, others, God, and the world. Charlotte is a writer, a spiritual director for writers, and the founder of Spiritual Direction for Writers™ and Parenting with Art™. She is also the founder and host of the Our Faith in Writing podcast and website. Her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Seattle Pacific University where she studied creative nonfiction with Paula Huston and Lauren F. Winner. She holds a certificate in spiritual direction from Selah Center for Spiritual Formation. Her first book is The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. To receive the latest Spiritual Direction for Writers updates, subscribe below.