When I’m coaching my clients on how to make their book proposals stand out, I suggest they add a section called “Key Selling Points” after the “Overview” section. Here are some tops on how to do that effectively:
- Put on your marketing hat: Tell the acquiring editor why the reader will buy your book
- List 5+ talking points that make a case for why your book will sell well, and why it will appeal to the reader.
- Choose thoughtful, relevant points, facts, and data, explaining why this book is perfect for this moment in time.
- Explain how the book taps into the current cultural zeitgeist.
- If marketing isn’t your thing, ask a trusted friend who can look at your work from a different lens.
Here’s an example from a book I sold successfully called Street Cats and Where to Find Them by Jeff Bogle:
What makes this bo
ok an excellent choice right now:
- Over 46 million American households have cats and most of those households have at least two.
- Travel aspirations are booming post-pandemic and 95% of Americans have travel plans over the next 12–18 months.
- This book will have wide retail appeal from traditional bookstores in the travel, pet, and gift sections to big box pet stores, cat cafés, and pet shelter or veterinary gift shops.
- Thanks to bright, bold, and up-close street photography and personal narratives told with humor and love, this book is ideal for armchair travelers or those with solid travel plans alike.
Used effectively, adding Key Selling Points to your book proposal will help editors make a case for your book in the acquisitions meetings where the decisions get made to greenlight a traditionally published book. The more thought you put into it, the easier their job will be.
Leave a Reply