Will you get the part?
Pitching your nonfiction book proposal to traditional publishers is kind of like trying out for an acting role.
When I was a working actor, way back in my teens and early twenties, I spent much more time trying to land acting jobs than I spent actually working on set.
Every time I got called up to audition for a role, I’d study the script and memorize my lines, rehearsing in front of a mirror to get my expressions right. I’d analyze the brief character description, choosing an outfit and hair and makeup style that I hoped would make me look like the girl in the producer’s head. And then I’d get into my rickety old Ford Mercury Monarch and drive across Los Angeles to the casting office, armed with a neatly stapled head shot and resume, and all the confidence I could muster.
Sitting on a hard chair in a cramped hallway waiting for my turn to be called into the audition room, I would eye up the dozen or so other actresses reading for the same role. She went for a glamorous look. She looks like the girl next door. She walks with a swagger. She has a flatter stomach, or bigger boobs, or both. Which one of us will get the part?
Whatever choices I’d made about my wardrobe and my approach to the character, I always wound up second-guessing my instincts. Learning my lines was easy. Trying to guess what the filmmakers were looking for in an actress was a lot harder. I could make myself into almost anything they wanted. But what did they want?
Pitching your nonfiction book proposal to traditional publishers is kind of the same. You want to put your best foot forward, but what does “best” look like to the gatekeepers?
Will they find your ideas relevant?
Is your book concept unique and compelling?
And is your bust - oops, I mean your platform - big enough to turn their heads?
For nervous new authors, these questions can be paralyzing. But you don’t have to be a mind reader to arrive at smart answers.
According to Hilary Swanson, a former senior editor at Harper Collins, the best way to gauge your value as an author is simple: Read what’s already out there on your topic.
In an interview for my podcast The Selfish Gift, Hilary said, “A lot of people get so locked into the message in their book that they forget to place it in the larger context of what’s going on in publishing. Knowing what’s out there is going to help you speak to why your book is different.”
Hilary had oodles of advice for aspiring authors, including insights into:
What an editor actually does. (Spoiler: It's not just sitting in a cozy chair reading manuscripts.)
How big of a platform you need to catch a traditional publisher's eye—and what to do if you don't have one.
How pitching your book to a publisher is like pitching to a venture capitalist.
Why writing a good proposal is the key to getting a book deal—and how to write one.
Counterintuitive tips for writing a truly impactful memoir.
You can find the episode on our YouTube channel and on all the major podcast platforms.
If you’re hoping to win a book deal with a traditional publisher, you won’t want to miss it.
Listen to the Selfish Gift podcast
Oh, and did I mention that Hilary will be bringing her editorial expertise to participants in our book planning program and VIP retreat in Palm Springs? If you’re trying to get a book proposal written and are getting stuck on those tricky content decisions, there’s still just enough time to apply to join us - pre-retreat calls start this Friday!
And, before I go, can I just say that as much as I loved acting, I don’t miss it one bit. It feels so good now to have my destiny and my creative journey in my own hands, and not be at the mercy of a movie studio executive who may or may not like the look of my boobs. I’m making my own magic happen, and so can you.
xo
Maggie