This is the year you should stop writing your book! And write your proposal instead 🤩

We also help Natalie S. sharpen her pitch, learn how to keep going with Amy Shoenthal, a special invitation to the FIRST EVER Read Like a Writer Book Club, and some books we're feeling 🧡

Have you been dreaming of being a published author your whole life, but you aren’t sure what it takes to make it happen? We get it! We’ve been there. And one of the biggest myths about publishing is that nonfiction authors sell books when, in fact, they sell proposals—not full manuscripts.

That’s why we always tell our clients and students to stop writing their book! And write their proposal instead.

Ok, so what is a proposal?

Essentially, it’s a business plan for your book, and in the world of traditional nonfiction publishing, the only way you’ll get a book deal is with a standout proposal, a 40-100-page document that outlines the idea of your book, your table of contents, your marketing plan, your sample chapters, and—the much maligned and misunderstood—author platform. This is the section of every proposal where you have to describe all of your credentials, your followers, your network, your publications, etc.—the reason why an editor will want to pay you to write this book.

You might be afraid of this platform business, but don’t be. We’ve worked with many authors who don’t have a huge social media presence or a big email list but have something very important to say and are the person to say it. People like this get book deals all the time.

But they have to have an amazing proposal.

We love working with writers on their nonfiction proposals because the proposal is the most direct path to becoming a published author. But what if you’re one of those people who doesn’t know what you want to write until you write it? Shouldn't you go ahead and write your book to figure out what it’s about, then try to sell it?

Absolutely not.

The great news is that when you take the time to write a standout proposal, you’ll have plenty of time to experience that incredible rush of watching your ideas unfold as part of the creative process.

If this sounds like a lot, you’re absolutely right. It is! But it’s sooooo worth it.

We both know—first, second, and third hand—what it takes to find an agent, perfect the pitch and the proposal, sell it, and then write and market your book, all the while building brands and businesses, raising families, and discovering our author-ity.

Yep, the bookbound journey is not for the faint of heart, but what could be better than changing the world—one book at a time?

So please, stop writing your book and write your proposal instead.

For more on how to turn your great idea into a standout nonfiction book proposal, download our ebook today!

Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash

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Pitch Review  🧐

In this week’s Pitch Review session, we hear from Natalie S. from NY, NY.

Working title: Nobody Wants A Pity Party: Stop Being A Trauma Junkie and Start Showing Up For Friends In Need

Let’s dive in!

In 150 words or less, what is your book's synopsis or pitch?

Nobody Wants A Pity Party is a guiding light for anyone who knows and loves someone who is dealing with a devastating loss or facing an unexpected, life-altering diagnosis. It provides practical advice, hard-earned wisdom and thought-provoking perspective to people who want to stop centering themselves and authentically show up for their friends in need. Since every person alive has a heart that will break over a friend’s loss or illness, this book is for everyone.

Our Thoughts👇

We absolutely love this idea! Especially since Bethany just lost her mom in August of 2024, this concept really resonates with us because we know firsthand that people don’t always know how to support grieving friends and loved ones. So we’re all in for “practical advice” and “hard-earned wisdom,” but we’re missing the reason why Natalie is the one to give this advice and wisdom. The pitch should include why she is the one to write this book. Is she a grief counselor, a therapist, a chaplain? The writer’s author-ity should always be highlighted in the pitch.

Another question we have is about the title and its point of view. The title Nobody Wants A Pity Party: Stop Being A Trauma Junkie and Start Showing Up For Friends In Need contains a lot of strong image, metaphors and tropes—maybe too many: Pity Party and Trauma Junkie are both strong tropes, but we’re not sure how they’re working together. We think it might be useful to dig in a bit more to see what else Natalie is hoping the reader will learn or gain other than “start showing up for friends in need” because most people who would want to buy this book probably think of themselves as showing up already. So we need to see a little more nuance in what Natalie is hoping her muse (see more on that below) will receive. And while we can’t argue with the truth of “since every person alive has a heart that will break over a friend’s loss or illness, this book is for everyone,” it’s generally considered a no-no to say that your book is for everyone. In fact, the more specific you are the better! See more in the muse section below. ⬇️

Can you think of two to five "comps" for your book? These are successful titles that prove an interest in books like yours—and maybe also that there's a gap in the market.

No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler

Everything Happens For A Reason by Kate Bowler

Grief is Love by Marisa Renee Lee

How To Know A Person by David Brooks

Our Thoughts👇

These are all very successful books about grief and/or being human, which is a great place to start! Since the job of comps is to help an agent and editor have a vision for your book, we think these comps might be indexing a bit too much on grief stories and not enough on the “practical” side of this book. We’re not sure how David Brooks’ book fits here, and we’d like to see it replaced with one or two lighter, more how-to titles.

Who do you think is your book's "muse" or your ideal reader, the person whose life will change after reading your book?

My muse is a person who is at a total loss for words, who sends flowers and food when neither one will help, who wants to express love and support in a way that will actually make a difference.

Our Thoughts👇

We can so relate to this muse! We’ve all been there. We like to think of our muse, though, as someone very specific, with a name. Perhaps Natalie’s muse is a person she knows who has gotten it all wrong and/or her past self! By honing in on one specific person, your writing will be more specific. We know it’s ironic, but when you write for “everyone” you’re really writing for no one. And when you write for one person, it becomes more universal. That’s the method behind the magic of great writing 💫

Just a reminder: If you’re looking for low-stakes, high-value feedback for YOUR book idea, you’re in luck! We’re accepting submissions for an upcoming pitch review. 

We know how hard it is to get the attention of an agent or editor in today’s crowded book market, but we have decades of experience helping people just like you pitch, sell, and publish their books—to Big Five houses and indie presses. Plus, we’re authors ourselves. So we get it.

Just fill out this form telling us about your book, and we’ll let you know if and when our free feedback on your book idea will appear in our newsletter. Our subscriber base is full of publishing professionals looking for the next big (or quiet) thing for their list, so this is a wonderful, easy way to skip the gatekeeping and get right in front of your audience.

We’re on a mission to make publishing clear and kind, and we’re soooo looking forward to being part of your bookbound journey! 

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Our Podcast Highlight ✨🎙️✨

Ever feel like your writing process is more of a chaotic jigsaw puzzle than a straightforward path?

Wonder if you’re the only one struggling to piece it all together?

We had the pleasure of sitting down with

Amy Shoenthal

, bestselling author and marketing consultant, to explore how setbacks, both big and small, have shaped her career and inspired her book, The Setback Cycle.

Amy shared her journey of recognizing the universal power of setbacks and how she developed a framework that helps people navigate through them.

If you're curious about:

✨ Transforming career setbacks into success

✨ Creating actionable frameworks for overcoming obstacles

✨ The surprising power of sharing your personal story

This episode is full of insights you won’t want to miss!

Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Amy! Your wisdom on turning challenges into opportunities is truly inspiring.

You can listen to the podcast here. 🎧

“I feel like you also learn about yourself by writing your own story.”

— Amy Shoenthal

The Setback Cycle: How Defining Moments Can Move Us Forward is available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, and pretty much anywhere books are sold. 📚 And check out Amy’s website and or follow her on her upcoming

Amy’s Substack

.

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A VERY SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY💡

So many of our readers have shared with us that they feel overwhelmed by the process of writing their nonfiction book, and they don’t know where to start. And we’ve been there ourselves, drowning in amazing ideas, stories, and cool data points taken from our reading. Or they’ve started the query process, and the rejections (and/or the crickets) are coming in, and they don’t know what they’re missing.

Here’s the great news: there is a method to the madness!

That's why we’re so excited to offer this very special, first-of-its-kind book club for nonfiction writers.

It’s called the Read Like a Writer Book Club.

This is how it works:

Over the course of 7 months, we'll read a special selection of nonfiction books by authors we've interviewed on our BOOKBOUND podcast. Each month you'll discover the actual mechanics behind writing and selling these successful books by using our 7 Ways to Read Like a Writer Guide.

Here are the 7 ways:

💥 Unpack the title and subtitle of the book. What's the guiding Image, Metaphor, or Trope (IMT) and the Value Proposition?

💥 Find the book’s sticky or counterintuitive idea. Is it a They Say, a Once I Was, a journey with a twist, a taboo, or a combination?

💥 Study the table of contents: Is the structure chronological, in three parts, or connected to the IMT?

💥 Pay attention to openings and closings of chapters. Do they begin with stories, surprises, stats?

💥 What’s the “weave?” How is the "editorial mix" working? What's the weave between stories and stats, personal details and prescription?

💥 Review chapter style. Are chapters skimmable, streamlined, and simple?

💥 Rate the value per page. Are you leaving every page with something that will improve your life and/or encourage you to consider a different perspective?

Pretty cool, right?

Here are the club deets:

💥 We'll meet one Wednesday per month (starting on January 15th) at Noon ET over Zoom.

💥 Included in the book club is our exclusive Readers' Guide, exclusive tips, tricks, and hacks, and access to a private Google group.

💥 One-time price is $175 (not including books).

Let’s make 2025 the year you finally invest in yourself and your book!

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Books on Our Radar 🧡

Sharing some nonfiction titles that are getting our attention. If you’re interested in buying these featured books, we’re delighted to share links to Fran’s woman-owned Indie bookstore, Bedford Books below.

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell, Doubleday, 11/12
The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington’s Most Famous Hostess by Meryl Gordon, Grand Central Publishing, 1/7
The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids--and Come Back Stronger Than Ever by Neha Ruch, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1/14
Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves by Alison Wood Brooks, Crown, 1/21

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Books with Bethany + Fran is a Substack 2024 Featured Publication 🙏

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Bethany Saltman and Fran Hauser live and breathe the art and business of nonfiction books. They’re both critically acclaimed authors, bestselling book coaches, and co-hosts of BOOKBOUND the podcast. Because they know first-hand how tough this book biz can be, they’re on a mission to make it clear and kind.