How To Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal
The Cover Page
The first page of your proposal will be blank except for the title of your book centered halfway down the page, in font size 16, with an italicized subtitle in font size 14. Place your name and any accolades you have a few spaces underneath that. Unlike the rest of your proposal, this page is single-spaced. Example:
The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook
The Secret Culinary History of Edwardian England
Featuring More Than 50 Exquisite Crawley Family Recipes
from New York Times Bestselling Author
Heather Maclean
Examples of other accolades would include the name of your blog, or any awards you might have won, for instance: “creator of the Downton Diaries blog,” or “award-winning Epicurious editor.” If you don’t have anything, don’t worry; just put your beautiful name. No need to fake it or add silly things here. It’s not worth it.
When you get an agent and they submit your proposal for you, their contact information will go at the bottom of page 1. For now, center a quick copyright notice to protect yourself (although technically the minute you write it, it is officially copyrighted to you):
Proposal © by Heather Maclean
That’s it! (Easy, right?) Now into the meat of the thing…
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