Tag: #bookproposal

Understanding why Your 500k Followers Might Not Make You a Bestseller

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You’ve built a loyal following. Congrats—that’s no small feat! But here’s the truth: followers alone won’t move your book off the shelves. Some may cheer you on, but others are simply there for the bite-sized insights or free advice. That’s not a flaw in your brand—it’s reality.

If you’re counting on your social media audience to convert into buyers, think again. Your book deserves more than hope; it needs strategy.

Start by looking beyond the DMs and likes. Ask yourself, “Do you have partnerships that could amplify your message—podcast hosts, newsletter swaps, industry allies? Could paid speaking gigs or workshops create buzz and open up new markets?” A robust sales plan taps into multiple channels, not just your own.

Your book should be the centerpiece of a larger offering—an extension of your expertise, not a stand-alone product.

So before you send that proposal or post another pre-order link, ask yourself: what have I built besides my follower count? Because a platform is more than an audience—it’s an ecosystem.

And ecosystems? They sell books.

Growing Your Platform after Book Proposal Rejection

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That dreaded email has landed: “While we found your concept compelling, we’re concerned your current platform isn’t large enough.” It stings, but it’s a common hurdle for nonfiction authors trying to get published. Don’t let it derail your publishing dreams. Instead, view this feedback as an opportunity.

Millions of books are published each year; and it takes more than strong writing, high-profile blurbers, or unique topic to sell them. Publishers are looking for a strong author platform to drive long-term sells and recoup their investment.

The following are steps to take—and they work for those in business for themselves or who were relying on a business to help promote their book:

Honestly assess your platform and create a growth plan. How active are you online? Do you offer paid services that complement the book idea, and do you have a mailing list to reach your followers if there’s change to your preferred social media platform (looking at you X, Twitter)? You should be:

  1. Regularly posting valuable content, not just funny memes, to your blog, newsletter, or social media
  2. Responding to comments, helping to foster community and genuine connections
  3. Offering free resources in exchange for email sign-ups

You may choose to ignore that feedback and go elsewhere. You certainly can shop your proposal to other publishers, self-publish, or pursue a hybrid model. I’ve seen some authors try for literary agents and while I think a good agent is worth their weight in gold, they still rely on you to grow your platform. The better the platform, the better the deal.

Embrace the feedback and get to work.

Setting Yourself Up for Success Post-Contract

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Once you’ve signed that coveted book contract, the journey is far from over. In fact, it’s just beginning. The following are three actions to take to ensure a smooth and successful publication process.

  1. Establish a writing schedule: A well-structured writing schedule is essential for staying on track and delivering your manuscript on time. Remember to include ample time for reviewing and revising your work. Some authors set apart their weekends or summer while others prefer to hit a certain word count each month. Whatever you choose, commit to it. A solid writing schedule should also include time to review and revise your work. Use productivity tools like Grammarly and time-management software like Microsoft’s Focus Time feature to help you stay on track.
  2. Fire up your audience with a listserv: A listserv is a valuable tool for connecting with your readers and keeping them informed about your book’s progress. By inviting your audience to subscribe, you can build a loyal following and generate excitement for your upcoming publication. You can offer them exclusive sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes glimpses into your progress. Updates should be sent regularly, including milestones like your cover reveal and when your book is available to preorder.
  3. Secure necessary permissions: If your book includes any third-party materials, such as graphs, illustrations, lyrics, or excerpts from other works, you must obtain the necessary permissions to reprint them. Do not assume fair use is applicable. Failure to do so could lead to legal issues and potential copyright infringement. Some publishers will not send your book to the printer if there are outstanding permissions, which could cause a delayed release.

You can have an efficient, successful publishing experience by following these steps.

Refreshing Your Website before Hitting “Send”

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Many publishers check prospective authors’ platforms ahead of offering them a publishing agreement. Their goal is to sign authors with a strong platform to mitigate the risk of signing someone who cannot help drive sales of their book. So, the following are two elements that authors should address before sending a publisher their book proposal.

  1. Verify that their website lists their expertise and keynote/consulting topics—Publishers are looking for thought leaders. They want to sign the biggest name or promising emergent names on a topic. They want to see what listed topic or audience is a natural fit for the prospective author’s book. So, outdated information will not help a modern contract.
  2. Remove dead and obsolete links from their website—Broken links look bad! If a page has moved or if authors no longer post to social media sites like Twitter or YouTube, they need to remove links to those sites from their website. It doesn’t matter if the author has 50,000 followers on that page: if prospective authors are not engaging with those followers, they won’t buy the book.

Good luck!

Positioning Yourself as the Right Person to Write This Book

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A proper book proposal should position the prospective author as an expert or unique voice on the subject. After all, the writer isn’t just trying to convince the publisher to release a book on the subject but to contract the writer to author that book.

When making their case, the writer can include the following information.

  • Credential: Detail their level of education and institutions as well as training (internships, apprenticeships, jobs held) as it relates to the book’s topic.
  • Business: List any keynotes, presentations, or workshops they have put on about the subject. The writer must go on to share the audience size for these keynotes and workshops and how much they charge. Publishers want to partner with authors who can help promote and sell the book. Having a business that the book complements demonstrates that the writer can make a topnotch partner for sales and promotion.
  • Following: Add in social media followers or subscribers that turn to the author for news on the subject. Along those lines, include the location of those followers. Both Tik Tok and Instagram show its account holder what countries their followers are connecting from, which helps the prospective author demonstrate to a publisher that they have international reach. The writer should also share the open rate for their newsletter and emails.

The prospective author must show that they bring a unique and marketable perspective to the book deal.

Good luck!

Choosing a Publisher for Your Book

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So, you have a book proposal (or a complete draft manuscript), and you’re ready to submit it to a publisher. With thousands of publishers all proclaiming that they can help a book find success, how do you know which is a good fit for you?

Drawing on my experience with scholarly and trade publishers, I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions to find the best home for your book.

  • Who are you reading for books on a similar topic? Consider who publishes the books you cite in your own work and who’s publishing the leading voices in the field. That’s a good indicator of the publisher’s interest. Publishers are strategic; it’s safer to market to their captive audience—an audience that trusts their reputation—than taking a risk on a first-time author writing to a new audience.
  • Who is the target audience? Many academic presses publish for scholarly readers; these books tend to be niche and written to advance the field of research rather than entertain the masses. Academic presses consider proposals from academics who have the credentials, resumes, and unique perspective to contribute to the field. A commercial trade publisher, however, generally caters to the general interest reader. While they still consider the author’s expertise and unique perspective or story, they often consider author platform and whether the author has an agent. When acquiring in a scholarly press, for example, I didn’t look at a prospects number of followers; but I definitely do as an editor for my trade publisher. In the latter case, I want an author who can promote their book to their followers while I support my publisher pitching the book to our retail partners.
  • What business model complements your platform and objectives? There are traditional publishers that take on the responsibilities of book production, marketing, and so on and pay authors royalties but rely on authors to help promote their books. Others offer to publish the work and book an author for professional development, which might be great for an author with a small profile and limited reach. Those with thriving businesses or consulting services might bristle at this arrangement. And of course, there are self-publishing models that charge an author for all expenses incurred or leave it to the author to arrange cover design, developmental and copyediting, and so on.

As an author, you have to know what your bottom line is. Once you generate a list of publishers that are a good fit, send your proposal to them all according to their book proposal requirements.  

Here’s a bonus for the academic author:  Visit the Association of University Presses (https://bit.ly/3X91dXI) to access a subject-area grid that lists academic presses and the subjects they publish in. The list is usually updated yearly.

Good luck!

Preparing to Meet an Acquisition’s Editor

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Whether you contact the editor or she prospects you to discuss your book idea, you should bring your A game to the meeting. That is:

  • Be professional—Arrive on time, minimize distractions as much as possible, and be ready to discuss your work and your book idea. Editors often schedule meetings back-to-back so it’s a good use of both parties’ time to quickly communicate your goal, your vision for your book now and for years to come, and why you want to work with that publisher.
  • Ask questions—The meeting is your chance to assess whether the publisher is a good fit for you. One way to do that is to question those parts of the process you’re unclear about and see if the editor responds seriously, sincerely, and to your satisfaction.
  • Be coachable—While you may be a content expert, you likely aren’t an expert on matters such as best marketing practices, consumer buying trends, translation rights, and so on. If an editor tells you that it’s better to include reproducibles or reflection space in your book and bump its trim size to 7” x 10” instead of releasing a book and companion workbook, for example, heed the advice—but don’t shy from asking why. To have a successful working relationship, editors like myself will note how you respond to feedback. Are you engaged and coachable, or do you insist that you know best?
  • Sell yourself and your expertise—Be true to yourself. If you’re an introvert, lean into that. However, you must convince the editor that you are the perfect person to take a chance on—especially if discussing a scholarly or work-for-hire project. A publisher invests a lot of resources into a book, so it wants to know that you’re worth the risk.

Good luck!