3 Important Pieces to Writing a Book Proposal Agents Will Love

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You’ve spent hours, months, maybe even years imagining the book you’ll write. The stars have finally aligned with the idea, and you’re ready to sell this beauty. So, you write your book proposal to get it out there but are terrified of the rejection that could follow. 

In your head, the agents you send it to are fast-talking, no-sense New Yorkers who will tell you immediately if your idea is garbage or not. 

What you’re not imagining are folks who love books and the people who write them. They’re grandparents, parents, active community members, food lovers and mostly good people who want to work with other good people.

They want to love your book. But when their submission folder is high, and it seems like most authors are phoning it in, they become a little jaded. Honestly, that’s not a bad thing. A skilled agent can cut through the fluff and get to what’s working and what’s not immediately. That’s someone you want on your side.

So, wouldn’t you want to create a book proposal that sings to them and has them an instant fan of yours? Here are 3 important pieces to writing a book proposal agents will love.

1. Noteworthy Author Platform

This is where those hours of creating content, pitching to podcasts and filming recipe videos come in handy. Agents want to know you can reach readers on your own, and your audience is engaged enough to buy your book and tell other people to buy it too. In this section, which is typically included with your bio, you’ll want to highlight your audience numbers, awards and recognition, media mentions, speaking gigs, as well as influential people who have agreed to write blurbs for your book in advance. 

If you’re highly engaged in your work already, this should unfold naturally. Look for opportunities in your existing network to build this section out even more. There’s no such thing as having a platform that’s too big. This work can also create opportunities for your publicity plan, which is the next important book proposal piece agents are itching to know about.

Know a fellow food creator who has a cookbook coming out next year? Offer to write a blurb for them and promote the book with your audience and ask if they’d do the same for you.

Have a friend who has been on local morning television doing recipe demos? Ask if they could connect you to the segment producer to gain traditional media credits. 

Love a food conference that’s close to you? Pitch yourself to the creators for a panel discussion, special workshop, or cooking demonstration. 

Building a platform is like creating the “perfect” cookie recipe — you have to experiment, dig into what you love and then you’ll attract the people who you’re excited to serve. 

2. Having a Publicity Plan in Place

Mapping out a publicity plan for your book promotion may be the most important piece of writing a book proposal agents will love. This is the section that’ll also grab publishers because with so many books being released, you’ll do most of the legwork. Even Julia Child had to create her own book tour for Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Some pieces of your publicity plan may come from your author platform section, and it’s essential that everything here is already promised, not a “possibility”. You’ll include conferences, podcasts and television shows who have agreed to have you as a guest to promote your book. If the website you regularly contribute to will give you additional coverage when your book comes out, mention it here. Have a publicity team in mind to help you execute this? Put it in here. 

A clear plan of what you’ll do and where it’ll happen is key. This is not the section to be vague or assume you can cobble together a plan after you sell your book. Technically, you can, but why would you want to risk not selling your book because you didn’t think much about how you would sell your book?

3. Understanding the Market and Why It Needs Your Book

The last important piece of writing a book proposal agents will love is knowing why the world needs your book in the first place. Cookbooks, food memoirs and novels continue to gain momentum in the market, so how does your book stand out from the rest?

There should be a hole in the market, a point of view you feel hasn’t been covered yet. It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking either. While it may be tempting to try and be the next Anthony Bourdain, you’re better off tapping into what your unique point of view is. 

You’ll need to read and research extensively to make the most out of this section. We’re talking about finding the number of books sold, the audiences who bought them, and potential buyers of your book. This is the only way to really know where your book belongs on a bookshelf. 

Reading critical reviews can help you identify why or why not your idea is similar to the author you love and how you could use a gap in their own work for your book. It can feel like every story has already been told before, but there’s a story only you can tell that’s still waiting to be written.

This is why the introduction is another beautiful place to find information about why an author wrote their book in the first place and how it was needed in the market. Jessica Murnane’s One Part Plant was written because changing to a plant-based diet eliminated her having to get a hysterectomy because of her endometriosis, and she puts it all out there from the very beginning. It was a topic she was passionate about and one with little to no research about it, so she wanted to equip other women who may be struggling with a surgery-free alternative.

Because let’s be real: They only make money if they sell your book. Agents want to see how your book is similar to other well-selling titles and how you can fill a space in the market. Do this, and you’ll capture the attention of the agent who has been waiting just for you.

How to Piece It All Together

Nothing and no one can guarantee that a specific book proposal will get you an agent or book deal. But if you have a killer platform, a publicity plan in place and understand the market and where your book would exist in it, you’re miles ahead of the rest. Agents want to know that you get it. 

Maybe, the proposal agents will love turns out to be your third instead of your first. The practice and consistency of creating a book plan with the agent in mind will make it easier and easier to keep submitting those proposals. Don’t forget: They want to love you and to find the next big book, so make it as easy as possible for them to do so.

Want some help with exactly how to do it? Click here to get on my coaching waitlist now. You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Let’s figure out the story only you can tell and get this thing moving.