Your proposal should include the items discussed below. Attach them as a single file to an email with "submission: title, author’s name, and word count" in the subject line and send to Deb Haggerty.
- Proposal Cover Sheet
The following information must be included: title/genre/word count and appropriate contact information (name, mailing address, telephone(s), preferred e-mail address, and agent if you have one). This e-mail should interest us in reading your proposal. Attached to the email should be the information listed below. Note: the attachment’s file name should be descriptive—author name, title of work,
fiction or nonfiction proposal. (Please submit attachment in Word.doc or Word.docx format.)
- One-Page Sell Sheet
- The first line of a sell sheet includes the title, genre, and word count
- Tagline: one-line pitch for your book (required for nonfiction; optional for fiction)
- Back cover paragraph/description—short description of the book
- Abbreviated bio with author photo.
- Biographical Sketch
List your writing experience, your education, your achievements, and your prior publishing history.
- Story Synopsis
Prepare a one- to three-page synopsis of your story.
- Market Analysis
Identify your book's audience (the specific categories of readers your book is designed to attract).
- Competitive Analysis
Identify two to three novels published within the past five years similar to your proposed work. Tell us how your book is superior and/or provides a new slant on your topic.
- Marketing Strategies (what will you do to sell your book in cooperation with us.)
Increasingly, fiction and nonfiction authors are encouraged to promote their books themselves through writers' conferences, book signings, and websites. ELP suggests you establish a website to promote yourself and your book. You'll need to create promotional giveaways, arrange your own book signings, and/or attend writers' conferences. Think outside of the box about venues or events where you can sell your books.
- History of the Manuscript
Please tell us if the manuscript has been submitted to other editors and/or publishers by yourself or your agent.
- Three Chapters
For fiction, send the first three chapters. Nonfiction can be your choice of the first three chapters or which three chapters you feel best showcase your book.
