How to write a nonfiction book proposal

Who needs a proposal

• Prescriptive nonfiction (self-help, how-to, business, health, parenting): almost always sold on proposal.
• Narrative nonfiction (history, science, true crime, journalism): usually sold on proposal plus substantial sample material.
• Memoir: most agents want the complete manuscript for a debut memoir, sometimes with a proposal alongside it. Writers with a significant platform sometimes sell memoir on proposal. Check each agent's guidelines.

The standard sections

Agents vary in the order they prefer, but a typical proposal contains:

1. Title page
2. Overview (sometimes called the summary or pitch)
3. Target audience
4. Comparable / competitive titles
5. About the author, including platform
6. Marketing and promotion
7. Chapter outline (annotated table of contents)
8. One to three sample chapters

Some agents also ask for a short section on book specifications: planned word count, illustrations or photos, and a realistic delivery time.

Overview

The most important part. In a few pages, it states the book's central idea, why it matters now, and what the reader will get from it. Open with a hook — a striking fact, a scene, a problem the reader recognises — then make the argument for the book. For narrative nonfiction, the overview should read like the book itself. For prescriptive nonfiction, it should make clear what problem the book solves and what is new about your approach.

Audience and comparable titles

Describe readers specifically. "Everyone who wants to be healthier" is not an audience; "women in their forties and fifties who have been told their symptoms are 'just stress'" is. Use concrete evidence where you can: membership numbers of relevant organisations, the size of an underserved community, sales of similar books.

Comparable titles show the book fits a market that exists; competitive titles show it is different from what's already there. List several recent books from trade publishers, with a sentence or two on how yours relates to each. The comp titles guide covers how to choose them.

Author bio and platform

For nonfiction, the author section matters far more than in fiction. Agents and editors want to know why you are the person to write this book (credentials, experience, research access) and how you can reach readers (a newsletter, a podcast, a professional audience, speaking engagements, media appearances). Give real numbers and be honest about them; inflated platform claims are easy to check. The author platform guide explains what counts.

The marketing section should list specific, realistic things you will do — not things the publisher should do. "I speak at around 15 industry conferences a year" is useful; "I will go on Oprah" is not.

Chapter outline and samples

The chapter outline gives each planned chapter a title and a paragraph or two summarising its content and how it advances the book. It shows the book has a structure and enough material to fill it.

Sample chapters show you can write. Choose chapters that represent the book well; the first chapter is the usual choice, and many agents expect it. Polish them as carefully as a novelist would polish a manuscript.

Length and format

Proposals commonly run somewhere between 20 and 60 double-spaced pages including sample chapters, though length varies by project and agent. Use a readable 12-point font, one-inch margins, page numbers, and clear section headings. Send it as a single document unless the agent asks otherwise.

Querying with a proposal

The query letter for nonfiction follows the same basic shape as for fiction, but the bio and platform paragraph carries more weight and usually appears earlier. Mention that you have a complete proposal and sample chapters ready. Send the proposal only when an agent requests it or when their guidelines say to include it.