Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract: The Complete Guide to Writing Query Letters, Synopses and Proposals for Agents and Editors

by Marshall J. Cook and Blythe Camenson

Book Overview

The only guide of its kind created just for fiction writers. Drawing upon the insights of experienced authors, editors and agents, it provides writers with crucial information needed to get published... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898798752
• ISBN13: 9780898798753
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Sent me back to the drawing board

I thought I knew how to write proposals; and I did. For non-fiction. The whole approach for fiction is very different and this book guided me through the processes, but more important, through how to think about it. It's "thump you in the forehead" writing that permits no excuses, no evasions. The title says what it's about and it certainly is. Steps, examples and overriding principles. Examples of queries and synopses from their flawed first drafts to their polished conclusions. A great lot of information broken into tidy chunks. Written transparently and synpathetically.

Comprehensive, concise and positive!

This book should be on every new writer's bookshelf! It's an excellent source of information chock full of suggestions, ideas, tips, dos and don'ts and terrific examples. Query letters and synopsis's are covered in great detail, and the authors present them in a way that the normally dreaded task can actually be a fun exercise and a challenge. I especially praise them for their positive approach, encouraging new writers to keep on writing in spite of rejections, that can actually serve as a learning experience and convert a mediocre writer into a great author. They emphasize rewriting or honing what one has written rather than giving up.

Succeeds Where "First 5 Pages" Fails

This book really shows you how to market your project and how to tailor your approach to specific agents. It turned out to be what I thought "The First Five Pages" would be and wasn't. I went from clueless to really getting a sense of the industry and how it chooses the next author to publish. The odds are always long, of course, but this book puts you in the running. I'm convinced that my success in finding a literary agent can be traced back to this book.

Your Novel Proposal Review

A nicely organized and readable guide that answers many "how to" questions for new writers. For me, showing examples of query letters and synopsis proposals, along with a checklist of what to include was very helpful. Also, I found the web site guide in the appendix useful. Overall, it's well worth the price.

Must have for aspiring writers

From the very first sentence in the introduction--A quote by Tom Clancy: "If you don't believe in yourself, who the hell will?"--to the appendix filled with resources for writers, authors Blythe and Marshall supply all the information needed to submit a novel proposal that works. In part one, The Approach, the authors show readers the many publishing options and make sense of the multifaceted world of imprints and publishing house ownership. Part one teaches readers how to find the correct agent or editor, how to properly format the query letter, and how to pitch the project. In part two, The Package, chapter five is titled, Give 'em What They Want--advises writers how to respond to editors' or agents' requests. Synopses are discussed in chapter six and cover letters in chapter seven. Unlike other writing books, Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract discusses what to do after you have submitted--handling the wait, preparing for the possibility of rejection, and working with agents and editors. The book includes many checklists, samples and numbered lists to help the reader assimilate the information. If you're writing a novel, you need this book. Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract makes a terrific addition to any writer's personal library...