The need for proposals, once known only to industry insiders, is now common knowledge even to beginning writers, who find this information and plenty of other advice online. But the vast amount of often contradictory and sometimes even misleading noise only increases the need for an authoritative book. How to Write a Book Proposal is the best-known book of this type in its field, and this book, now in its fifth edition, will meet the needs of today's writers. This edition of a Writer's Digest classic will be fully updated to cover all of the major changes that have taken place in traditional publishing over the past five years, including the rise in popularity of self-publishing and how self-published authors are leveraging those projects into traditional deals. This new edition will also appeal to those who desire to be traditionally published, but also the self-publishing author looking to get a traditional deal based on their self-published work. Inside you will find advice on: • Proposals for self-published books • Proposals for serious works of narrative nonfiction and memoir • Proposals targeted to the Big Five publishers • Proposals that will be read digitally • How proposals are used by editors, agents, publicists and subrights departments for platforms and more • Proposal killers: How to avoid these common mistakes • Tips on making the process easier: Which section to write first, where to find the best examples of overview content and how to keep everything straight using physical filing systems and software And much more!