A strong nonfiction book proposal does more than describe a good idea. It makes the case that the book needs to exist, that readers will buy it, and that you are the right person to write it. In this four-week workshop, writers will develop the essential components of a professional book proposal while learning how agents and editors evaluate nonfiction projects. By the end of the course, you will have a stronger sense of your book project as a whole, a clear proposal structure and substantial drafts of its major components, along with a concrete plan for completing the proposal.
The course will include lectures, discussion, and some group workshopping. Writers should come to the course with a nonfiction book project already in mind. You do not need to have begun a proposal, but you should be able to describe the book’s central idea, subject, or story and have a preliminary sense of what the finished book might contain. Before the first class, students should prepare: a one to three paragraph description of the book; a rough idea of possible chapters or topics that will be included; three to five books they think might be similar; and a brief paragraph about why they are writing this particular book.
Scheduling note: This class will skip the week of Thanksgiving.
