How to write a nonfiction book proposal

What a proposal is for

Novels are sold finished. Most nonfiction is not. Jane Friedman, who evaluated proposals for years at a nonfiction publisher, says a proposal "essentially acts as a business case for why your book should exist," and that if a publisher is convinced by it, the publisher will contract you and pay you to write the book (Friedman, updated February 23, 2026). The publisher is usually involved in shaping the content after signing, which is one reason not to write the whole book first.

Friedman's sharpest point is about emphasis. For books that teach or help, she says, the marketability of the premise, topic and author often matters more than the artfulness of the prose. The biggest mistake she sees is a proposal that explains what the book is about instead of why it matters right now to a specific group of readers.

You need a proposal whether you approach agents or go straight to a publisher that accepts direct submissions. University presses, independent presses and business publishers all ask for one, under different names: prospectus, proposal, publication proposal. If you are going without an agent, see how to get published without an agent for where to send it.

The parts, and what each has to prove

Friedman says there is no single correct format, but a common set of sections appears in almost every proposal. Publisher guidelines line up closely with it. The University of Chicago Press asks for a description of the work, an annotated table of contents, the audience, comparable books, length and schedule, and a bio (Chicago). Berrett-Koehler, a publisher of books on leadership, work and organizations, lists nine sections from an elevator pitch to marketing reach (Berrett-Koehler).

How long it should be

Published figures differ mainly because some count sample chapters and some do not:

• Friedman: most proposals run about 10 to 25 double-spaced pages without sample chapters, and complex projects can reach 50 pages or more once samples are added.
• University of Chicago Press: no required length, but proposals "typically run 5–15 single-spaced pages."
• University of Texas Press: the prospectus itself is "a five- to ten-page document," sent with an annotated table of contents, two sample chapters and a CV.

Length is not the test. A 12-page proposal that answers every question beats a 40-page one that wanders. Friedman also says a proper proposal can take weeks or longer to research and write, so plan for that.

A fill-in outline

Copy this into a document and replace each prompt. The order follows common practice; if a publisher's guidelines give a different order, use theirs.

1. Title page. Working title and subtitle, your name, contact details, estimated word count.
2. Overview. Open with the problem or story in one paragraph. Then: "[Title] shows [specific readers] how to [result] by [your approach]. It is different from [best-known comparable book] because [one clear difference]." End with why now: a change, a trend or a gap in recent books.
3. Target readers. "The primary reader is [role, situation, what keeps them up at night]. They already [buy these books, follow these people, attend these events]." Add secondary readers in a sentence each.
4. About the author. Your expertise, then your reach. "I have [years] in [field], where I [credential or result]. I reach [number] people through [list, podcast, column, speaking, clients]."
5. Platform and marketing plan. A list of things already happening, each with a number: "[Number] newsletter subscribers," "[Number] talks a year to [audience]," "[Organization] has committed to [action]." Only what you can and will do.
6. Comparable titles. For each: title, subtitle, author, publisher, year, format, then two or three sentences on its readers and how yours serves them differently.
7. Chapter outline. For each chapter: a working title and a paragraph on what the reader learns or what happens.
8. Sample chapters. For a narrative book, the opening. For a how-to book, a strong middle chapter that shows the method working.
9. Length and delivery. "About [number] words, [number] illustrations or charts. Full manuscript [number] months after signing."

Friedman offers a free nonfiction proposal template in Word on her proposal guide. If you are still deciding what the book is, finish that thinking before you write the overview; a proposal exposes a vague idea at once.

Comparable titles, done properly

Friedman suggests starting your research here, because comps clarify the idea before you write anything else. Her guidance:

• Pick 5 to 10 titles, or fewer for a niche topic. Berrett-Koehler asks for five similar books published in the last two years.
• Choose books from well-known publishers that show signs of current success, such as reviews and media coverage. If every comp you find is self-published and years old, that is a warning about the market, not a reason to stop looking.
• Do not list sales figures; agents and editors can look them up.
• Do not trash the competition, and never claim there are no comparable books. That suggests your readers do not read.

The University of Chicago Press adds that naming books it has published helps show why your book fits that press. The same logic applies to any publisher: comps from its own list show you have studied it.

The platform and marketing sections

For most nonfiction, these sections decide the outcome. Friedman calls the lack of an author platform the most common reason proposals are rejected, and says a sizable platform is typically required to sell a book to a major publisher in competitive categories such as business, health, self-help and parenting. To interest a major publisher, she writes, you typically need to be visible to tens of thousands of people with verifiable influence.

Write the marketing plan in the present tense. Friedman warns against tentative language about things you are "willing" to do; list only what you can and will do without the publisher's help, with numbers attached. Compare:

• Weak: "I plan to start a podcast and reach out to conferences."
• Strong: "My podcast has [number] downloads a month. I spoke at [number] industry events last year to about [number] people, and [event] has booked me for next spring."

Berrett-Koehler's form shows what a business publisher looks for in practice: speaking engagements in the past year, professional associations that would find the book relevant, a pre-order plan and "organizations that will purchase this book in bulk." If your numbers are modest, Friedman notes that a smaller publisher may need only a few thousand copies, where a big house may want as many as 20,000 in the first year. See small press and university press publishing.

Memoir is different

Memoir is the exception to "sell it on a proposal." Friedman says guidelines vary widely: some agents want only a proposal and the first few chapters, others want no proposal, and some ask unpublished writers for both a proposal and the complete manuscript. Professional, published writers can usually sell a memoir on a proposal alone.

She adds a hard truth. When an agent asks for a memoir proposal, they are often judging the platform as much as the writing. If your platform is small and your story is quiet or literary, she suggests targeting agents and publishers who do not require a proposal, because a proposal "will only highlight what your project lacks." For most first-time memoirists, that means finishing the manuscript first.

Common mistakes

• Describing the content instead of the need. Every section should tie back to why these readers want this book now.
• Calling the audience "everyone." Friedman lists search result counts and census totals as meaningless statistics. Describe the readers who will buy first.
• Leaning on "comprehensive" or "accessible." Neither is a selling point on its own; a new argument is.
• Treating personal experience as the hook. Unless you are known or have a platform, having lived through something does not make a book more salable, Friedman says.
• Using the introduction as the sample. Send a chapter that delivers on the promise.
• Ignoring the guidelines. Format, file type and contents differ by publisher. Berrett-Koehler, for example, accepts only Word or PDF files.

Once the proposal is done, the next step is a one-page query letter to agents or a cover email to an editor. To build the list of agents to send it to, see how to find a literary agent for nonfiction. How traditional publishing works covers the agent route, and advances and royalties explained covers what a deal pays.