Tongue Tyed: Books and Writers, Writers and Books

Aug 5, 2005

Books and Writers, Writers and Books

Anyone know anything about writing a book prospectus? I have been trying to figure out how I am actually going to get myself out there and get this book in my head written and published. I don't have time to really write it at the moment, so I think writing a prospectus would be the best idea, and then shop it around and see if anyone bites. At least then I would be actively working on it instead of leaving it as a pipe dream. Let me just tell you all, it's a great book...Or at least the girls would love it...full or romance, adventure, travel, and quirky characters...

posted by Ty @ 8/05/2005

4 Comments:

At 5:09 AM, August 06, 2005, Andres Silva said...: My experience with the effort has been with technical books but I suspect it wouldn't be much different. When you submit your manuscript for review it can be anywhere from a few chapters to the whole book. The problem with just writing the first few chapters is what if they like it and want more?

For better or worse, you may want to concider a literary agent once you've got at least a few chapters written. They can act as a sounding board on if your concept/book has any shot to get published. At the point there's enough of your book to shop around they would then use their contacts and industry knowledge to get your book in someones hands as opposed to just another generic submission for the circular file at publisher X. Having someone 'working the system' on your behalf seems like a good thing. Of course they don't do this out of the kindness of their heart but if an agent can save you time in getting published and help negotiate you a good deal for your book then they're worth it right?
At 8:13 AM, August 06, 2005, Anonymous said...: The literary agent route is a good way to go. From what I've read and been told by numerous published authors, the agent saves you valuable time, and will get you through a lot of the initial barriers to publishing. The agent works for you, so it is in their best interest to make sure you're submitting the best product possible.

That said, many agents do not take unsolicited manuscripts. Some do, but it's tough. Usually they don't even want a whole manuscript - they want a cover letter and maybe a sample chapter and most veteran agents can determine, realistically, a books saleability just by reading the letter and maybe a chapter.

I'd recommend that you check out Cynthia Harrison's blog as she is attending some writer's conferences and posting some good first-hand information there.

Good luck to you.
At 9:07 AM, August 06, 2005, Ty said...: Thanks guys! That's a great help!!
At 9:17 AM, August 06, 2005, Unknown said...: I can't assist with the beginning stages, but once you're all written up and published, I'd love to throw you a fabulous release party!

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