{"id":12699,"date":"2011-09-19T04:00:58","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=12699"},"modified":"2011-09-19T04:00:58","modified_gmt":"2011-09-19T09:00:58","slug":"the-first-step-you-must-take-to-get-your-book-published","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/the-first-step-you-must-take-to-get-your-book-published\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Step You Must Take to Get Your Book Published"},"content":{"rendered":"

From my previous reader surveys<\/a>, I know that approximately 61.4 percent of my readers have either written a book or want to write a book. That number still astonishes me. No wonder there were over one million books published<\/a> last year just in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com\/alexskopje<\/div>\n

Yet most aspiring authors will not get published—at least, not by a traditional publisher. Why? Because they don’t know how to get the attention of an agent. And without an agent, they don’t have a chance of getting a publisher.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Most publishers simply don’t have the resources to evaluate unsolicited proposals and manuscripts. Instead, they depend on literary agents<\/a> to do their filtering, believing this is the best way to discover the best new authors.<\/p>\n

So, as a hopeful author, the questions is this: “How do you get the attention of an agent?”<\/p>\n

The answer is simple to articulate but difficult to execute. You must write a killer book proposal<\/a>.<\/em> In addition, if you are writing a novel, you will likely have to submit a completed manuscript.<\/p>\n

But it all starts with the book proposal<\/a>. Why? There are three reasons:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Agents don’t have time to evaluate manuscripts.<\/strong> Think about it. How long does it take you to read a book? Ten, twenty, or thirty hours? This is an enormous investment. Agents often receive hundreds of proposals a month.<\/li>\n
  2. Agents have a finite list of questions.<\/strong> They don’t re-invent the wheel every time they evaluate a proposal. The questions are predictable. Basically, they boil down to these: What’s the book about? Why are you qualified to write it? What will you do to help market it?<\/li>\n
  3. Agents need to be equipped to sell.<\/strong> Whatever else a literary agent is—and I was one for six years—he or she is a salesperson. Their job is to sell you and your proposal to prospective publishers. The easier you can make it for them, the more likely they will succeed in getting you a book contract<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In addition, a proposal provides a blueprint for the writing itself. This is why even published authors (at least the smart ones) start with a proposal. They want to know where the book is going before they invest too much time or energy in writing it.<\/p>\n

    I realized the strategic significance of having a good book proposal early in my career. That is why I have written two ebooks<\/a>, one for non-fiction authors and one for novelists. I want to give authors the competitive advantage they need to succeed. As you will see from the endorsements<\/a> I have received from agents and authors, these books do exactly that.<\/p>\n

    Whether you are thinking about writing your first book (and from my reader survey I know that is highly likely) or are an established author, I invite you to check out my two ebooks<\/a>, Writing a Winning Non-Fiction Book Proposal<\/em> and Writing a Winning Fiction Book Proposal<\/em>. Both will give you the edge you need to secure a book publishing contract.<\/p>\n

    Questions: Have you ever prepared a formal book proposal? What have been the results so far? You can leave a comment by clicking here<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you want to get a book published, you must start by creating a formal book proposal. Here are three reasons why and how you can get started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":12698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[1421,1382,1422,1423],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe First Step You Must Take to Get Your Book Published<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you want to get a book published, you must start by creating a formal book proposal. 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