Generate professional book proposals
AI creates complete proposals with market analysis, competitive titles, chapter outlines, and platform details for agent/publisher submission.
Generate professional book proposals
River's Book Proposal Writer generates professional, agent-ready book proposals for non-fiction projects. You provide book details: working title, topic, target audience, key themes, author credentials, and competitive titles. The AI creates a comprehensive proposal including compelling overview, detailed market analysis, chapter-by-chapter outline with summaries, author platform and credentials, and marketing/promotion plan. Generated proposals follow industry-standard format that agents and publishers expect, increasing acceptance chances significantly.
Unlike basic templates that leave you staring at blank sections, this tool provides substantive content based on your input. It analyzes your target market, identifies reader demographics and market size, positions your book against competitive titles while highlighting differentiation, and creates detailed chapter outlines showing the book's structure and flow. The AI understands non-fiction proposal conventions: what information agents need, how to present credentials compellingly, and how to demonstrate market viability. You get a complete first draft ready for refinement rather than starting from scratch.
This tool is perfect for ghostwriters pitching client books to publishers, authors seeking traditional publication who need professional proposals, or writers transitioning from writing to the business side who need proposal guidance. If you have a complete manuscript or detailed outline but need the proposal document for submission, or if clients ask you to handle the entire publication process including securing publishers, this tool helps. Use it when manuscript is substantially complete or outlined, author credentials are documented, and you're ready to pursue traditional publication.
What Makes Book Proposals Successful
Successful book proposals sell two things simultaneously: the book's market viability and the author's platform. Agents represent books they believe publishers will buy. Publishers buy books they believe readers will purchase in sufficient numbers to earn profit. Your proposal must demonstrate market demand (who will buy this and why), differentiation (how this book is unique among competitors), and author credibility (why this author is uniquely qualified to write this book and reach its audience). Weak proposals focus only on the book's content without addressing commercial viability.
Market analysis is where many proposals fail. Vague statements like 'millions of people are interested in leadership' don't demonstrate market understanding. Strong market analysis identifies specific reader demographics, cites relevant market data, names 5-7 competitive titles with specific differentiation, and shows clear understanding of where the book would sit on bookstore shelves. Agents can spot generic market analysis instantly. Demonstrate you've researched the actual market and understand commercial publishing realities.
Author platform matters enormously for non-fiction. Publishers want authors who can actively market books through existing audiences. Strong platforms include: email lists with subscriber counts, social media followings with engagement metrics, speaking engagements and conference presentations, media appearances and publicity experience, professional credentials and recognized expertise, and business relationships that facilitate bulk sales. If author platform is weak, proposal must acknowledge this honestly while showing concrete platform-building plans already underway. Agents prefer honest weak platforms over inflated claims they'll quickly discover are false.
What You Get
Complete book proposal (15-25 pages) following industry-standard format for agent submission
Compelling overview positioning the book's unique value and market opportunity
Market analysis with target demographics, market size data, and reader appeal explanation
Competitive title analysis (5-7 books) with specific differentiation showing your book's unique position
Detailed chapter-by-chapter outline with summaries demonstrating book structure and flow
Author bio and platform section highlighting credentials, reach, and marketing capability
How It Works
- 1Provide book detailsEnter working title, topic/theme, target audience, key messages, author credentials, and competitive titles (5-10 minutes)
- 2AI generates proposalSystem creates complete book proposal with all standard sections formatted professionally (10-15 minutes)
- 3Review and refineRead generated proposal, add specific details, adjust market analysis, and refine author platform section
- 4Submit to agentsExport polished proposal and begin querying literary agents with confidence
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I write the proposal before or after completing the manuscript?
For non-fiction, write the proposal first, even before completing the manuscript. Unlike fiction (which requires complete manuscripts), non-fiction sells on proposal alone. Many successful non-fiction books sell to publishers with only 2-3 sample chapters written. The proposal allows you to test market interest before investing months in full manuscript. Once you secure a publishing deal, you'll have deadline and advance providing motivation to complete writing. However, you need enough content developed (detailed outline plus 20-30 pages of sample chapters) to write a credible proposal showing you can deliver on the promise.
How important is the competitive title analysis?
Extremely important. Agents and publishers need to see you understand the market landscape and can articulate how your book differs from existing titles. The competitive analysis proves market demand (similar books exist and sell) while demonstrating your unique angle. Include 5-7 recent titles (published within 5 years), acknowledge their success and strengths, then clearly explain how your book differs in approach, audience, scope, or perspective. Avoid claiming 'no competition exists' - that suggests either no market or inadequate research. Good competitive analysis shows: I know this market thoroughly and my book fills a specific gap.
What if the author has a weak platform? Should I inflate it?
Never inflate credentials or platform - agents verify claims and false information destroys trust permanently. Instead, acknowledge current platform honestly while showing concrete growth trajectory and marketing plans. For example: 'Author currently has 2,500 newsletter subscribers with 28% open rate, growing 15% monthly. They speak at 6-8 industry conferences annually reaching 1,000+ attendees each. They're launching a podcast in Q2 targeting the same audience.' This shows modest current platform with clear growth momentum. Platform isn't everything - expertise, unique angle, and commercial viability also matter. Some books succeed despite weak author platforms if content is strong enough.
How detailed should the chapter outline be?
Each chapter needs 150-300 word summary explaining what content it covers, key points made, and how it advances the overall book argument. Too brief ('Chapter 3: Social Media Strategy') tells agents nothing. Too detailed (full chapter drafts) is unnecessary. Find the middle: 'Chapter 3: Social Media Strategy That Actually Converts (4,500 words). Challenges conventional 'post daily' advice with data showing quality beats frequency. Introduces the 3-Post Framework for LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram with specific examples from 12 companies. Includes templates and checklists readers can implement immediately. Concludes with metrics to track meaningful engagement versus vanity metrics.' This shows clear chapter purpose, specific content, and reader value.
Can I use this for fiction books?
No, fiction follows different submission standards. Fiction requires complete, polished manuscripts for agent submission, not proposals. Fiction query letters are single-page pitches, not 20-page proposals. The market analysis and platform sections work differently for fiction. This tool is specifically designed for non-fiction proposals (business, memoir, self-help, how-to, history, biography, etc.) where proposals are industry standard. If you're writing fiction, you need to complete the full manuscript first, then write a query letter and synopsis for agent submission.
What should I include in the marketing and promotion section?
Be specific about what the author will actively do to promote the book. Include: speaking engagements (how many annually, typical audience size), media contacts and publicity plans, bulk sales opportunities (corporate training, conferences, associations), social media and email marketing plans with current metrics, partnerships or endorsements already secured, podcast tours or media appearances planned, and budget author is willing to invest in marketing. Publishers want authors who view book marketing as partnership, not publisher's sole responsibility. Concrete plans ('pitching 20 podcast interviews, already confirmed with 3 hosts') beat vague promises ('will do extensive social media marketing').
How long does it take to go from proposal to published book?
Traditional publishing timeline: 3-6 months to secure agent after you begin querying, 3-12 months for agent to sell book to publisher, 12-18 months from book deal to publication (writing, editing, production, marketing prep). Total: 18-36 months typically from first query to book in stores. This timeline varies significantly - some books sell quickly, others take years. Having polished proposal ready accelerates the front end of this process significantly. Publishers want lead time to properly market books, so even if your manuscript is complete when you sign the deal, publication happens many months later. Factor this timeline into client expectations if ghostwriting.
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