Where were we? Oh, yes, I had me a good idea for a children’s nonfiction book and, thanks to Terry Turner, I also had a publisher in mind. All I had left to do was write up a proposal, send it to the publisher, secure a book contract, and, write the book. Easy peasy …
… except I had never written a book proposal before.
Enter Patricia Fry, writer, publisher and educator. Patricia teaches writing classes online, and in the Summer of 2004 I registered in her “Write a Successful Nonfiction Book Proposal” eight-week course. It was one of the smartest things I could have done.
In Patricia’s class, I learned how to do market analysis and create a promotional plan for my book. I wrote a synopsis, a chapter outline, and an autobiographical sketch. While I was doing all this, the most amazing thing happened: my book snapped into focus. Patricia helped me to think through my idea, to understand how it fit into the existing canon of children’s nonfiction, and to adapt my proposal accordingly. At the end of her class, I had a proposal strong enough to submit to Houghton Mifflin. And by the end of the summer, they had offered me a contract for TRACKING TRASH.
Patricia is a kind and generous teacher, and I recommend her books and courses to anyone starting out in this business. If books and classes aren’t your thing, check out her publishing blog. You won’t regret it.
Thank you, Patricia, for everything!