Why do you ask for so much in a proposal?

Good question. The purpose of a query letter is to get a submission invited. The purpose of a submission (or a proposal) is to interest them enough to invite and read a full manuscript. But we ask for more things in our submission guidelines than a lot of publishers do. Why?

It is true that not all publishers want that much in their submission guidelines, but the key is to have it so it can immediately be produced when the guidelines call for something different. That's why we ask for more. We have to be able to submit the way any of them want. On one we may not use a couple of things and on something else completely different. We will certainly tweak the proposal and work on it, but the better the document we have to start with, the better it will end up. This is the guidelines on our website, and between them we've found we can pretty much cover what a publisher wants to see:

Guidelines for Your Fiction Proposal

Your fiction proposal should include the following items:

Proposal Cover Page - Include the title, author's name, your physical address, your email address, the genre of your novel (e.g. cozy romantic mystery, Civil War historical, women's fiction), and the length (word count).

One-page sell sheet - A one page overview that summarizes your novel.

Biographical sketch - List your writing experience, your education, your achievements, and your prior publishing history.

Market analysis - Identify your novel's audience (the specific categories of readers your book is aimed at) and describe your ability to sell books at speaking engagements, seminars, conferences, and other events.

Competitive analysis - Identify novels published within the past five years that are similar to your proposed work. Tell us why your book should be published, and explain how your book is superior and/or provides a new slant on your topic.

Marketing strategies - Increasingly, fiction authors are encouraged to promote their novels themselves through writers' conferences, book signings, and web sites. What is the "platform" available to you to sell and promote your book and what do you intend to do in addition to the efforts of the publisher.

History of the manuscript - Please tell us if the manuscript has been submitted to editors and/or publishers by yourself or another agent or to other agents.

Story Synopsis - Prepare a one to three page synopsis of your story.

The first three chapters - For fiction send the first three chapters. Non-fiction can be your choice of the first three or what you feel best showcases your book.