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Chapter IGhost Writing

Book Proposal Writing

Non-fiction authors don't submit a finished manuscript to agents and publishers — they submit a proposal. This service builds the overview, market case, and sample chapter that gets yours taken seriously.

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Book Proposal Writing

What This Service Covers

A non-fiction book proposal has to do the work a novel's manuscript does on its own: prove there's a market, show the author has the platform and authority to write the book, and demonstrate the writing is good enough to carry a full-length title, all before a single full chapter is finished.

This service builds each section a proposal needs — overview, market and competitive analysis, marketing plan, chapter-by-chapter outline, and a polished sample chapter — matched to what agents and acquisitions editors in your category actually expect to see.

Two people reviewing a book proposal document
Plate Book Proposal Writing
  1. i.

    Full Proposal Structure

    Overview, market analysis, comp titles, marketing plan, chapter outline, and sample chapter.

  2. ii.

    Category-Specific Comp Titles

    Competitive titles chosen to prove market fit in your specific non-fiction category.

  3. iii.

    Platform-Focused Author Bio

    An author section built to show the authority and audience publishers look for.

  4. iv.

    Polished Sample Chapter

    A fully edited chapter that demonstrates the book can carry its premise at full length.

Our Process

Where Book Proposal Writing sits in the six chapters

  1. 01DiscoverWe learn your goals, your voice and what the book needs to do for you.
  2. 02RefineManuscript development — structure, editing and ghostwriting where needed.
  3. 03DesignCover, interior and the visual identity your book deserves.
  4. 04PublishFormatting, ISBNs and a proper release across every major platform.
  5. 05LaunchCampaign, press and promotion timed around release day.
  6. 06GrowOngoing marketing, audience-building and what comes next.

Often paired with Book Proposal Writing.

  1. 01Query Letter Writing ServiceThe query letter that typically accompanies a book proposal when reaching out to agents.
  2. 02Literary Agent Submission PackageThe fuller submission package this proposal can be built into for agent outreach.
  3. 03Business & Self-Help BooksFull ghostwriting support for the manuscript once a proposal has sold the book.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about book proposal writing.

No — that's the point of a proposal. Non-fiction is typically sold on a proposal and one polished sample chapter, not a finished manuscript, so the rest of the book can be written after a publisher or agent has signed on.

Standard sections include an overview, market and competitive analysis, an author platform section, a marketing plan, a chapter-by-chapter outline, and one sample chapter — though the exact mix varies by category and by agent.

Memoir proposals follow the non-fiction proposal format even though the book itself is narrative, so yes — the same structure applies, with more weight placed on the sample chapter to prove the voice and story carry a full book.

Related Reading · From the Pen & Laurel blog

What Belongs in a Literary Agent Submission Package

Writing & Ghostwriting

Ready to Start With Book Proposal Writing?

Tell us about your book idea and we'll walk you through what a full proposal for your category needs to include.

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A proposal being presented across a desk