It’s well known that submitting a proposal to a book publisher is different from submitting a paper to a journal. That is, while your paper can only be under review with one journal at a time, you’re able to send proposals to numerous presses simultaneously.
Some people will advise you to take advantage of that policy and play book publishing as a numbers game: the more presses you submit to, the better your chances of acceptance will be. But I implore you, ignore this advice!
Many publishers are turned off when they find out that you’ve submitted to their competitors (and many ask you to declare this explicitly in your proposal). After all, they invest time and resources–including the goodwill of unpaid peer reviewers–when they consider your proposal, and they don’t want to expend that effort if you’re pursuing multiple publishers at the same time.
Rather than gambling with your book’s future, here’s what you should do instead:
- Choose your top three presses that fit your niche and rank them. (I walk you through this process in the 6-Week Book Proposal Challenge.)
- Choose ONE to start with and frame your proposal to clearly explain why this press will seriously regret it if they don’t publish your book.
Target several sections of your proposal to that press specifically, including the comparable texts and audience/market. This shows the acquisitions editor reviewing your proposal that you’re invested in them and chose them for good reason, not just at random.
If you do this effectively, you’ll impress the editor and convince them that you’re a serious author with a book that’s compelling and ready to publish. Ultimately, this will get you a long way toward winning the contract you’ve been hoping for.
If you find this advice helpful, check out my 20-minute webinar: “Clarity, Efficiency, Impact: Writing an Academic Book Proposal in 6 Weeks or Less.”
Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
P.S. While you’re watching the webinar, consider taking the 6-Week Book Proposal Challenge. The marketing worksheet BONUS is still available, but the others are GONE!!