Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For February, the question is: “Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?”
This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Raimey Gallant, Natalie Aguirre, CV Grehan, and Michelle Wallace. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.
My answer to the question (Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?)
None. Writing is all I do, every day. My memoir, articles, blog posts, notes, comments, emails, diaries. When I don’t write, I edit or translate, which could be called writing as well. During the weekend, I aim to go for walks/hikes or relax, during which times I always talk or think about… writing.
My book progress
I want to thank you all again for your input last month, in regards to the title, subtitle, summaries, and tweets for my Work in Progress (WIP), a travel memoir about my thirties, navigating the ups and downs of love, adventure, and the unknown aboard a 35ft sailboat in the tropics. For now, I have settled on the title Plunge – Riding the Waves of a Life Less Ordinary. We will see what happens with that one. As you know, I have tons of alternatives. ????
The last two months, I have been working diligently on creating a book proposal for my non-fiction manuscript. While I mention in the title of this post that’s the first step towards publication, this is not always correct. If you write fiction, an agent or publisher requires to see the finished novel when you query them. If you have a solid idea for a non-fiction book, you usually write an extensive proposal first. When that’s accepted by a publisher, you write the book itself. But when it comes to memoir (which is narrative non-fiction instead of information-driven non-fiction), many professionals prefer the manuscript to be finished, like a novel. So, in my case (and I only recently found this out, all the while thinking I was doing the process backwards with my non-fiction book), the real step one on the road to publishing was write my story.
My husband and I went through my completed manuscript a few times and when I was at a loss of what more to cut – the book was still 30K words too long – I sent it off to beta readers, who did a fantastic job sharing their insights and suggestions. When I received the copies back, I faced two possible approaches: incorporate the changes and finish the edits before putting a proposal together or create a book proposal and complete the manuscript itself while waiting for responses from potential agents. I chose the latter, to waste as little time as possible.
Am I jinxing myself by “jumping the gun” and sharing my road to publication without having gotten there? Maybe. But this process will either be a part of my road to success or my road to failure. Both outcomes might be interesting to learn about. One more note before I explain what a book proposal is: If I would have gone the self-publishing route, these extra months of work creating a proposal wouldn’t be needed and my book would be published much quicker and sooner.
My guide when it comes to writing a book proposal
The book proposal
A book proposal is essentially a business plan arguing why your book will sell in the current market. It is similar in its set-up and goal as the time-consuming business prospectus I put together in order to (unsuccessfully) sell our company The Wirie last year. I used the internet to complete that mammoth task. To help me create the extensive document for Plunge, I used the invaluable The Art of the Book Proposal – From Focused Idea to Finished Proposal by Eric Maisel. While a bit outdated, it contains all the information I needed with exercises and examples. I also learned a lot from Jane Friedman’s articles online. She is an expert when it comes to writing and memoir and offers a wealth of information.
I kept reading that it’s not uncommon to spend a year compiling a book proposal. As a matter of fact, it might take as long as writing the book itself. That was hard to fathom, since I am more than ready to finish this project! So, I gathered the pages I started three years ago when I intended to write the proposal before the book – most of it was unusable as I had little idea how my book would turn out – and used those as a base to create my massive document. Weeks and weeks of research, writing, compiling, and rewriting followed. Fortunately, I was staying in houses and could work in comfort.
Our current location in Borrego Springs, CA – less convenient to work
Sections of a non-fiction proposal include the overview (a summary of the story and the proposal – you usually write this last), an extensive author bio with valuable credentials (why are you the right person to write this book?), format and deliverables (genre, page count, and expected completion date), endorsements (influential/respected people who did or might provide blurbs for your book), comparable books (similarities and differences with 5-10 titles like yours), target audience (a very important section explaining who will read your book and why, how your market looks like, with numbers and stats), a promotion plan (another essential section which details about your author platform, published work, social media reach, known influencers who will help promote your book, creative ideas about marketing, steps already taken…), the book’s table of contents, either annotated or followed by chapter summaries, and one or two sample chapters. Phew!
When I learned that the document is supposed to be in a certain font (a 12-point, I chose Times New Roman like my manuscript) and double-spaced, my page count went up tremendously. Finally completed, it comprises 64 pages. Luckily, that’s still within the average 20-80 pages mentioned in my resources. I saved the file as a Word and a PDF document.
What’s next?
Researching and submitting to suitable agents. Stay tuned for next month’s post.
Hard at work in Zesty – these days it’s cold, windy, and rainy in the desert.
Have you ever written a book proposal? Any insights or experiences? Are you a self-published author, or did you follow the traditional route (first)?
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February 6, 2019 at 18:08
Good to know that you are safely moored in the desert. Although sunny today, it’s been colder, windy, and rainy here too (but no sign of the polar vortex yet 🙂 ). It’s amazing how much work goes into putting a book together, then even more work to get it into the hands of an agent and publisher. I really am looking forward to learning about your next steps and fingers are crossed that an agent (or agents) will love your proposal enough to want to read more.
February 9, 2019 at 14:11
Hi Janis! It sounds like the weather in San Diego is similar than here. We did wake up to snow on the surrounding mountain tops the other day, and the night temps are around 36 these days, talk about that polar vortex. 🙂 After one day of sun and decent weather yesterday, the wind is howling again and the sun is gone. I think it’s time for us to leave this area. Thanks again for all your encouragement in regards to my book. I knew it would be a lot of work, but not quite this much.
February 6, 2019 at 18:23
Congrats on finishing your book proposal, Liesbet! You’re making progress to reach your goal. I look forward to learning about your next steps. Best of luck with your research and submission to suitable agents.
February 9, 2019 at 14:12
Thank you for your kind words, and for following along still, Natalie! I truly appreciate it. Have a wonderful weekend!
February 6, 2019 at 18:36
Brava! I don’t think you are jinxing yourself at all sharing your progress here. Writers (and readers) like me are fascinated with the PROCESS, how you got to where you’re going.
Blessings as you submit to suitable agents. You are sure to succeed because you are not a quitter! Stay calm and carry on, as they say. 🙂
February 9, 2019 at 14:15
Thank you Marian! It is reassuring to know that you are on the same path as me. We will keep sending each other positive thoughts and lots of success going forward and reaching our ultimate goals with our memoirs! We will keep plotting along. I’m glad this information was helpful as well, even though I know we are all on slightly different paths.
February 6, 2019 at 18:59
So much work! I think I would enjoy much of the proposal writing, but one part I would abhor: the promotion plan! Ugh. I strongly dislike selling myself (actually I dislike selling anything), and I’m on very few social media platforms (and don’t want to be involved in any more). You are brave and determined, and I look forward to seeing how it all goes!
February 9, 2019 at 15:41
Hi Lexie! You are the kind of gal who loves research, right? I think you’d be great at creating these non-fiction documents. They are an analysis of the book in a way. I mostly disliked this process, but not as much as creating the one for our business. Yes, the promotion plan is tough, but it was the market section that I struggled with most. I’m not good at selling myself either, like my husband. It;s one of the reasons why running a business was not really our thing. We did great because of word of mouth, but we are both terrible businessmen! So, we will see how it goes with this book.
As far as social media is concerned, part of me loves sharing photos of what we are doing and where we are, but I hate the time and data suck of it. I want to do everything on my own schedule, whenever I feel for it. Problem is that being active on social media is now a requirement to success… Yeah….
February 6, 2019 at 21:08
Whew! I’m exhausted just reading what you have to do. You are amazing. I look forward to reading your memoir
Laura
February 9, 2019 at 15:23
Hi Laura! I appreciate your enthusiasm. You are making my day! Have a wonderful weekend.
February 6, 2019 at 22:44
Shows how much I know. All along, I thought memoirs were submitted via query letter the same way fiction manuscripts are. I thought book proposals were for non-memoir non-fiction. Loving your title, by the way. Plunge.
February 9, 2019 at 15:24
Hi Raimey! Thanks for swinging by, leaving a comment, liking my title, and learning something new. I do believe that memoir is a genre all on its own with different rules depending on who you ask.
February 6, 2019 at 23:43
Good luck Liesbet! I know nothing about any of this, and it was fascinating to read. What a lot of work. It will be worth it. Nothing is ever wasted.
February 9, 2019 at 15:26
Hi guys! I like your wise words that nothing is ever wasted. I do admit using the “wasting my time” phrase a bit too liberally. Even if nothing happens with this book proposal, I will have learned a lot and it prepared me for the next one.
February 7, 2019 at 04:24
Congratulations, Liesbet! I do believe all of your hard work will pay off. I’m currently working on my 4th book proposal. They’re definitely not my favorite part of writing, but a necessary evil, I suppose. As you know, I’m traditionally published, but I so admire those who self-publish. Wishing you all the best, my friend!
February 9, 2019 at 15:30
You of all people know that hard work pays off, Jill. You are such a good example for an “emerging” writer like myself. Wow, 4th book proposal already. Is that for a novel or are you writing non-fiction books as well? Thank you for the support and encouragement as always!
February 9, 2019 at 17:53
Aw…thanks, Liebet! That’s such a nice thing to say. This 4th proposal is another fiction for Harlequin…it’s not helping my eyes! 🙂 Enjoy the weekend!
February 10, 2019 at 18:02
Now I’m learning something new as well, Jill, since I didn’t think book proposals were needed for fiction books. I thought you had to write the novel and then pitch it with a query letter.
February 7, 2019 at 04:35
Wow, that is a lot of work for a proposal! I had no idea. Well done. Hope you can make all the edits quickly when someone requests to see the full manuscript.
February 9, 2019 at 14:16
Oh Alex! Wouldn’t that be nice if someone requests to see the full manuscript!? Thank you for your continued encouragement and support. Whenever I have to, I’ll work day and night to get my memoir in pristine shape. 🙂
February 7, 2019 at 05:50
Wow – that is a lot of work! I had no idea that book proposals were so detailed.
February 9, 2019 at 14:17
In certain ways, going the self-publishing route is easier. And definitely faster. In other ways, the traditional one might be the most straightforward one for someone like me who doesn’t know what she’s doing. We will see what happens. I’m just trying it all! 🙂
February 7, 2019 at 07:54
Hi Liesbet, I think writing is plenty creative…and timeconsuming as you rightly point out. While I do not have a book to think about, the blog alone keeps me occupied!
BUT…I am off to buy some yarn…many years ago my mom taught me to knit and I thought I’d pick it up again. I find I do need something to keep my hands busy and my mind quieter.
February 9, 2019 at 14:21
Enjoy your knitting projects, Nancy! I think that will be a soothing, satisfying, and creative occupation. And, talking about blogs… you are so right. When I had my month-long break over the summer, it was bliss (in some ways). The time-consuming part of blogging had me decide a while ago to post one blog a week. Except when I have expense reports, since these posts are less popular with my readers. I throw those on the site during the weekend, when I have extra time. The blogging interactions and reading posts of peers is what takes most of my time as well.
February 7, 2019 at 07:56
Liesbet, what an adventurous life you live! You’re not jinxing yourself. In fact, your blog is a great platform for building an audience for your memoir. I’ve seen a lot of YouTubes by full-time RV’ers. Have you considered making a channel? I love what you’re doing. Good luck!
February 9, 2019 at 14:26
I’m certainly glad I started this blog over three years ago and have been reporting on the progress of my memoir here every since, CV. But… agents and publishers want thousands of followers when they talk about taking on authors with good platforms. I have a little while to go. 🙂 There sure are a lot of YouTube channels about van life. Not sure another one is needed. Seriously, putting videos like these together takes a lot of time, talent, and data and is not something my husband or I are interested in. My days are already filled with other jobs and projects. Thanks for the suggestion, though. It would be a good way to create a decent following.
February 7, 2019 at 09:42
Sounds so exciting and you’re getting closer every minute. Good luck. 🙂
February 9, 2019 at 14:26
Thanks, Anna. I’ll keep plotting away. In a different way than your plotting.
February 7, 2019 at 11:24
Hi Liesbet, You have obviously put a lot of time, effort and research into writing your book and how to publish your book. Your post is informative and you are likely helping one of your followers in their writing journey. You touch on “the road to success or road to failure”. From my perspective, you are already a success, Liesbet. Many people talk about writing a book. You walk the talk. Your persistence and tenacity will help you succeed!
February 9, 2019 at 14:30
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words, Erica! I truly appreciate them and your presence here on Roaming About. I hope this post informs on one hand, and maybe even helps another non-fiction writer on the other hand. That would make me happy. And you’re right, when I set my mind to accomplishing a certain feat, I’m going to try and do anything (well, almost anything) to get there. 🙂
February 7, 2019 at 11:44
As others have said, that sounds incredibly hard work. Keeping my fingers crossed that all pays off for you.
February 9, 2019 at 14:33
I appreciate your continued support, Anabel! Let’s see whether your fingers are magical. 🙂
February 7, 2019 at 14:21
Congratulations with completing your book proposal Liesbet and we wish you all the best of luck in finding the right agent to take the book forward. I published my first book as an indie author last year as it offered me a greater share of royalties to help the homeless hounds and greater control over the editing, design, distribution and marketing process. It’s been a huge learning curve and very rewarding on so many levels. I’m working on my next two books and very happy to stick to the indie route for now ???????? xxx
February 9, 2019 at 14:36
I’m so glad that “Sharing Our Horizon” has been a success, Xenia. You definitely point out the advantages of self-publishing in your comment: more freedom and more “income”. If traditional publishing doesn’t work out for me, I’ll be following in your footsteps and go the other route. This will create a whole bunch of more – yet different – work! The creative parts of that I look forward to, but the research to be able to make it happen not so much.
February 7, 2019 at 15:58
I admire you for your “stick-to-it-iveness” Liesbet! The proposal sounds daunting, but a great experience for you. Love the photo of you hard at work in Zesty! You have a wonderful work ethic, one that I hugely admire! I’m finally back to writing my fitness book but find too many distractions!
February 9, 2019 at 14:52
Hi Terri! Well done picking up your fitness book again. I hear you about those distractions. That’s why I tried to work as much and as hard as possible on my memoir and everything it entails while house sitting. It is so difficult to work from the van or from the library I’m currently in. So much noise everywhere and especially in this library, people don’t have indoor voices, are on the phone, or listen to music!! Wishing you success with your writing endeavors. It is easier to work in winter than in summer, I find. 🙂
February 8, 2019 at 03:22
Congratulations on getting one step further. I think is great that you can share the process here and help others who want to go down this route. I love the chosen title, very intriguing 🙂
February 9, 2019 at 15:10
Hello Gilda! Thank you for your enthusiasm about my title and this post. If I could help one person with it, I’ll be glad! Have a wonderful weekend.
February 8, 2019 at 18:45
Congrats on your progress! I love your title too. I hope all goes well.
February 9, 2019 at 15:11
Thank you, Janet, for swinging by the blog, leaving a comment, and believing in me! 🙂
February 9, 2019 at 13:44
Congrats on your book proposal! It seems to be a lot of work.
http://www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com
February 9, 2019 at 15:22
Thank you, Gina!
February 9, 2019 at 14:24
Bravo, Liesbet! I am so happy for you to have compiled a book proposal. I have yet to tangle with that. I’m still working on a consistent manuscript. I’m so proud of all you’ve accomplished. And so definitely with you when you say, you are so ready to be done with this manuscript. Right! All the best to you!
February 9, 2019 at 15:34
Such a weight on our shoulders, Victoria, that memoir. But, we both keep plugging away at it and one day (soon) it WILL be finished and we will be proud of ourselves, and we will be able to look back at our long road to success. 🙂 Sending you creative vibes! If you ever have any questions about the book proposal when you are ready for it, let me know.
February 9, 2019 at 15:23
Hi, Liesbet – You are definitely on the road to success. I can’t wait to read more.
Brrrr, it looks cold there!
February 9, 2019 at 15:32
I’m glad you believe in my success, Donna! It’s appreciated.
Close to freezing here at night and rain compared to that deluge we encountered on Vancouver Island this past fall. We even had to deal with a leak again. See, your area and the desert do have some things in common. 🙂
February 11, 2019 at 06:14
Wow, that sounds so overwhelming! Congrats on completing the proposal. I’m a little surprised you had to include a marketing plan; I thought that book publishers took charge of marketing. So much to think about!! I LOVE the name. It’s perfect! Good luck….I can’t imagine how stressful this process is.
February 12, 2019 at 12:23
Hi Lucy! Thanks for swinging by and commenting. It appears that the road to writing a book (and publishing it) is a long one. Even longer than I anticipated. Because, after the book is written and editing (still doing that), the “rest” takes ages as well.
In many ways it makes more sense to self-publish (more freedom, bigger cut, you have to promote either way), but there is still some attraction to going the traditional route. I think it’s a vanity thing. 🙂 And, having experts hold your hand. At least that’s what I think and hope would happen. I do think publishers take care of some advertising, but it’s expected of the author to do as much as possible as well. Yikes, right?
February 11, 2019 at 08:27
I admire your dedication to writing. I like to write but it doesn’t come easy which puts me off from doing it as much as I would like.
Did you enjoy doing the book proposal? It seems like it was a lot of work but also seems very tidy and organized which I think would be satisfying.
I’m looking forward to what comes next!
February 12, 2019 at 12:33
Hi Duwan! Writing while on the road (or the water) is almost impossible. During those years there was no way I could have written a book! During our eight years on Irie, I took notes about some thoughts and experiences, wrote about one blog a month, and my diary every day as usual, and articles to make some money. One of the reasons we quit the boat life was to run our business more effectively and write my book. For that, we needed house sits nd unlimited WiFi, electricity and time.
I’m happy with the end result of the book proposal, but it was a lot of work that I didn’t particularly enjoy. I’m not a research and “writing dry and to the point” kind of person. 🙂 I had a lot of cutting to do with that proposal project as well. But, it was certainly more fun than writing the business prospectus for The Wirie the year before!
If you enjoy writing, you’ll be able to do a little bit here and there when it fits in the plan, the time, and the electricity restrictions. Not ideal, as one prefers to write when inspiration strikes. It’s tough combining travel and writing!
February 11, 2019 at 10:04
If it failed after all this, I’d be in bits, Liesbet, but you’re made of much sterner stuff than me and I wish you every success with it. 🙂 🙂 (Spotted you in somebody’s comments and thought I’d pop over 🙂 )
February 12, 2019 at 12:38
Welcome back, Jo! And thank you for the kind words and believing in me as an author. We will see what happens. It wouldn’t be the first time that I put a lot of energy in a project to not get me anywhere. The good thing is that I had time to do all this instead of working a normal job. 🙂
Now that we live in the van full-time again, I’m back to limited cell data and infrequent library visits. I’ve been picking and choosing my blog reading based on blogs with low-resolution photos or ones with few photos. I’ll hop over to your site again soon! 🙂
February 12, 2019 at 12:43
No worries, hon! I don’t spend so much time online myself now 🙂 🙂
February 12, 2019 at 22:18
Hurray for sunny, warm winters, right? 🙂
February 11, 2019 at 22:25
Thankfully, no, I’ve never written a book proposal. Good for you for finishing it–it sounds like the kind of thing that would give me nightmares, like a communications strategy. Ugh. The memory of being forced to write those 50-page documents that my bosses wouldn’t bother to read gives me hives. (Or PTSD.)
I’ve always wanted to be a hybrid author (trad and indie), so that’s the route I took. The trad books have done way better so far, as I need to learn how to market books rather than museum exhibits and the like. But I’ll get there.
Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
February 12, 2019 at 12:48
Yeah… book proposals are certainly dry and long documents that aren’t my favorite. Creating the chapter summaries and copying the first two chapters were the most fun. 🙂
Whether you know it or not, you are such a great example for me, JH. I’m glad the hybrid route worked for you. I have a feeling I’ll end up doing the self-publishing route, since finding an agent is key to he other strategy. Not easy to do. We will see what happens.
Good to know that traditional publishing provided a better outcome/income for you. I don’t know many writers (if any) who enjoy self-promotion. You’ll get there. 🙂
February 13, 2019 at 11:47
Liesbet, it was really interesting to read about the book proposal process. You wrote your description of it so clearly.
I think my process will be different, seeing as I am trying to find an agent for a novel. Although I have started to immerse myself in information about how to write a query letter, how to identify potential agents, and how to pitch my book, I know that before proceeding with all that, I will need to work on revising the first draft. The first draft is actually fairly polished because I revised and edited as I wrote. But it definitely still needs developmental editing, and I am waiting to get feedback from my beta readers before I start in on that (although I have made notes).
Thinking about revisions has brought me closer to my own book and helped me to see structural and thematic aspects in it that were opaque to me while I was writing it.
Jude
February 14, 2019 at 15:53
It makes me happy to read about all the progress you’ve been making with your novel these last months, Jude. Winter is good for that. 🙂 Not only do you have the first draft finished, but you are getting a clear idea about what you want to do next, and you have been preparing some steps already as well. With fiction, I believe you only need a query letter. And, the finished novel. But some agents might require you to fill out their form online, which might ask for other details or sections of your book. I’ll be curious to see what your beta readers have to say/suggest. That is invaluable information!
February 15, 2019 at 08:20
I am delighted to see you so focused and am seriously impressed with your accomplishments to date . I have no doubt that you have a published book in your future. You could almost write the book on writing and proposing the book at this point :-).
Is the polar vortex continuing to make life uncomfortable or has the weather improved since you wrote this?
February 18, 2019 at 18:28
Haha, Lisa. You’re funny. But, there are certainly a lot of things I could (and want to) write about. In a next life. I’ve got to make sure there’s time left to explore. 🙂 Still a chunk of work to do before this book is ready for the general public, though.
Still cool where we are in SoCal (of all places), Lisa. We’ve been hearing it’s been the coldest winter in California (and Arizona) for over a decade, if not on record. At the same time, my parents told me that this month has been the warmest on record in Belgium. Wherever we go, we find an out of the ordinary climate – it’s either been the coldest, wettest, or windiest time ever, once we showed up.
February 16, 2019 at 01:54
That’s quite interesting! Love the scenery in your photos 🙂
Ronel visiting for Feb’s IWSG Day Being an Insecure Writer — And Happy About It
February 18, 2019 at 18:30
Thanks, Ronel. I’m hoping to enjoy the scenery around my home on wheels a bit more the coming weeks! 🙂
February 20, 2019 at 14:59
I only know a quarter of what I need to know about self-publishing. My timetable is based on what I know about my process, which involves avoidance. I’m on the brink of making the book cover after weeks of intense procrastination. I think the ghost of Woody Allen possesses me, which is odd because he’s not dead. 🙂
I imagine it’s hard to find a good agent. You’d want one who is well connected.
February 20, 2019 at 15:37
I think making the book cover will be a lot of fun! Time to use some of those other creative juices. 🙂 BTW, some people procrastinate for months, years, if not whole lives. I’d say you’re right on track!
As far as “the” agent goes, no positive reactions yet. And, you’re right… someone just told me finding an agent is like getting married. It has to be a good match! We will see what happens. Less issues with that when self-publishing. At least I have a back-up plan. 🙂
February 18, 2019 at 16:02
Wow! What a process. I’ve decided to self publish which also has a steep learning curve. I may be wrong in thinking I can have the book out by the end of the year. Thanks for being so open about your process.
February 20, 2019 at 13:58
Hi Robert! It sounds like you have done a lot of research in regards to self-publishing. I don’t think it’s hard-fetched to have your book published by the end of the year, if it is close to being finished. You actually seem more realistic than me, since I was going to give it about two-three months to find an agent and if that doesn’t pan out, I was hoping to self-publish this summer still… Maybe it’s time to wake up? 🙂