Monday, September 7, 2009

Labor Day Proposal Writing

Seriously. Isn't that like a misnomer? Writing a proposal on Labor Day has to be counterintuitive to everyone. Yet here I am. With conference so close, I've got to get this puppy finished!

So overwhelming to write the marketing strategies, comparables, market analysis...yikes. But you know, I'm almost there! It's actually looking pretty good so far. I mean, I'm proud of it.

Who else has gotten their proposals all fit and tidy for the conference? Or, if not for the conference, ready to actually submit?

Here's wishing you a great Labor Day doing something more fun than proposal writing. (Unless you consider proposal writing fun. If so, email me and I'll pencil you in later in the afternoon.)

Wordle: signature

13 comments:

Jody Hedlund said...

Sounds like an ideal day! ;) Have fun with that! My proposal is done, and boy am I glad!

Jessica Nelson said...

Ack. I still need to do mine. But I already did one for a previous book, so I feel confident in doing this one. :-) Just hoping my blurb is hooky enough. *crossing fingers*

Have fun with yours! :-)

Sherrinda Ketchersid said...

Ugh, the ketchup girl is so not doing anything today. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't want to write...at all. I think I'm still in recovery from all that overtime in August and all I want to do it read and watch movies! My escapism of choice.

Katie Ganshert said...

My proposals are finished - and trust me, you'll be so proud of yourself when you're done. It's a great feeling.

Don't forget - a great comparable for BBTC is Camy Tang's first book in her Sushi series. The MC is haunted by a rape from her past. So yea, definitely use that one! email me if you have questoins on how you can highlight the similarities and differences!

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Hi, Jeannie!

I hope you're able to get a lot done today! My plan was to sit in the sun and read, but it's really cloudy here. So I might burrow inside and write instead. Fun! :0)

Have a great labor day!

Tana said...

The Hartline literary agency has some great tips for proposal writing! Good luck to you! I've already started praying for my blogging friends going to this great conference. Wish I was going too =(

Keli Gwyn said...

I hope your proposal comes together beautifully, Jeannie, and that it serves you well, leading to interest, requests and offers.

Eileen Astels Watson said...

I've got to do that yet, too. So what all do you include in yorus? I have an old one that I plan to start revising tomorrow when the kids get back to school, but I'm not sure if it's a good template or not.

Jeannie Campbell, LMFT said...

t. anne - i'm totally using the hartline one, too...but i've been including little tidbits offered from kaye dacus' website, rachelle gardner's, and terry burn's book, how to pitch and promote like a pro (free to those who took his online course and can be downloaded as an ebook very cheap on his website). it's really helped me flesh this baby out. :)

eileen - hope the above helps. :)

Danyelle L. said...

Good luck! Coming up with marketing strategies and anything of that ilk would be intimidating. Yay for almost being done!

Roni Loren said...

Good luck with the proposal. Don't work too hard on labor day!

Tabitha Bird said...

don't really understand the 'proposal' thing. This is different from a synopsis and a book pitch?

Sorry if that's a stupid question.

Jeannie Campbell, LMFT said...

ladies...i've finished it. and i think i came up with a pretty good idea for a series. :) thanks for all the well wishing.

tabitha - i'm certainly no expert, but it seems the proposal sort of encompasses both the synopsis and pitch. you want to have a hook in the synopsis, and you include your synopsis (different houses require different lengths). you include sample chapters, marketing analysis/strategies, comparables (books that are like/similar to yours), author bio, history of the manuscript....different places require different things.