Course Details

Had enough of hustling magazine articles? Do you feel you're ready to try your hand at the nonfiction book but aren't sure how to proceed? Even the most successful and experienced freelancers suddenly find themselves lost when thrust into the unfamiliar world of book proposals, agents and publishers. Navigating this difficult but essential career segue requires learning a new set of rules about how to evaluate and refine your ideas, who to sell them to and how to close the deal.

"4-Week Book Proposal" is a four-session, workshop style course designed to walk students through the process of presenting their book idea, the elements of a compelling proposal, choosing an agent (Do you even need one? Big agency or small? And what about all that fine print in the contract?), and the other odds-and-ends of the book-selling process? Much of the workshop will entail reading the work of other students and providing constructive feedback. The goal is to have a polished proposal at the end of the course.

Week One: The Idea
Introduction to the elements of a book proposal, discussion of the book market, what makes a saleable idea and what are the common grounds for rejection. Students should bring to class a one page pitch that they would imagine sending to an agent, selling their book idea. These will be evaluated in class.

Week Two: The Pitch
Bring in a revised pitch letter (3-7 pages) as well as a chapter outline. These will be distributed to the class. Also discussed will be the other elements of a pitch - market analysis, author credentials (and "platform"), promotion strategies.

Week Three: The Agent 
Bring in Market Analysis and distribute to the class. Discussion of pitch letters from previous week. Introduction to finding an agent or publisher.

Week Four: The Deal
Bring in a list of potential agents or publishers for your book. Discussion of Market Analysis from previous week. Also discussed will be how to approach agents. What happens if they say "no. " And, more importantly, how to proceed when they say "yes." Final thoughts will be given on completing your proposal.

*Week 5/Week 6: Ready to Go!
Students will meet privately in prescheduled half-hour sessions to evaluate their finished proposal.

By the end of your course, you can expect to have learned:

• How to hone your book idea into a saleable commodity
• How to write an effective proposal
• How to evaluate and approach an agent, or in some cases, the publisher directly
• How to follow-through to the sale

Instructor Bio

Laurel House's Courses

Laurel House is the West Coast Editor for Fit Magazine and Fit Yoga Magazine. Additionally, her writing has appeared in Playboy, Men's Journal, Women's Health, Elite Traveler, First for Women, Spa, Healing Lifestyles and Spas, FHM, Alive, Vegetarian Times, L.A. Daily News, and Men's Health. Her first book, The Gurus' Guide to Serenity; A Me-Time Menu of Celebrity Stress Reducers was released in December 2004 by HarperCollins. She also co-wrote Raise the Barre; The Revolutionary 8-Week Program for Total Mind/Body Transformation (HarperCollins January 2006), has been hired to ghost-write several books on various topics ranging from interior design to fitness, and is currently co-writing another book that has yet to be publicly announced. In addition to her writing, Laurel has also appeared as an expert on The Today Show Weekend, Life and Style, Modern Girl's Guide to Life, and Soap Talk, as well as on ABC, FOX, and CBS morning shows.

Testimonials

I've taken writing seminars for 20 years from some of the top instructors in Los Angeles. Laurel House is one of the best. She speaks from a basis of hard-won, real-world experience about the esoteric field of ghostwriting. She provides both a broad knowledge of the realities of the publishing industry, and a shrewd sense of the writer's relationships with agents and book subjects alike. She's also completely candid about everything from 'How much money can I make?' to 'What are the hidden pitfalls to watch out for?' Highly recommended. -- Marcus Webb, President, Executive Speechwriter


"The seminar I attended was taught by Laurel House who was very informative, entertaining, and insightful. She gave the basic information without being long-winded, and she really focused on the information that a novice needs to know about. She was very realistic in her view of the industry and what an author or those aspiring to be one should expect of the publishing world. The time and money spent on the seminar was definitely worth it. Laurel is a wealth of information." -- Karen T. Gardoce, mortgage broker and aspiring author


"I thought Laurel was a doll, excellent speaker, knowledgeable (especially for her age -- she looked young). She was very energetic and enthusiastic and a picture of health. Her wealth of ideas was a bit intimidating and it seemed as if she had many fortuitous events that led to her success. Overall, I'd give that one an A+." -- Darcy Kimatian, freelance writer and former newspaper editor