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Nonfiction Book Proposal Workshop
Take that great book idea and learn how to sell it
Course Details
Selling a book in today's competitive marketplace takes more than just a good idea and writing know-how. To get the attention of busy agents and editors, you've got to show some savvy about your competition, your audience, and the climate in which you're writing. That's where the book proposal comes in. It's the standard document used to sell nonfiction book ideas to publishing houses. There is a basic formula for them, and it isn't hard to learn. But often the basics just aren't enough. In order to get someone to stop and spend time considering your proposal, you have to know what people are expecting as well as how to impress them. In this one-night workshop -- limited to 12 students -- you'll learn what publishers and agents are looking for and the finer points of writing a book proposal that sells. We'll spend most of the class workshopping your proposal-in-progress. Application Requirements: Related CoursesTell me when courses like this are scheduled. | ||
Instructor BioChrista Bourg's Courses Nonfiction Book Proposal Workshop – New York
Nonfiction Book Writing – New York (Class starts June 11)
Nonfiction Book Writing: Advanced – New York (Class starts September 9)  Some recent titles include Dress Your Best, French Cats Don't Get Fat, The Dysfunctional Family Christmas Songbook, The Great American Citizenship Quiz, Haiku U., Latin for All Occasions, The Booklover's Repair Kit, I've Got Your Back, At Home With Art, The Junior League cookbook series, and many more. Christa is also a freelance writer, editor, and proposal doctor. She is currently co-authoring a book entitled The Education of a Very Young Madam, which will be published by Scribner in 2007. Testimonials This class made the daunting process of crafting a book proposal so much more manageable. Weekly writing assignments kept me on track moving forward. And regular in-class feedback helped hone and shape my idea into a solid, marketable proposal. -- Jessica DuLong"I took Christa Bourg's class, and without exaggeration, it changed my life. Thanks to Christa's teaching skills as well as the friendly group dynamic that came out of workshopping our proposals, I was inspired to write a complete, polished proposal for my book, Becoming A Bad Girl: My Pursuit of Wicked Women. As a result, by February I had signed on with the Zachary Shuster Harmsworth literary agency, and I'm well on my way to finding a publisher. Thank you, Christa & mediabistro! -- Joyce Hanson, author "Christa Bourg is an excellent and dedicated teacher. Her class was well structured, and in that time she was able to guide us through each section of our proposals and workshop them thoroughly with us. In addition to her own comments and editorial help, Christa encouraged a really helpful class atmosphere and the support and interest from the group was incredibly useful. I came out of the class feeling confident in my proposal and happy that Christa not only prepared us with an informed and realistic picture of the publishing industry but also gave us tools to help us navigate the business." -- Elise MacAdam "Christa Bourg's class really brought my book project to a new level. She gave everyone in the class equal time to develop and workshop their material. Then with her expert knowledge, she coached all of us into a better, more enlightened, place in our writing. Without Christa my manuscript would still be gathering dust in a forgotten file drawer." -- Lisa Peterson "Writing a book is a huge undertaking, and being part of a group of people that are all making the same commitment makes it much more enjoyable -- and less daunting. During the class, I had an opportunity to workshop a piece that will be published soon in a magazine, and the feedback and structure improved my work significantly!" -- Judy Kamilhor |
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