How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal that Sells

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal that Sells
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WHEN Wednesday, May 28, 6:45-9:45 pm

WHERE University Settlement, 273 Bowery (at Houston), New York, NY 10002

PRICE
$65 ($50 for )
more info

Course Details

Agents and editors see hundreds of book proposals a year. Find out what captures their attention and demands their time (and money). Ideally, a lot of their money. In just three hours, a successful writer will guide you through everything you need to know about what makes a proposal sell.

This seminar will cover the following seven steps:

  • How to choose salable subject and concept
  • How to write the perfect pitch
  • Harbage shares a brilliant (and sold) proposal
  • How to write your own winning overview, bio, outline, sample chapter(s), market analysis, marketing/publicity plan
  • The three secrets of success: Revise, more revising, and revision
  • Sending your proposal out into the world
  • You've sold your book, now what?

Related Courses

Tell me when courses like this are scheduled.
Nonfiction Book Proposal Writing – New York (Class starts June 3)

Instructor Bio

Ryan Fischer Harbage's Courses

Nonfiction Book Proposal Writing – New York (Class starts June 3)

Ryan Fischer Harbage
Ryan Fischer Harbage edited books for Little, Brown & Company and the Penguin Group before joining Simon & Schuster to help create and launch a new imprint, Simon Spotlight Entertainment. Ryan edited Peter Singer's New York Times bestseller, The President of Good & Evil: The Ethics of George W. Bush, Farah Ahmedi's New York Times bestseller, The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Boston Globe Spotlight Team's Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church, among others. His opinions on books and writing have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Poets & Writers, Publisher's Weekly, and many others. He attended Kalamazoo College, The Radcliffe Publishing Course, and the writing and literature program at Bennington College.

Testimonials


Ryan showed us the sections that should be included, told us the counterintuitive things agents and editors look for, and explained how to write a pitch letter. I went home feeling pumped, and spent hours polishing up my proposal. I wrote a pitch letter and in the morning when I checked my email, all of the agents had responded. I got to pick my favorite and, two months later, my proposal went out to editors. I now have a book deal with Touchstone Fireside, and the perfect editor who completely gets my vision. -- Kate Torgovnick, author

"The seminar with Ryan Fischer Harbage was quite inspirational. Any aspiring writer should sign up for this class. Ryan gives great insight into the do's and don'ts in dealing with agents and editors in a variety of genres." -- Mercedes Vizcaino, Photo Editor, All You Magazine

"I have nothing but compliments about Ryan's seminar -- it was fantastic! I came away enthused about the industry, about my prospects as a future author and jazzed to have been surrounded by so many bright, creative peers." -- Emma Johnson, freelance reporter and writer

"As usual, another wonderful seminar presented by mediabistro! I though Ryan presented a most thoughtful and in-depth lecture on writing book proposals and my questions, and more, were definitely answered during the Q & A period." -- Taylor Ashley

"Ryan was great! He's clearly very experienced and knowledgeable. He also has an intelligent, straightforward, and lovely way about him. I left feeling much clearer about exactly what I need to do in order to complete my proposal and get it out to agents." -- Lisa Zamosky, freelancer
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