What if you wrote a great book but nobody wanted to read it? That would be a catastrophe for you and your publisher. Which is precisely why a marketing section is included in every good book proposal.
THE MARKETING SECTION OF THE BOOK PROPOSAL
The marketing section in a book proposal is often the first thing that the marketing department looks at after the overview section. Once they know the title of the book and read the book hook (or what the book will be about) they want to know who will buy the book. This makes sense, doesn't it? If there's a huge market, that is, if there are millions of potential readers, then the marketing department will be eager to acquire your book. They'll call their acquiring editor and urge her to buy the book from your literary agent, and you'll get a nice advance.
THE TWO PARTS OF THE MARKETING SECTION
There are two parts to the marketing section of a book proposal.
1. The first paragraph is the biggest punch you have. Put more simply, it's the paragraph in which you tell us about your biggest market. Let's say you're writing a book entitled TEEN FASHION, then the first paragraph of your marketing section would say something like: "There are fourteen million teen boys and fifteen million teen girls in the United States alone. They will be the key buyers of TEEN FASHION. They will certainly want to know what their friends consider trendy, and TEEN FASHION will tell them, and show them with photos." These teens are your biggest market, and you hit the book proposal reader with this important fact in the first paragraph of your marketing section. Don't save the best for last -- come right out and fire your big guns right away.
2. The second part of the marketing section contains one or more paragraphs, and it lists and describes any other markets for your book. For example you could mention that dressmakers will want to own your book. Point out that teachers at fashion schools will also want to buy it. Hollywood costume designers will also be keen to have a copy. And libraries will certainly want to carry it. See how these markets are rather less persuasive than your first big market, those 29 million teens? But even though these markets are less substantial, you should mention them all because ultimately they will be potential buyers of the book.
The marketing section describes and quantifies your book's potential buyers. Don't worry if you're not sure that all these market segments will buy your book -- no one is really sure. Just assert it, and leave it at that. That's all you can do at this point, and that's all that your literary agent and editor are expecting you to do.
William Cane is the author of The Art of Kissing, translated into 19 languages. He taught English at Boston College for fourteen years and today is a widely sought-after speaker at colleges and universities nationwide. His Web site contains more insider writing advice for those wishing to get published: http://www.hiwrite.com/
Copyright © 2007 William Cane
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