Loose Change

No, not marriage or naughty ones…I mean the proposals you submit to a publisher.  While most publishers want complete manuscripts before accepting first contracts, many houses use proposals in-house for future submissions from an already established author.  I’ve recently had the good and bad experience of sorting through far more proposals than I expected for an upcoming holiday theme. Apparently the theme hit the switch for authorial imagination.  (Here’s hoping it does the same for readers, but that still remains to be seen.)  I had at least double what I expected.

Which brings me to what a publisher looks for in a proposal. In most cases, no matter how open -- or closed-- to contracting on proposal the house is, if a publisher accepts on proposal you have a great rep or a great proposal or both.

I can’t answer for your reputation (thank heaven) but I can suggest a few things that will make your proposal stand out from a crowd.

Even if the proposal has a short turn around and you’re excited about the concept,  think about it first.  Where is the story going to go?  Does this plot fit the theme suggested and can you write that plot in the time and length allotted?

The ideal proposal is going to be detailed enough so the editor can figure out the highlights of the plot and whether it will fit the required need.  If you have time to add a chapter or so, that’s even better.  The more the editor knows, the better for everyone.

The proposal arrives on time.  If you can’t get the proposal on time, how will you get the entire ms. there?

It’s possible that you have a great proposal and it still isn’t accepted for reasons totally outside your control (a similar story is planned for the next month, the theme is scrapped for some other reason.)  See if your proposal can be tweaked so that it would work anyhow – if not for that holiday or that theme, for another.

Remember no proposal is wasted.  A publisher hates to turn down a good idea.