In order to enable Pearson Education to consider your work as effectively as possible, we have suggested a structure for your proposal to give us the information we need to make the right decision. Using it will help you to think about your project in a clear and structured way and may even provide a framework for your book.
A proposal should contain the following information:
If your idea is at an earlier stage and you have not yet produced a full proposal, why not road test your idea? You can submit your idea and we will let you know if we think it is worth taking your idea further or not. To road test your idea, please
contact us with your idea.
These guidelines are intended to give us a clear and accurate idea of your project. Your proposal will be sent to the relevant Editorial Director and they will pass it on to the relevant publisher. We will try to give you some feedback as soon as we can, although please do understand that it may take a little time. Let us know if your idea is of a particularly urgent nature, or if it is under consideration by another publisher.
Once we've spoken to you about your proposal, it may be sent for review to professionals or academics in the target area. A positive reception of your proposal by the reviewer will assure confidence in the saleability of your book. It will also garner the kinds of constructive criticism that will help you write a book with the greatest possible appeal.
Thank you for considering Pearson Education in your publishing plans.
Structure of a proposal
A proposal should have the following structure. Hints and tips are included so that you know what we are looking for in a proposal.
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Proposal title
The title should sell the book. It should have an impact like the headline of an advert. It could make the difference to the commercial success of the book. Think of the benefits your book offers the reader.
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Pitch
Remember that if your proposal becomes a book, Sales Representatives may only have a very short amount of time to convince a bookseller to buy your book, as little as 30 seconds.
Think in soundbites. Add relevant statistics, quotes or even anecdotes if they are relevant and effective.
Here are some questions to consider for this section.
- What benefits does your book offer the reader?
- What problems does your book solve for them?
- What makes your book unique?
- Why are you the right person to write this book?
- Is your book topical or an essential perennial?
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Target market
Who will buy the book? What do these people do, read and think? Where are they? How do we reach them?
Consider whether you have a primary market and a secondary market (your book may be adopted as a text for a course for example).
Does your book have local or global appeal? If it is an international book, it will need international examples.
How do you think the market will change over the next year, and the next three years?
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Outline
What is your vision of the book? The purpose of the outline is to show us that you can structure your book, you can excite us with the proposed contents and you can impress us with your writing style.
The outline shows that you have really thought the book through. It helps us to understand the structure, the contents and the technical level. Please include the following:
- Chapter headings which reflect the chapter content and entice the reader.
- A couple of sample chapters which illustrate your style, approach and content.
- A full and detailed table of contents, complete with notes on chapter contents and subheadings, topics covered and technical matter included.
- Describe any technological contents and their context.
- How you will make the book practical and relevant to the reader. Will it include special features such as case studies, examples or trial versions of software?
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Marketing features
In an increasingly crowded and competitive book market, you can give your book a head-start by providing the following marketing features.
- A professional successful book will certainly need positive endorsements for the cover. Do you have contacts with well known people who would be willing to write a foreword or endorsement for your book? Typical endorsers might include commentators, academics or business people from your target market. You need to secure quotes before publication so please list only those whose support you have a realistic chance of winning.
- Are you planning to include any high-profile case studies or interviews which will enhance your books marketability?
- Will the book contain any noteworthy big ideas, fascinating facts, new techniques or memorable models that might feature in press releases or promotion campaigns?
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Author
Do not enclose your CV. Think what it would say about you on the cover of your book instead.
- What are your areas of expertise and how was this acquired?
- How long have you been working in this area?
- Have you ever presented or taught the material to other professionals?
- Have you any previous writing experience?
- Do you have any links with major business or academic institutions?
- What makes you ideally qualified to write this book?
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Competition
A good exercise is to look around bookshops (including online ones) and list the three most comparable books to your own. Please include the title, author, publisher and price. What do you admire about them? What will you do different and better?
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Delivery details
How long will it be? (200-250 pages is usually around 65,000 words.) How many illustrations and visuals do you want to include? Have you considered supplementing the book with material on a website or CD? If so, can you describe the contents and how they add value to your book?
When do you envisage finishing the final manuscript? It is very important to be realistic here. For example, it is useless to publish a book aimed at schools and colleges in September, when it was originally intended to be published in March. This kind of slippage can be disastrous for sales.
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Sales pitch test
In 25 words or less, summarise your book's pitch.
What are the five most compelling messages your book will contain? Imagine you are in a presentation: what question would you ask to engage your audience?
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Personal details
Please include full contact details, including e-mail address and telephone number.
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Submitting a proposal electronically
If you wish to submit a proposal electronically, please note the following:
- The proposal should be in one file.
- Our preferred file format is Word for Windows.
- Your file should be named using your first name and last name, e.g. joebloggs.doc to ensure that it has a unique name.
- Please note that the file size should be no more than 750 kB. If your file is larger than this, an error will be generated and the file will not be sent to us.
And finally...
The four most common reasons why we turn down a new book proposal are:
- The book represents content in search of an audience. We prefer our books to begin with a clear and purposeful focus on improving business life for the reader. Elegant theories and elaborate models can be seductive to authors and publishers alike, but we have to be convinced that the book will deliver real benefits to real people.
- The book is not based on sufficient research or practical market experience to give credibility to the new ideas or agendas that it advances. A few successful consulting projects with local firms or a university thesis are rarely sound platforms for an authentic and authoritative book.
- The book has only a short effective shelf-life.
- The book is pitched at the lowest end of the business market, where content is commoditized and price competition is decisive. We publish with elite brands and concentrate on the sectors of the market where the value we add can make a difference.
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