For nonfiction and memoir authors
Book Proposal Template and Example
A nonfiction book proposal template for pitching agents and publishers: every section with its job and target length, plus a worked example.
Section by section
What each section of a book proposal has to prove
Every proposal does the same jobs, though agents and presses order the sections differently and some fold several into one. Here is each job beside what two literary agencies, the University of New Mexico Press (UNM Press) and publishing commentator Jane Friedman ask for.
| Section | What it has to prove | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Why this book matters now, to whom, and why you should write it. | Two or three paragraphs, 500 words or less (TW Literary), or about two to three pages (Friedman). Dystel, Goderich & Bourret's formula opens with "a brief dramatic anecdote." |
| Target audience | The readers who will buy it first, described by their situation or problem. | The people "easiest to convince" (Friedman), not census or search-result counts. Dystel wants the audience described "both demographically and statistically." |
| Comparable titles | Readers already buy books like yours, and yours gives them something new. | 3 to 5 (UNM Press) or 5 to 10 (Friedman). Give each one's author, title, publisher and year of first publication (Dystel). |
| About the author | You are the right person to write it, and people already listen to you. | Credentials, past publications and "what uniquely equips you to write this book" (UNM Press). |
| Marketing and promotion | You can reach readers yourself, with or without the publisher's help. | Only what you "can and will do," with numbers attached to everything (Friedman). |
| Chapter outline | The book is planned from the first chapter to the last. | "No more than a couple of sentences" per chapter (Dystel), up to 3,000 words in all (Friedman), or 3 to 20 pages (TW Literary). |
| Sample chapters | You can write the book the proposal promises. | The first one or two chapters, not the introduction (TW Literary). Friedman suggests the opening for a memoir, and your most impressive chapter if the book isn't a narrative. |
From Jane Friedman's proposal guide1 and the proposal guidelines of UNM Press3, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret4 and TW Literary5 (Ted Weinstein Literary Management), checked October 29, 2026. Quoted words are theirs. Where an agent's own guidelines differ, follow the agent.
How it works
How do you write a book proposal?
A book proposal has to sell your nonfiction book, often before much of it is written. Publishing commentator Jane Friedman1 calls it "a business case for why your book should exist." The biggest mistake, she says, is focusing on what the book is about instead of why it matters right now to its readers. Literary agent Lucinda Halpern2 says a proposal must show three things: "clear writing, a big idea, and some sort of audience on which to depend."
A well-researched proposal can take weeks or longer, Friedman notes. Start where she suggests, with comparable titles: researching the shelf clarifies your idea and shows who already reads books like yours. Next, describe the readers who will buy it first, and build the bio and marketing plan from numbers you can show today. Outline every chapter (the nonfiction book outline template helps), then write the sample. Save the overview for last, as she advises. Done well, it can become the basis of your query letter.
Agents and editors weigh evidence, so give real counts for your newsletter, classes or talks, and name only comps you have read. Leave out anything you only hope to do. In Friedman's examples, "I plan to contact conferences" is weak; having spoken at three events in the past year, reaching 5,000 people in your target audience, is strong. Write the sample chapter yourself, since it proves you can write the book. Check each publisher's AI policy too: UNM Press3, for one, does not currently accept manuscripts containing AI-generated content.
How it works
From idea to proposal
Download it or open it in River
Download both Word documents with no signup, or click Edit with AI to open the template in River.
Describe your book
Optional. Add a line or notes about the book and its reader, and River drafts the overview, audience and chapter outline.
Fill in what only you know
Add your credentials, platform counts and comps you have read. The author bio template helps with the bio.
Write the sample chapter
Pick a chapter from your outline that shows off your writing, as Dystel, Goderich & Bourret4 advises, then go through the checklist at the end.
Book proposal · THE SHADY PLOT
- OverviewMost vegetable guides assume full sun. THE SHADY PLOT is for the gardener with a north-facing yard, a neighbor's oak, or a balcony between towers. It teaches readers to measure the light they actually have, pick crops that fit it, and plan beds that produce. About 60,000 words, with photographs and planting charts.
- AudienceUrban and suburban gardeners shaded by trees or buildings; community-garden members handed the plot nobody wants; new homeowners who just learned why the last owner grew hostas.
- Chapter outline1. Map Your Light: measure direct sun per bed before buying a seed. 2. Leaves First: the crops that tolerate the least light. 3. Borrowed Sun: reflect, prune and move containers.
- About the authorMaster Gardener volunteer who coordinates a shaded community garden. 1,400 newsletter subscribers; six workshops a year, 25 seats each. Numbers invented for this example.
What you'll get
Every proposal section agents ask for, with a worked example
- Every section agents ask for, in order
- A worked example proposal to copy from
- Each section's length, and where agents differ
Before and after
Your idea in. Overview and chapters started.
A practical guide to growing vegetables in shady yards, for gardeners under trees or tall buildings.
Overview: [Opening hook: a short true story, or a striking fact you can source] Most vegetable guides assume a sunny yard. This one is for gardeners under trees or tall buildings. It shows them how to measure the light each bed gets, choose crops that fit it, and harvest from beds other books write off. [Why you are the person to write it] Chapter 1: Map Your Light. The reader measures how many hours of direct sun each bed gets before buying a single seed. Chapter 2: Leaves First. The reader starts with the crops that need the least light.
Slots in brackets are yours to fill. River never invents comps, credentials or numbers.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the book proposal template
- Book Proposal
The document you fill in: title page to sample chapter, each section with its job, a target length and prompts. - Example Proposal: The Shady Plot
A proposal for an invented gardening book, section by section, through the opening of its sample chapter. - Comparable titles
A slot for each comp's title, author, publisher and year, what it does well and how yours differs. - About the author and marketing
Prompts for counts you can show today, such as newsletter readers or workshop attendance, and only plans you can deliver. - Where agents differ
At the end of the example: total length, number of comps, chapter summaries and overview length, each with its source. - Before you send
Five checks closing the proposal, from the agent's section order to one clean file named with your title and surname.
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What is a book proposal?
A book proposal is the document that sells a nonfiction book to an agent or publisher, usually before it is finished. Ted Weinstein's agency, TW Literary, lists seven parts5: an overview, target audiences, the author's bio, comparable titles, marketing and promotion, a detailed table of contents and sample chapters. Novels are usually finished first, then pitched with a query letter and synopsis.
How long should a book proposal be?
There is no fixed length. Jane Friedman says most run 10 to 25 double-spaced pages before the sample chapters, and complex projects can reach 50 pages or more with samples. Literary agent Lucinda Halpern puts a typical nonfiction proposal at 30 to 60 pages2. Give each section what it needs, then check the agent's guidelines.
How many comparable titles should a book proposal include?
Usually 3 to 10. UNM Press3 asks for 3 to 5 competing titles. Jane Friedman suggests 5 to 10, or just a few for a niche topic, from well-known publishers with some success in the market. She warns never to claim there are none. Give each one's author, publisher and year, and say how yours differs without running it down.
Do I need to finish my book before writing a proposal?
Not for most nonfiction: a publisher can sign the book from the proposal and pay you to write it. Memoir varies: Jane Friedman notes that some agents may ask unpublished memoirists for the complete manuscript, sometimes alongside the proposal. A memoir outline helps you plan the whole story. If an agent asks for a proposal, you need one even when the book is finished.
What if I don't have a big platform?
Show what you have, with real numbers: the class you teach, the newsletter you send, the talks you give. Jane Friedman says a major publisher typically wants an author visible to tens of thousands of people, while smaller presses may be fine selling a few thousand copies. The book launch and author platform template turns your reach into a named list of contacts.
Is this book proposal template free?
Yes. Download both Word documents, the proposal and the worked example, with no account or signup. Edit with AI opens the same template in River, which is free to start. There you can fill it in, edit it or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
What does Edit with AI do?
It opens the proposal and the worked example in your River workspace. Describe your book in a line or in notes, and River drafts the overview, target audience and chapter outline, keeping your title, chapters and wording. Credentials, platform numbers, comps and dates stay as slots unless you supplied them. Ask for comps, and it checks that each one exists before suggesting it.
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