This is the final post in our series breaking down every part of the nonfiction book proposal! Be sure to go back and read through the first four parts:

• Part 1: Your Project
• Part 2: Positioning
• Part 3: Platform
• Part 4: Promotion
• Part 5: Sample Materials

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Today we're talking about what to include for your sample materials: your Annotated Table of Contents, and at least two sample chapters from the book.

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Sample Materials

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For many agents and editors, the sample materials are the most important part of your proposal. You've done a great job talking about your book and selling it to them. You've convinced them that this is a good idea. Now they need to see the proof. This is where you show them that you can fulfill the promises you made in the earlier proposal sections.

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Annotated Table of Contents

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In your Annotated Table of Contents, you'll show an agent/editor how the transformation you described in Part 1: Your Project is actually going to play out, chapter by chapter. This is hard to do, but it's also a super helpful exercise for you as the author, because it forces you to do a lot of the thinking before you do a lot of the writing and helps you avoid getting stuck in the writing process later. It also shows the publisher that your content is robust enough to fill an average of 40,000 - 70,000 words, depending on how long you want your book to be.

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In the Annotated Table of Contents, you'll want to write about 150 - 200 words for each chapter, detailing that piece of the book's overall transformation. Share what the reader will learn, or what big plot point happens in this chapter and how the author/character changes because of it. Something has to change in every single chapter; that's what keeps the momentum of the book going. I encourage you to use index cards first and jot down ideas for each chapter as you're figuring out what will go in each chapter.

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Sample Chapters

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Here, an agent/publisher is looking for a taste of your writing style and proficiency. Can you tell an engrossing story? Is your writing logical and on-topic, or do you wander off-topic into tangents that will be uninteresting to the reader? Do you have a pretty decent handle on grammar, spelling, and writing conventions? The sample chapters are often where I see proposals fall apart; the author just isn't able to do what they promised. They're better about talking about it than actually doing it. That's why I highly recommend that aspiring authors work with a book coach or editor who specializes in proposals (like me! *shameless plug*) to help them make sure their writing is up to snuff.

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For nonfiction books, your sample chapters should total about 15% of your intended book - so if you're planning to write a 70,000 word memoir, you'll want to include about 10,500 words in your proposal. (Don't worry - these are just estimates; it doesn't have to be exact!) This might mean including two or four chapters, depending on how you've decided to break up your book into chapters.

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Including your Introduction is always a good idea, because a good introduction (much like the overview of your proposal) lays out the big picture transformation for the reader. Chapter 1 may also be a good chapter to include - but if there's another later chapter that shows a critical plot point in your memoir or information for the book, that may be a better sample to include.

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For fiction books, you'll actually want to have the entire book written. Yes, really! The end of a fiction book can make or break the entire book, so a publisher wants to see that you'll deliver from start to finish.

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Phew! I know all of this is a lot of information, and it's hard to envision how it all may come to life. If you need help putting this into practice, I would love to help you with coaching, ghostwriting, or editing your proposal. Just head over to my Work With Me page to contact me for more information!

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