Free guide for authors
Know exactly what your book is before you write another chapter.
The Book Proposal Process: what it takes, and why you should write one even if you never submit it.
Get the Free GuideSee what's insideFree guide for authors
The Book Proposal Process: what it takes, and why you should write one even if you never submit it.
Get the Free GuideSee what's insideDon't just take our word for it
"Summit's genius is getting people's books to be more than a book. They turn a book into a reflector. Like a candle in front of a huge parabolic mirror. They can spot the flickering flame and see the searchlight it really was all along."
Frank Bria
Authors we've worked with
"Her ability to let me just talk — and then ask exactly the right question."
Dayna Abraham
Author of Calm the Chaos (Simon & Schuster)
Her proposal had come back rejected. After working with Ann: a Simon & Schuster deal.
"I came to Ann as a friend. And got back a book that's changing children's lives."
Mary Barbera, Ph.D.
Author of Turn Autism Around (Hay House)
Worked with Ann on the book synopsis.
"Having Ann on your side makes a real difference. The heart and passion she puts into it — that is what changes everything for an author who wants to write a book."
Edith Shiro, Ph.D.
Author of The Unexpected Gift of Trauma (HarperCollins)
HarperCollins acquired and published the book.
"I was just blown away by your process. You took everything we gave you and made it into this beautiful book."
Cecilia Hilkey
The Perfectly Imperfect Family
Sold nearly 3,000 copies at launch and hit international bestseller status.
"That one decision to engage Ann as my book coach was the key decision that started the whole process moving in the right direction."
May Busch
Author of Visible
Became a #1 international bestseller.
"I was way overcomplicating it. Ann helped me just start — and before I knew it, I had a finished product I was proud of."
Jon Corteen
Author of The Profit Culture Formula and The Catfish Interview
Was told to build a course first. The book came first instead.
Recently published by Summit Press
The problem
It's the vision, the pitch, the reason you wanted to write the book in the first place. So you write the overview first.
And most authors write an overview that is vague, sprawling, and interchangeable with four other books, because they haven't yet done the work that would tell them where their book sits in the landscape.
You cannot articulate what makes your book different until you know precisely what it's different from.
What's at stake
A note from Ann
Hi, I'm Ann.
A stalled manuscript usually has one cause: a question nobody settled. Who is the reader? What is the argument? Why you?
The fix is boring, and it works. Do the homework before you write the book. This guide walks you through it, in the order that saves you the most rewriting.
Use it to build a proposal for an editor. Or keep it as the business plan for your book. Either way, you'll know what you've got.
Summit Press Publishers works with coaches, consultants, and executives publishing books as business assets. We write book proposals for authors pursuing traditional deals, and we publish the books that are better served by moving faster and staying in the author's control.
Ann
Ann Sheybani, Summit Press Publishers
P.S. We do both. We're a hybrid publisher, and we also write proposals for authors pursuing traditional deals. We have no reason to sell you one over the other.
The plan
Enter your email. We'll send you The Book Proposal Process.
Market analysis first. Then the outline. Then the overview. Then the bio, the promotion plan, and the sample chapters.
If it's strong and traditional is right for your book, submit it. If not, you now hold the business plan for your book.
What's inside
Every component of a book proposal is something a serious author should have settled before writing chapter one.
Get the Free GuideTell us where to send The Book Proposal Process.
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