Do you have a nonfiction book idea? If you’re reading this, chances are you do. But here’s the thing. This idea you have is not guaranteed to become anything. If you don’t do something with it, in time your idea will fade away.

And maybe that’s okay. Maybe it’s not an idea you care very much about. If so, let it go. No shame in that.

But if you really do like this idea and you really do want to write this book, it’s important to take action.

Dreams in Need of Action

Sometimes I wonder if writers’ heads are where books go to die. That may sound harsh, but I regularly talk with writers who have really compelling book concepts. They share their vision with me, including a possible title perhaps, and I’m impressed. I do nothing but encourage them to follow through. Then weeks go by, and weeks turn into months turn into years.

I might see them again and ask whatever happened to that book idea. Sometimes the writer has deliberately made a decision to focus her efforts elsewhere, but more often the book did not get written because the writer got distracted. The idea never made its way from head to paper.

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The distance between idea and book can be lengthy, and so your book runs the danger of going no further than your gray matter.

That’s sad because your book idea is worthwhile–for you and for many would-be readers. Todd Henry says the most valuable property in the world is not an oceanfront paradise but a cemetery because there are buried the unfulfilled dreams of countless creatives.

Tell you what. Let’s use this blog post to make a deliberate choice. This is your opportunity to jettison your book idea or take action on it. Let’s reject indecision and go one way or the other, right now. Ready? Take thirty seconds to decide. Go.

7 Reasons Writing a Book Proposal Is Your Next Step

Still with me? If you have decided to take action on your book idea, I want to suggest that you take the step of writing a book proposal. Why? Here are seven reasons:

1. Writing a book proposal takes the idea out of your head and begins to make it more concrete. It goes from your head to paper.
2. Structure precedes action. To write a book proposal is to imagine a structure for your book. Once you’ve imagined the structure, building it becomes easier.
3. Writing a proposal opens the door to discussions about your book idea–with your friends and writing peers but also with agents and publishers.
4. Writing a proposal opens the door to the possibility of a book contract. If you get a book deal and a check shows up in the mail, now you’ve really got some motivation to write the book. That’s exactly what happened to my friend and client Chuck Tate. You can read more about his story here.
5. Writing a proposal lengthens your imagination about it. When you go to the effort of describing the book, plotting the chapters, planning the promotion, the creative flywheel starts turning. Momentum builds, and again it’s just easier to cross the threshold of writing the book.
6. Writing a proposal will help you avoid mistakes. As you develop your idea in the process of writing the proposal, you’re likely to notice pitfalls and problems that you might have walked right into if you simply started writing the manuscript.
7. Writing a book proposal involves actual writing!

If you have a book idea that won’t go away, I hope you’ll take action and write a book proposal. Consider giving yourself a deadline for each element of your book proposal. Write your deadlines in your calendar.

Don’t know what the elements of a book proposal are? Click here to receive a copy of my book proposal guidelines. They have helped countless authors write contract-winning book proposals. You can do this!

Question: Do you have a book idea that you really care about? You can leave a comment by clicking here.