The most obvious benefit of writing a nonfiction book proposal is it could lead to a book contract.

But several other benefits are less obvious; the purpose of this article is to share what they are. Ready? Here we go!

Writing a book proposal . . .

1. Gives you space to dream. Think of your book proposal like a creative play space—a place to try things out, see what works and what doesn’t.
2. Helps you get clear on the need your book is addressing. Fully half of coming up with a great book idea—one that will sell and find an audience—is knowing intimately the problem your book solves.
3. Gives you an excuse to research other books in the space. Your book will not exist in a vacuum. Take some time to get the lay of the land. And you can include the relevant books you research in the competitive analysis part of your book proposal.
4. Provides a place to nail down how your book is unique and noteworthy. What makes your book unlike the other books in the market? That’s important to know, and when you’re writing your book proposal is a great time to figure this out.
5. Helps you choose an audience. My industry friends in marketing will tell you again and again how important it is to pick a particular tribe to whom you’re writing. Others will self-select and come along for the journey, but if you don’t pick an audience, you’ll miss everybody.
6. Gives you space to play with titles. When you’re clear on the unique way your book addresses a particular need for a particular audience, it’s time to brainstorm some titles. Pick the best one for the cover page and list some runners-up as alternatives early in the proposal.
7. Brings your book out of “the ether” to the printed page. As you work on your proposal, the book is no longer simply “up here” (taps on his head). It’s taking shape in space-time reality!
8. Helps you articulate the vision and purpose your book. An essential part of any book proposal is the brief description, a three- to five-paragraph vision/purpose statement.
9. Gives you a chance to develop a strong book hook. Once you’ve written a brief description, it’s a good idea to write a “book hook,” a one-sentence attention grabber! Drop this in just above your brief description.
10. Gives you a chance to hear what resonates with your readers and what doesn’t. As you work on your book proposal, it’s a good idea to invite others into process. I know several writers who host book concept parties—to run ideas by them and get feedback.
11. Provides an opportunity to develop a supportive community for your book. As you invite your friends, followers, and subscribers into the process of developing and writing the book, they will naturally become fans of and evangelists for your book.

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

12. Helps you avoid unnecessary mistakes. As you work on your proposal and talk about it with others, you’re very likely to get useful feedback that keeps you from mistakes you otherwise might have made.
13. Takes a lot less time than writing a manuscript. Amen? Amen! When it comes to nonfiction, you don’t need to write a full manuscript to begin pitching your book to agents and publishers. All you need is a book proposal.
14. Helps you identify why you’re a credible authority for your topic. Your proposal will need to include your bio. Writing your bio is a chance to establish for yourself and others why you’re a trustworthy source for the topic on which you’re writing.
15. Forces you to draft a structure for you book. Your proposal should include a table of contents and chapter-by-chapter synopsis. Remember: as an author, you are an experience architect. It’s time to design that experience.

16. Prompts you to imagine the transformative journey of each chapter. This is the good stuff. What will the experience of reading your book feel like? What will it do for the reader?
17. Prompts you to take stock of your platform and promotional connections. You probably have more influence and promotional leverage than you give yourself credit for. The platform section of your proposal is where you can brainstorm all your different networks.
18. Provides an opportunity to think about how you can grow your platform in support of your book. Right after the platform section should be a marketing plan in four parts: pre-prelaunch, prelaunch, launch, and post-launch. For the pre-prelaunch section, I recommend focusing on a strategy for growing your platform. Publishers appreciate knowing that an author has specific plans for platform growth.
19. Gives you a space to think about how you’ll engage a launch team in the months before and during release. When it comes to the prelaunch phase, it’s all about your launch team. How will you incentivize and mobilize your team to promote your book?
20. Helps you imagine what would it will be like to promote your book. Imagine your book shows up on your doorstep and people can buy it! Now what? Don’t be caught flat-footed. Your proposal is an opportunity to plan out exactly what you’ll do in the first weeks of publication.
21. Prompts you to think about how to give your book a long tail. Good books launch well. Great books sell for years and years. Why not think ahead about how you’ll continue to promote your book for a long time to come?
22. Gives you space to imagine what the reader’s next step should be after your book. Your book is going to touch lives, but what comes next? You probably have some ideas about that. As you complete your book proposal, be thinking about where you can send readers when they complete your book. A website? A curriculum? A community?
23. Prompts you to begin writing your book! Your book proposal will need to include two to three sample chapters. Get cracking, braver writer!
24. Helps you think through what your next book might be. Why not give publishers an opportunity to consider sending you a multibook deal!?

I hope this list proves to you the value of writing a book proposal.

It’s absolutely essential if you’re pursuing a traditional book deal, but it’s a great idea even if you’re self-publishing. Writing a book proposal is to my mind the best planning device available for getting a book into the world.

Question: Which of these 24 benefits do you like the most? You can leave a comment by clicking here.