Every week, I help you develop great book ideas, structure your book, and navigate the publishing industry. You’ll often find new articles written by me, publishing news, resources from other authors and thought leaders, templates & tools for writing, book recommendations, and sundry updates on life and reading!
Build the Confidence to Write Your Book Proposal
Hello, friends!
I have to tell you about what happened when my friend Liz and I (that's us on the left!) started writing our book proposal. Even though she and I have each written dozens of proposals by now, even though proposals we’ve written have been accepted by publishers and gotten authors book deals, when it came to writing our own proposal…
I got scared.
I feel the butterflies now just thinking about it!
It’s a lot easier to have confidence when you’re helping someone else out. But when you’re trying to advocate for your own ideas??
YIKES. To say the least.
And this is coming from someone who has spent years evaluating book proposals, studying their various components, and teaching others how to write them.
It turns out that no matter how much experience you have with something, when the stakes are different—when your own ideas are on trial—it’s just intimidating.
But we did it.
Thankfully, I’ve learned a lot from Albert Bandura’s research about how to build your confidence to do something, and I’ve become much more intentional about how I take on new challenges. Writing this book proposal was no different! Here’s what worked for us, and what the research says will work for you, too:
| Read More |
An Invitation
If you attended either of the webinars I did recently with Jeff Goins, then you heard about a new group coaching program he and I are offering. The program is 90 days, or 12 weeks (February 1 - April 19), and in it we’ll be meeting as a small group every Wednesday for an hour. We want to give you the chance to craft your book proposal with all of the training, support, and encouragement we can to help make you successful.
We’ve designed this program to build your confidence in all the same ways Liz and I did above:
- We break it up into manageable chunks every week
- You get to do it with friends!
- We support you with professional insights, training, and personalized feedback on your proposal
- We encourage you to take care of yourself throughout the process
We’ve coached dozens of authors through this process before—and we’ve done it ourselves—so we know it works! We’re limiting it to 10 spots, and we have just a few more left.
Is it time for your book proposal to get out into the world?
| Learn more & sign up here |
Subscriber Survey Results
A few weeks ago, I asked you all to fill out a survey on what you’re hoping to see more of from me. Thank you so much to everyone who filled it out! Let’s debrief these results…
What you want to hear more about:
- Editing your own writing and working with an editor (free webinar + masterclass coming soon!)
- Building your self-efficacy and confidence as a writer (I got you. See article above! :) )
- Mapping your books (article coming soon)
- Book proposals (also see article above - lol)
What you don’t want to hear as much about:
- Writing (historical) narrative nonfiction (sad day… this is my favorite genre!)
- Memoir structure (good to know! I thought this would be more popular!)
- Publishing industry news and insights (Ouch. I hear you, but I might have to sneak in some relevant info from time to time! I can’t help myself!)
You’re really hoping for more resources like…
- A checklist for editing yourself
- A checklist for going through the publishing process
- Example book maps (SO MUCH YES!)
- Writing habit tracker (100%!)
I love all of these ideas, and rest assured I am working on creating some fun things for you—and bringing in some of my expert friends to help!
In the comments, several people also asked for…
- A book proposal template (You’ll get this plus so much more in the book proposal coaching group I’m leading with Jeff Goins - starts February 1 and it’s not too late to join!)
- More success stories of authors who have “made it” This is exactly what we’re trying to do on the Hungry Authors podcast when we interview successful authors!)
- More help getting your book published (I so feel this!! I’m in the trenches with you!)
I’ve had a lot of new friends sign up in the last couple weeks (WELCOME!), so if you didn’t get a chance to fill out the survey and still want to, I would love to hear what would be most helpful to you as well. You can still fill out the survey here.
More for You
Government Docs are Getting a Facelift!
Apparently, the U.S. Government is phasing out the use of Times New Roman in official documentation in favor of a more modern, accessible font: Calibri. It seems like such a minor issue, and yet it’s causing quite the stir! What was most surprising to me in this Mashable article was the revelation that Times New Roman itself has only been in official use since 2004, when it replaced Courier New 12 as the font for U.S. government documents. Fascinating!
Tell me: How do you feel about Times New Roman? Do you have a favorite font?
Get Paid for Your Writing
Let me tell you, there is one thing I see over and over again in my research into how published authors get book deals: They don’t wait for a book deal to start publishing their work! They often start by getting bylines in major publications, just as my friend Ericka has. So I love that she’s hosting a free webinar on Monday called Brainstorm to Brilliant: Turn Your Writing Ideas Into Paid Pieces in 2023. I’ve learned so much from Ericka over the last year about writing articles and pitching publications. I’ve even had a handful of pieces published myself, thanks to her training! So if you want to be a published author, do yourself a favor and sign up for this class.
Do you really have to dance on TikTok to sell your book?
It’s every writer’s nightmare: the pressure to build a “platform” while also trying to write a book. This dilemma is particularly vexing for all of us introverts who hate performing in front of other people. Social media often feels like our arch nemesis. That’s why I really appreciated this article from fellow introvert Julie Vick over on Jane Friedman’s blog. She talks about ways that introverts can use the skills they have to promote their book, while staying inside their comfort zone!! Tell me more.
What's Bringing Me Joy
- Projecting myself into the future when I’ll be seeing A Man Called Otto this weekend! It’s based on the book A Man Called Ove, by my favorite Swedish author Fredrik Backman, and stars Tom Hanks. Friends, I cried just watching the trailer. Have you seen it yet? Will you?
- To be honest, my cat. She has no tail, and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. She also loves cuddling and being on our laps, so my husband and I fight all the time about who gets to hold her. (Him, currently. But I'll go steal her soon!)
- Reading the encouraging reviews that so many people left for the Hungry Authors podcast! You know who you are, and I can't thank you enough. If you haven't listened yet, you can listen to it here.
I think that's plenty for today, no? I hope you have a wonderful writing weekend!
Ariel
Ariel Curry, Writer & Book Coach
Every week, I help you develop great book ideas, structure your book, and navigate the publishing industry. You’ll often find new articles written by me, publishing news, resources from other authors and thought leaders, templates & tools for writing, book recommendations, and sundry updates on life and reading!
Hi friends, This week I’m bringing you something special I recorded just for you. A couple weeks ago, I taught an in-person class called “Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing: What’s Right for You?” I received SEVERAL emails and DMs asking me if I planned on teaching it online sometime, and I thought, “You know, that’s a great idea.” Plus, we had a ton of fun and this is a topic that I am SUPER passionate about! The truth is, there is NO right way to publish your book. Both traditional...
Friends, this week I am celebrating because Liz and I turned in the draft of the Hungry Authors manuscript to our editor! *cue the happy dance!* The last few weeks have been an absolute marathon of writing and editing, with a few dark moments when it felt like things just weren’t coming together fast enough. It’s not quite over because I still have a major ghostwriting deadline on Monday, but I’m carrying myself with more lightness and breath as the finish line is in sight! This week, I’ve...
What’s your book about? It’s the first question you’ll be asked after you shyly confess that you’re a writer. We all know it’s coming, like a script from a bad movie. The problem is… what’s your line? They’re looking at you with polite interest or maybe genuine curiosity and excitement. You start sweating. You know this is when you’re supposed to have your elevator pitch ready—that thing you were supposed to perfect and polish and spend hours practicing in front of a mirror to be ready for...