Top 5 Book Proposal Mistakes Food Creators Make and How to Avoid Them
Photo by Elevae Visuals
A book proposal is no joke. With most of them taking anywhere from 6 to 8 months, it’s an enormous investment of time and energy. Especially if you decide to write it on your own.
I’ll often have potential clients tell me they want to work on their book proposal by themselves, and then want to hire me. Some say it’s a cost issue, while others want the satisfaction of doing it solo. And I get it. A book proposal seems like something you should be able to figure out all by yourself. But as a cookbook and food memoir coach who reads A LOT of works in progress, zero book proposals have crossed my desk that don’t need total rewrites.
But there are a few stumbling blocks every writer hits. They’re things that agents or publishers will tell you after you submit your proposal, but it’s not the stuff you can really Google. So, here are the top 5 mistakes food creators make with their book proposals and how to quickly fix them.
1. Using “I Will” statements for your entire promotional plan
The trickiest part of your promotional plan is figuring out how you’re going to promote a book you haven’t even written yet. And with some books being published anywhere from 2-3 years after the book deal’s signed, who knows what you’d be doing to sell your book then? So, it’s easy to understand why people talk about the things they will do to promote their book.
Only problem is they’re talking about things they should be doing now.
For example, a lot of people say they’ll start a newsletter to get pre-sale orders with tons of fun freebies and collaborations. They all say people will be excited to sign up because their audience has been asking for a cookbook. But just because people say they want you to write a cookbook doesn’t mean they’ll buy it. And pretty much every food creator who adds this in a book proposal either doesn’t have an email newsletter or is inconsistent with the one they have.
So, turn those “I will” statements into a to-do list:
Start that newsletter and grow your email list. It’s the best marketing tool you can use for converting subscribers into buyers. (And if you need help, you can join my free 5 day course Writing Gold to get you started.)
Want to use local morning television to promote your cookbook? Segment producers are constantly looking for stories, and most TV stations make it super easy to pitch them through their websites. Build a relationship with them now, so it’s an easy “yes” to have you on when your book comes out.
Would you love to pitch publications? I believe every book idea is in a magazine pitch, and it’s a good way to flex those writing skills. Plus, you form media connections, and you could even get a bigger book advance depending on where your stories end up.
You may need to pause writing your book proposal to gain momentum with this. Once you have turned most of your “I will” statements into things you’re doing now, you can reframe your promotional plan. Ex.: As a regular guest on Nashville’s News Channel 5’s Talk of the Town, I’ll pitch a story series in the months leading up to the book release.
This example works because it shows you’re already in the Talk of the Town orbit, and you wouldn’t wait until the last minute to pitch them. Cookbook and food memoirists may the mistake of assuming they should wait until a month or two before their book is out to pitch outlets. But your timeline may not match up with their editorial calendar. It’s better to be “too early” than too late.
If you think you don’t want to wait around to do this work before you submit your book proposal, an agent may pass on you or tell you that you need to work on your platform before they sign or pitch your book to publishers. Growing your platform and industry connections will never hurt you, so you might as well start now.
2. Making everyone your target audience
A sure sign that someone hasn’t spent enough time on who their target audience is are sweeping statements their book is “for everyone” or it’s for “the 85% of the world’s population who eats meat”. Going with the meat eater example, there’s absolutely no way one book could cater to every single person who eats meat. You’re dealing with different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, accessibility, and even values. For instance, someone who hunts and cooks their venison in Minnesota isn’t the same person who’s ordering tri-tip on the Central Coast of California.
It’s tempting to say your cookbook or food memoir is for everyone, but marketing departments don’t work that way. They need to know the specifics of who your book is and is not for. The target market section of your book proposal is one of the selling points for the book publisher’s marketing and sales teams. So, you should be able to tell the story of who your audience is and how your book will improve their lives.
If you’re struggling with how to make your target audience more specific, talk to people. Throw questions out on social media, in your email newsletter, and even in person. Find folks who you believe are your target audience and expand from there. Get curious about the books they’re reading, where they’re showing up in-person and online, and how they spend their days.
Marketing isn’t just about selling a product. You need to understand your demographic's hopes, fears, and dreams, and you create something just for that. Likely, you’ve had tons of conversations with people about your book because you’ve felt there was a sincere need for it. Now, you just need to put a face to it.
3. Believing there aren’t any books like yours
This is the definition of “I’m not like the other girls”. And it’s not true. Food writers often believe their book is wildly different from other books on the shelves. So, the comparison between their book and the list of competitive/ comparative titles is pretty thin. If your cookbook or food memoir truly is in a league of its own, you’ll have a hard time convincing agents and publishers there’s a space for your book.
Instead, you’ll want to find where your book can fill in the gaps for an audience. Start with books you believe are similar. Books people would think of when they read your book. Then, look at reader reviews on Amazon and GoodReads. What did people love, loathe, and wish there was more of? You don’t have to tailor your book to meet every reader's need, but you need to know what’s out there.
You’re supposed to be the authority in your space. So, if you’re still stuck, go to the library. Physically get into some of these books because you may feel differently about them when they’re in your hands. Ask friends and colleagues for their book recommendations and see if it sparks something. And if you want to see how to do a competitive analysis for a book that doesn’t exist yet, check out Jane Friedman’s The Business of Being a Writer book proposal example here.
4. Downplaying your industry connections and achievements
If there’s any place to be a name dropper, it’s in your book proposal. But it’s the #1 place people avoid sharing who they knew and the impressive places they’ve been. People get nervous that it sounds like they’re boasting. So, they’ll make sweeping statements in their bio and promotional plan i.e. “local morning television”, “regional magazines”, or “fellow food creators with significant followings”.
Just tell us already!
Name the publications, television shows, and people. Be as clear as possible about who you are and are not talking about. In the promotional plan, you can include the names of folks who have agreed to write a blurb and promote your book on their channels. Some of your bio and overview may overlap with the promotional plan, so don’t be afraid of repeating some of what you’ve already said.
And if you’ve won awards, raised a ton of money for a food-related cause, had outlets pick up your story, or are a member of groups, like the International Association of Culinary Professionals or Cherry Bombe, put it down. This is where you get to talk about who you know and where you’ve been with absolutely no judgment.
5. Sharing your life story (or someone else’s) in the overview
When someone wants to work with me, I have them send me 10 pages of what they’re working on. Most of the time, folks only have space to send me the overview and a couple of other pages. And I already know the story probably starts somewhere towards the end.
People often mistake the overview for their autobiography. But it’s supposed to be how you got to writing this book, and why you’re the one to write it. You don’t need to build up to get us to the thing. Just take us there immediately.
Another problem with writing an overview is people tend to talk a lot about other people instead of themselves. This happens mostly with memoirs, but it comes up in cookbooks too. Someone may have inspired you to write this story, but it’s not their story, it’s yours. Take the spotlight.
And if someone inspired you to write this book, show what your transformation was. Since cookbooks and food memoirs are hyper-personal, writers focus on their family members instead of showing how their upbringing has changed them as a person. It’s beautiful to be inspired by someone, but it’s not interesting enough to write an entire book around unless it changes you. And even if you don’t think it did, look at it again.
How to finish your proposal with confidence
Now that you know how to fix the top book proposal 5 mistakes, what’s next? Well, your entire book proposal. Feeling a sudden panic? You’re not alone. It’s a huge and overwhelming project to manage. And you don’t have to do it on your own. Grab a spot on my coaching waitlist here, and let’s polish this book proposal into something you can confidently send to agents and publishers.