Change of Plans

Since I wrote my "too many irons in the fire" post, I've been working on prioritizing and time management. One of the things I have been most concerned about is my writing. Not so much the blogs I can't keep up with, but the books I need to get done. I'm over a year behind my timetable on those.

I have been reading about book publishing lately because I would like to get a book deal with a bigger publisher. All my reading says that publishers hate manuscripts. Every one says they ignore them. They want 'proposals'. With that in mind, I've been reading all I can about book proposals. I have downloaded some templates. Actually, they are more like outlines than templates, but that's being a bit picky.

Book proposals are kind of like a 'business plan' for a book. It's the who, what, why stuff. Every business needs a plan. If a business is looking for investors or financial backing from a bank, those plans are essential. Same thing with books. Publishers want to see the plan. From their they will determine whether or not to invest.

Proposals are work. But less work than the actual manuscript. Two questions remain; 1. Which proposal do I do first? and 2. Do I need to get an agent? Stay tuned.