Book Proposals

Well-read book proposals get published.

Sometimes you don’t have to write an entire manuscript before submitting a proposal. In the case of many non-fiction and graphic novel projects, for example, publishers, literary agents, and commissioning editors will ask for more work based simply on a cogent, stellar proposal with sample material.

However, it’s essential to establish some kind of platform to stand on and to follow the correct format to increase your chances of snagging the book deal you’re after. To ensure this, several areas must be addressed. We can help you craft your proposal so that it fits with who you are and what your work represents.

Email us at info@cogitatestudios.com: in your message, include a description of the work and its word count, as well as a sample of the writing if you want to attach one. One of us will be in touch about availability, turnaround time, and rates. We like to start the whole process off by sending you a questionnaire to fill out. Its focus is on all the questions you want to ask yourself about positioning your book (because they’re the same ones agents, editors, marketers, and publicists will be asking). After you return the questionnaire to us, whichever editor you choose (and/or whoever we think would fit best) reads it and, armed with your questionnaire and any notes, is usually able to build and deliver a targeted proposal in 3–4 weeks, though some can take longer, of course. When it’s complete, we send it back to you with an invoice. Net-30 terms with PayPal or check.

Every project is unique, but in the past, it’s taken anywhere from 30–60 hours to build a proposal from scratch. Email us at info@cogitatestudios.com.

And as always, we follow the Editorial Freelancers Association rates.