Pitching ideas to publishers

By Pete on January 20, 2024 • ( 0 )

You want to approach a publisher with an idea for an ELT resource. How do you write a proposal/plan/pitch?

Some publishers have proposal forms. Myself and my co-author pitched a book to a publisher last year using an in-house proposal form. The publisher requested:

An overview of the book
Info on the target audience
Info on the competition – what’s already out there!
How/Where it fits with the publisher’s current format/series

So, I guess that’s a starting point.

I’ve successfully pitched a few resources to publishers before. Never for the ‘big four’ (if that’s actually a thing), but then it’s more about finding the right publisher for your project anyway – that’s rarely the big ones in my case.

The first time I wrote a proposal to a publisher, I made it up from scratch. I settled on these categories:

A working title for the book

A brief description of what it is! In, like, pfff, 30 words?

The scope

Is it general English/focused on a certain skill or purpose?
What will it cover, and to what extent will it cover it?
Any overriding approach or vision?
Etc

Rationale

What problem does the resource solve?
Why/How will the users really benefit?
What makes it better than what’s out there already?
Why that vision? Why that approach? Why is that important to the authors, the users, and how is it evidence-based?

Target users/buyers

Competition

Authors

Big up their expertise – especially relevant experience related to the resource content.

Proposed outline

Chapters/modules/sections/parts, etc – it really depends on the resource
Flow within a chapter/module
Core content included consistently in each chapter/module
Etc

Timeframe

First drafts by when?
Feedback expected when?
Etc

The brief description is important in my situation! If you’ve ever met me, you know I love to ramble. I will use 1000 words when I need 10. The ‘explain it to me in 30 words’ bit is a Pete reminder to be concise.

I include the timeframe as I want the publisher to feel a) a lot has been considered, b) We’re not mucking about! It’s there to be written – you could have it done by this date!

Anyway, the proposal was successful, but I don’t want to say this approach is 100% worth following. It’s just an idea.

What else do I include now?

When I first pitched ideas, I realised I was very ‘this is super great! The target users would really need this!’ etc. I neglected the ‘Why do you need this, publisher?’ and ‘Why have I come to you specifically with the idea?’. I address that these questions in my proposals now, as I think it sets a better tone for mutual collaboration.

How about you? Have you ever proposed a resource to a publisher? Any luck? What’s your approach?