{"id":2484,"date":"2023-11-17T13:00:55","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2023\/11\/17\/book-proposal-publishing-nonfiction-narrative-kim-cross\/"},"modified":"2025-02-15T18:44:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T18:44:58","slug":"book-proposal-publishing-nonfiction-narrative-kim-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2023\/11\/17\/book-proposal-publishing-nonfiction-narrative-kim-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonfiction author Kim Cross breaks down how to sell a book proposal"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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EDITOR\u2019S NOTE:<\/strong> This is one of two posts featuring Kim Cross on the successful pitch-and-proposal process that led to her new book, \u2018In Light of All Darkness.\u2019<\/a> In a companion post, Cross annotates the proposal that landed the book contract.<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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A book project is no pursuit for impatient writers. Bringing a book from the page to stores requires a blend of timing, stamina and alchemy: a ripe idea, relevance in the zeitgeist, a confluence of favorable market conditions and editorial partners who have the determination \u2014 and means \u2014 to help sell it. Journalist\u00a0Kim Cross<\/a>\u00a0waited nearly eight years for these factors to converge before\u00a0\u201cIn Light of All Darkness\u201d<\/a>\u00a0would live in the world.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Cross, who is based in Idaho, began nursing the idea of filling in reporting gaps of an infamous true crime case in 2015. She spent the next year or so tracking down archival material, interviewing subjects and mapping out the arc of a propulsive story about the kidnapping of Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old who lived in Petaluma, California, in 1993.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Cross initially pitched the book in 2015 \u2014 shortly after the publication of her first book, \u201cWhat Stands in a Storm\u201d<\/a> \u2014 but didn\u2019t land a deal. After a potential offer fell through, she shifted her attention to other projects. Then, in 2021, Cross found an editor and publisher who felt like a good fit and were committed to publishing the book \u201cwith muscle,\u201d as she puts it.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Storyboard talked with Cross about what nonfiction writers need to know about the book publishing process, how a book proposal mirrors and diverges from a magazine pitch, and the roles that each editorial partner plays. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I\u2018m super fascinated by the pitch process behind finding a publisher. Can you walk me through the big-picture, prerequisite steps that it takes to land a book deal?
<\/strong>With fiction, you write the book and then find an agent. That agent serves as your first editor and then shops the whole book. With nonfiction, that\u2019s almost the sign of a nonprofessional. Generally speaking, you write a book proposal, which is a document that can range from 25 to maybe 75 pages. It\u2019s like a business proposal where the outcome is not a business, but a book. Think of it like a big nut graph. There\u2019s a whole section that explains \u2018this is what the story is.\u2019 Then, \u2018This is what has been written on the topic, and this is how this book will be different.\u2019 Another section:\u2018Here\u2019s why I am the best writer to do this book.\u2019 And finally: \u2018Here\u2019s the market \u2014 why it will sell \u2014 and how I plan to sell it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\"Photo
Kim Cross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> \n
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How did you approach doing that market research?
<\/strong>When I first pitched this book, the deal fell through because there weren\u2019t multiple offers and the original publisher who made an offer got cold feet. The market was in a really different place \u2014 it was before the true crime explosion we\u2019re seeing today. This was a story of a child kidnapping and murder, a story that doesn\u2019t end well. The rejections I got at that time were, \u2018Why would anyone read a book that ends badly and you already know it\u2019s going to end?\u2019 But with the advent of podcasts like \u201cSerial,\u201d Michelle MacNamara\u2019s book, \u201cI\u2019ll Be Gone in the Dark,\u201d and the related documentary and podcast, the true crime market changed. Suddenly, stories that were a little too sensitive or taboo became more acceptable. I looked at what books were out there and who was reading them, and I spoke to that.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I wanted to approach it as a meticulously reported narrative nonfiction story that happens to be about a true crime. As a journalist and historian, I wanted to write the book of record about a case that has been written about a lot with many inaccuracies, errors and gaps. I thought there was a place for this in the world of historians and investigators, for whom this story could continue to be an educational tool. I wasn\u2019t thinking about it just being of interest to the people who listen to true crime podcasts, but also investigators, law enforcement officials and maybe even first responders.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I\u2019m struck by how useful it is that people in the publishing industry told you what wasn\u2019t working for them. What did those rejections from the first pitch tell you, and what information did you glean from them? As a plea to editors everywhere, why is it so important for writers to get feedback not just about why something works, but why it doesn\u2019t<\/em>?
<\/strong>The rejection letters that I get, and have gotten for three books now, have been some of the most useful criticism that I\u2019ve gotten in my career. Instead of feeling hurt by it, I thought, \u2018Oh, wow, they took the time to tell me exactly what wasn\u2019t working. And that can actually help me make the book better when it does find a home.\u2019<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The rejection letters that I\u2026 have gotten for three books now have been some of the most useful constructive criticism that I\u2019ve gotten in my career.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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When I first pitched my earlier book, \u201cWhat Stands in a Storm,\u201d I hadn\u2019t done what I call the \u2018casting process\u2019 to figure out who my central characters were. Everyone who rejected it said, \u2018We love the writing and topic, but we don\u2019t see a central cast of characters that the reader is going to invest in and care about.\u2019 I knew the next time around, I would have that process done.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The rejections for the Polly Klaas book cited different reasons and were contradictory. Some thought it was too dramatic \u2014 better for TV or a movie \u2014 while others wanted more drama. I knew something was off here because they\u2019re all saying no for different reasons. When I got the final rejection, I read it thinking, \u2018I should feel really devastated that I\u2019ve put all this work and all this time into this, and it\u2019s not going anywhere.\u2019 Instead, I had a really strong gut instinct that it simply was not the right time. You can\u2019t force a story to be ready; the story will let you know when it\u2019s ready. So I set it aside, worked on a couple of other books and came back to it. A friend later read the proposal and said, \u2018I think you were ahead of the (true crime) market. I think the time is now.\u2019<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I think a lot about story form \u2014 how different components of a story can be told in a magazine treatment versus a news story versus a podcast or documentary \u2014 and how much story shape depends on the creator\u2019s vision for it. How and when did you first know that the subject you had on your hands warranted a book? Which signals made that clear to you?
<\/strong>The investigation itself was so big and complex, it was way too much for a magazine piece. All of the long-form treatments about the Klaas case that I had seen, whether TV or print, basically told what happened in the beginning and then skipped to two months later. So much was going on inside the investigation in a way that was invisible to the public. I realized that a lot of things that happened in the middle spoke to those bigger, \u2018so-what\u2019 questions.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I love structure and obsess about it. But I decided the best structure for this was a pretty simple chronology, with a few deviations when things are happening simultaneously. I didn\u2019t get fancy. I started with a timeline tracking exactly what happened minute by minute and color-coded it by point-of-view, which helped me determine which point-of-view each chapter would be written from.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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What was the process like for finding an agent who was the right fit?
<\/strong>So much of it is networking and talking to several people. Ideally, you have a writer friend who can make a connection so you\u2019re a known entity and not just a cold call or blind email that\u2019s going into the pile. For my first agent, I was invited to speak at a literary conference; the hotel bar afterward was filled with writers from the conference. He was standing with some other agents and I\u2019d seen him on a panel. I walked up and started talking. He listened to me talk for 45 minutes about a book idea about nuns. He didn\u2019t look over my shoulder to see who else was coming in. He was very engaged. I just kind of had a sense, \u2018you get me.\u2019 Nuns ultimately were not the right topic for my first book, but we stayed in touch and he was my agent for \u201cWhat Stands in a Storm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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When it comes to the agent, publisher and editor, can you break down the division of labor and order of operations? Who does what?
<\/strong>Your agent is there to help you get the proposal in shape and make sure you have a focused idea that is a viable, sellable book option. They\u2019re not going to let you write a proposal about something they think there\u2019s no market for, has already been done or that they can\u2019t sell. They serve as your first editor and help you get the proposal in tip-top shape. Along with the research, you figure out the title, subtitle and angle, as well as distill it into a one-breath pitch.  If you can say what your book in one breath, then you have a focused idea. Your agent is a bit of a cheerleader, counselor and sounding board. They also read the fine print of contracts. Agents are there to help protect you and give you advice.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The editor pretty much represents the publisher, makes sure you\u2019re on track and can help if you hit a snag or need to talk something through while you\u2019re writing.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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My publicist came in when the manuscript was in the final stages of editing. Later, you\u2019ll hear from sales, marketing and publicity departments.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Why is finding the right match for each of those respective roles important?
<\/strong>Your editor is whoever decides to bid on your book. You have more control over who your agent is and you need good chemistry \u2014 someone who you instinctively trust, loves your work, knows how to leverage your strengths and sees what you\u2019re worth.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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A good time to reach out to an agency is when you have a proposal. If you don\u2019t have a proposal, they don\u2019t really have much to react to other than your portfolio. One tip for knowing who to reach out to is go to a physical bookstore and spend some time browsing the shelf where the book that you want to write would exist. Look at the other books on that shelf, open them up and look at the acknowledgments, because everyone always thanks their agent in the acknowledgments. You can see which agents cover these topics.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The financial returns of a book \u2014 whether it\u2019s the advance after the proposal sells, or the sales of the actual book \u2014 come a long time down the road, many years after you\u2019ve spent the time to do all that reporting. From a financial perspective, how do you manage making enough time to write the book while doing other work that pays the bills?
<\/strong>Cash flow is the freelancer\u2019s nightmare. The majority of successful freelancers probably have a second gig that provides some income stability; it might not be as fun and sexy, but evens out the peaks and valleys. Books are my main source of income, supplemented by other freelance income and teaching. A lot of people teach, have a PR or marketing job or some other situation where that\u2019s the primary income, and then they carve out time to write. I think that can be really successful because it\u2019s pretty hard to write for more than a few hours a day, after which point your productivity goes down.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Can you walk us through the nuts and bolts of those numbers?
<\/strong>What people don\u2019t realize is that a book advance is not paid out in advance. I\u2019m going to be tacky and talk about money because I think it\u2019s helpful for aspiring authors to know how the publishing business works. Let\u2019s say you get a $100,000 book advance. Six figures! Sounds great, right? In reality, you get 25% of that upon signing your contract. Your agent takes the standard 15% cut, so deduct $3,750, and you have $21,250 in gross income.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Now set 30% of that number aside for quarterly estimated taxes. Now you have $14,875. But you need to stretch that out for 18 months, because your next quarter of the advance isn\u2019t paid until the book is not only written, but edited, revised, and accepted by the publisher. So that\u2019s $826.39 a month of net income. Which explains why you need a second job, a breadwinner spouse, or a steady amount of freelance work on top of the book.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The last portion of the advance comes well after your publication date when the paperback comes out.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I quit my job to write my first book because my husband had a great job. Then he lost it. In the 18 months of writing and editing \u201cWhat Stands in a Storm,\u201d I also wrote 50 other freelance stories and 7,000 words for a coffee table book about Christmas in the South.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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What insights do you know now about the book selling or writing process that you didn\u2019t know your first time around and have learned along the way?
<\/strong>If you can find stories that allow you to do research that eventually builds into your book, it subsidizes that research. But if you write anything in those paid stories that you want to use in the book, read your contracts to make sure that you retain the copyright. Second, take pictures and file them away. At some point, that can be valuable material for the book itself or social media promotion. And third, get ready for the fact that you are not done once you turn the book in. When it goes to press, you have to switch into marketing and promotion mode. This is very uncomfortable for the majority of writers because we want the writing to speak for itself. They don\u2019t train you in J-school on how to read in front of a few hundred people or conduct an event that\u2019s not just a book party. Those things have been really important.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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* * *<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Carly Stern<\/strong> is a freelance reporter based in San Francisco who covers housing, disability policy, urban life and economic inequality.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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