Problem of the day: One part of the proposal that I need to
improve is the biography, which should be approximately the same text that will
be used on the book's dust jacket. I have a really lame biography. I have no
relevant credentials or experience and no publications. Even claiming I've been
interested in mammoths for a long time is a bit of a stretch. I have a small
plastic mammoth that I've carried around since kindergarten, but mammoths have
only been a big deal for me since around the time I started blogging ten years
ago. I am confident that I know more about my topic--history of mammoth
knowledge--but, how do I demonstrate my authority. Suggestions?
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Book update
Five weeks ago, I sent my completed proposal and polished
chapter to an editor who had expressed an interest in it. I haven't heard
anything and I've essentially lost hope for that outcome. I know, with fiction
manuscripts, it can be months before a response comes back, but I have been
told that things are much quicker with non-fiction proposals. So, what's next?
I'm going to rework the proposal a little and look into getting an agent.
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3 comments:
There's been no end of reasonably successful books on the lines "X in human history and culture, with a bit of science too" where X = cod, squid, spices, you name it, and where the authors don't claim any particular expertise. Hey, one of the most useful books on musical history I've ever read was written by an economist, once he stopped apologising for the fact. If the book is well researched and well written (like, er, the relevant bits of your blog) and it's given a fair wind, it should go.
www.unn.edu.ng
John McKay has made a living as an author for X years, and has been writing about mammoths for over a decade.
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