When there’s a one percent acceptance rate, it’s kind of important not to make mistakes in cookbook proposals. But if you’ve never written one before, how would you know what’s right?
Sure, you can read books on writing proposals and use them as a guide. But somehow, errors in judgement creep in.
Having read dozens of cookbook proposals, I can spot where people go wrong. So let’s go over the main things that throw off agents and editors, if you’d like to send out a proposal soon.
Here’s my list of the top 5 mistakes in cookbook proposals:
- Leaving out the food. It may sound crazy, but about half the cookbook proposals I read don’t mention the dishes until deep into the proposal. The problem is that agents and editors don’t necessarily read that far. So don’t wait until page 6 to lay it all out as to what kind of food you propose for your cookbook. Agents and editors want to be seduced immediately by sensuous descriptions. They have never tasted, seen, or smelled your pasta puttanesca, twice-cooked pork, or mushroom and poblano tacos. Since you’re writing a cookbook, it is not optional to get readers salivating over your dishes immediately.
- Comparing the proposed book to similar books that don’t sell. Why would a publisher want to publish a book similar to those that don’t sell? Editors check sales numbers of competitors because they subscribe to proprietary software. Agents check Amazon rankings to get an idea of sales. So can you. Select books with an Amazon rank of 75,000 or less. If you can’t find similar books that sell well, you’re going to have to make a heck of an argument as to why yours will.
- Not testing the recipes. Recently I read a proposal where the author had cut and pasted in a chef’s recipe. It had an inaccurate title, the wrong amounts for a home cook, and the method did not make sense. It did not occur to the writer to fix it and test it, to ensure it worked for the home cook. Maybe she thought it would be a disservice to the chef. I would not want to read that sample recipe as an agent or editor. It would not give me confidence that the writer could produce a recipe for home cooks. Also, sometimes agents and editors make a recipe from a proposal if they are intrigued. You don’t want them to find out it doesn’t work.
- Unclear on what goes in the promotion plan. If you’ve already written for magazines or appeared on shows, that info goes in your bio. The promotion plan is about what happens when your book comes out. It’s not a list of what you’ve already done. Implying that you will do it again is not direct enough.
- Leaving out your social media numbers. If you’re not proud of them, it’s too late. Agents and editors can easily see your numbers by researching you online. Don’t make work for them. Put the numbers in your bio. If they’re low, don’t send out the proposal until you’ve improved them. It’s more important than ever to show that you have an audience waiting for the book.
You might also like:
- Book Proposals that Don’t Deliver
- Five Tips on What Makes a Killer Cookbook Idea
- Rejection Made Two Big Authors Stronger
Dianne,
You definitely have a keen eye on where people go wrong with their proposals. You did with mine! Initially my proposal lacked your #1 mistake (not so much #2-4 but most likely some of #6-10 that you haven’t mentioned). Your guidance was invaluable in fine tuning my proposal. And it helped me land a book deal for my vegetarian Vietnamese book and early next year we’ll hold it in our hands! Great advice to first time cookbook proposal writers.
Thank you Cameron. Thats’ funny about 6-10. You did not have many mistakes, other than, as I have told you, you were too Canadian (AKA modest). It is a nice fault to have, I think.
I can’t wait to see this book! It’s going to exceed everyone’s expectations big time.
A great tip list!
Thank you!
Dianne,
I really appreciate and value your knowledge and advice for first-time cookbook writers like myself. I am currently working on my first proposal and consider it fortunate to get all of the wisdom I can find before finally submitting my work. Thank you for your post.
Regards, Lisa Soldo-Johnson
Thank you Lisa for saying hi. Best of luck with your proposal. Please don’t rush it.
Diane, I had to smile reading point #1. I did not leave out the food but you sure kept telling me to move it up! And I did, of course much for the betterment of my proposal. Hard to imagine someone not testing recipes, which is a recipe for disaster. One thing about writing first proposals, yes, you can use books as guidlines (yours has an excellent chapter) but there comes a times when you must engage the services of a professioanl such as yourself. You don’t know what you don’t know, and if you want to sell your book, you must make the investment. You and I have worked long and hard on my almost completed proposal. I consider the money invested like taking a personal college writing course, knowing that your professional eye will help me sign my agent and publisher. With such low acceptance rates, why would anyone risk not succeeding and the heartbreak of rejection? Like Cameron (her book sounds delicious!), I too dream of the future day I will hold my book in my hands. That vision drives me to keep going.
Thank you Sally, both for this and for persevering. You know that saying “Nevertheless, she persisted?” They must have had you in mind! Here’s the origin of it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevertheless,_she_persisted
Thanks for the tips! Now I will not allow these mistakes!
Good! Thanks for commenting, Lucie.
great job, thank you for this tips!
Thank you Anna.