Updated March 17, 2004

SCHEDULE

The workshop runs from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon. We will start promptly.

9:00 - 9:15: Welcome and introduction
9:15 - 10:15: Talks by the panelists
10:15 - 10:30: Break
10:30 - 11:00: Questions and answers, part 1
11:00 - 11:30: Discussion of selected book proposals
11:30 - 11:50: Questions and answers, part 2
11:50 - noon: Wrap-up

MORE ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Deborah Blumis a Pulitzer-Prize winning science writer and professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her article series for the Sacramento Bee on the ethical dilemmas of primate research won a 1992 Pulitzer Prize and other awards. The series became a book, called The Monkey Wars (Oxford University Press, 1994). In 1997, she published Sex on the Brain (Viking), which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her most recent book is Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection (Perseus, 2002), which was named a Best Book of the Year by Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Discover Magazine, and was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She is currently working on a book about scientific ghost hunters at the turn of the 20th century. For more information, see her biography at http://www.journalism.wisc.edu/faculty/documents/blumbio.html

Brian DeFiorehas worked in the book publishing industry for over twenty years, as editor, publisher, and currently as a literary agent. Before starting his own business, he served as Editorial Director of Delacorte Press, Editor-in-Chief of Hyperion, and Publisher of Villard Books at Random House. The authors he worked with as an editor include: Jon Krakauer, Ridley Pearson, T. Jefferson Parker, James Lee Burke, Linda Barnes, Rinker Buck, Daniel Silva, M. Scott Peck, Jack Olsen and Roger Kahn. His literary management company, DeFiore and Company, was founded in 1999 and has closed more than sixty book deals on behalf of its clients. Some of the agency's upcoming books include: Confessions of a Tax Collector by Richard Yancey (Harper Collins); So Five Minutes Ago by Hilary deVries (Villard); Way Past Legal by Norman Green (Harper Collins); The Little Stuff Matters Most by Bernie Brillstein (Gotham Books/Penguin), Digging Deep by Fran Sorin (Warner Books) and Life Is a Series of Presentations by Tony Jeary (Fireside/Simon and Schuster). For more information, see http://www.defioreandco.com

Brenda Copeland is an editor at Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. A graduate of the University of Toronto, she has studied at Glasgow University and New York University's Graduate School of Arts and Science. She joined Simon & Schuster six years ago, starting as an intern in the editorial hard-cover division and rising through the ranks to her present position. Her interests are broad. She acquires narrative nonfiction, especially accessible science and history, memoir, literary and commercial fiction, psychology, and practical self-help.

Jacqueline Devalis publisher of Hearst Books and author of Publicize Your Book! (Perigee, 2003), which Publishers Weekly called “easily the most incisive and expert guide to book publicity ever” in its starred review. She has been a director of publicity and marketing for several major publishing houses, creating publicity and marketing campaigns for Isaac Asimov, Margaret Atwood, Lawrence Block, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikki Giovanni, David Halberstam, Alexandra Stoddard, and hundreds of other authors. She is the author of a critically acclaimed novel, Reckless Appetites, for which she appeared on the Today Show and Good Morning America. Her web site – http://www.publicizeyourbook.com – offers an excerpt from her book about publicity, as well as a useful list of links to publicity resources.

Sarah Wernick (Moderator)is an award-winning freelance writer with a PhD in sociology from Columbia University, who specializes in collaborations and book doctoring. She writes mostly on health and speaks on writing and book collaborations. Her web site – http://www.sarahwernick.com – provides many useful resources for writers. Her co-authored books include the bestselling Strong Women Stay Young (Bantam, 1998), written with Miriam Nelson of Tufts University, and Quick Fit: The Complete 15-Minute No-Sweat Workout, written with Richard Bradley and published by Atria in January, 2004. Five of her six book proposals drew six-figure advances.

WHAT TO READ FOR A HEAD START

Reading one or more books about book proposals will help you benefit from this workshop, especially if you plan to submit a proposal excerpt for discussion. I also suggest that you read an article on my web site: So, You Want to Write a Book. It includes useful information about the publication process and links to most of the books and articles mentioned below.

Here are three recommended books about writing book proposals. Read as many as you can. Though there's some overlap, they complement each other. If you only have time for one, read the reviews at Amazon.com to decide which you'll like best – they're all good, but in different ways, and I hesitate to select one for everyone.

Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write: How to Get a Contract and Advance Before Writing Your Book, Revised and Updated, by Elizabeth Lyon (Perigee, 2002). This is my personal favorite, an excellent, informative how-to book with many brief examples from successful proposals. If you benefit most from step-by-step instruction, this is probably the best choice for you. (Note: this edition is essentially the same as the second edition published by Blue Heron in 2000, but with minor corrections and updates.)

Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, Second Edition, by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman (John Wiley & Sons, 2001). In addition to instructional material, this book offers extensive excerpts from successful book proposals, with candid comments about them. It's a good choice for people who learn best from seeing examples.

Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction – and Get it Published, by Susan Rabiner and Alfred Fortunato (Norton, 2003). Susan Rabiner is a former editor who is now an agent; Alfred Fortunato is a writer. They provide an insider view of publishing, helping you understand how things look from the other side of the desk. If you wish you had a mentor, you'll enjoy Rabiner and Fortunato.

Cover page: On a single page, provide the information you might find on the cover of a published book. Give your book a compelling title – an excellent title is enormously helpful for sales. Summarize the book's contents in one or two sentences (50 words maximum) and describe the author in one sentence (25 words maximum).

Table of contents: Make the chapter titles engaging as well as informative; include a one-sentence description for each chapter. Your table of contents should take the reader on a journey, with a beginning, middle and end – whether that journey involves a deeper understanding of racism in America or instructions for achieving slimmer thighs.

Overview: Distill the essence of your book into approximately 500 words that not only describe the contents but make the reader eager for more. Use the overview to show the writing style you plan to use for the book. These words will be the source for the jacket and the publisher's catalog description of your book-to-be.