Crafting a Non-Fiction Proposal: How Much Do You Know About Your Competition?

If there are no other books on the market in your particular topic of choice, kudos!- you may be sitting on an idea that's ground-breaking. However, if your idea for a non-fiction title already has a competitive share of market space, it will be to your advantage to get to get an inside look at some similar titles.

There are many ways to seek out books that may be considered competitive titles, but four of the most popular are:

1) Visiting several bookstores, finding the section where your book will most likely be placed, and thumbing through similar titles to see what's currently available

2) Visiting the local library, finding the section where your book will most likely be shelved, and thumbing through similar titles to see what's housed there (being mindful of publication dates- older titles may not be in print any longer and thereby will not be considered "true" competition to your proposed new release."

3) Visiting the local library, consulting the Books In Print guide, identifying your topic source and finding publications published in the same category

4) Searching online bookstores such as Barnes and Noble or Amazon to find similar titles or books in your category.

No matter which way you approach it, once you've identified competitive or similar titles, take a few minutes to get to know your competition a little better, you may be surprised by the information you glean.

Start by answering the following questions, then dive deeper if you have the time to take additional notes.

1) Who is the publisher?

Gathering the publisher information is a necessary component you'll use when listing your competitive analysis in your proposal, but it will also give you something more-- a great foundation list of publishers to submit your query to. By finding out who publishes the type of work you are proposing, you are building a catalogue of receptive publishing houses. You'll want to explore other options and add additional publishers to your list, of course, but what an excellent base you'll have by simply noting this information.