The hard, cold fact about getting a book published is that without something close to divine intervention an author is going to have to write a sales piece, called a book proposal, that will attract the attention of an editor or an agent. In fact, at most publishers, this sales piece is going to have to hold up under the scrutiny of a committee made up of a bevy of editors and a pod of sales and marketing people. With The Fast-Track Course on How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal, Mettee, a seasoned book editor and publisher, cuts to the chase and provides simple, detailed instruction that allows anyone to write a professional book proposal and hear an editor say Yes! According to Mettee, the first rule is: Do no harm. Too many authors don't pay enough attention to the small things like spelling and grammar and manuscript format that are needed to make their book proposals appear professional. They may have a great idea for a book and be eminently qualified to write it but they schmuck it up with slovenly disregard for the easy stuff. The last rule is: Be persistent. If you quit after your first rejection slip or after the thirteenth or the thirtieth, you'll never get published. Many books that are rejected scores of times go on to be best-sellers. You're not defeated until you give up.
Stephen Blake Mettee is president and publisher, Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press, Inc., a California-based publisher of nonfiction books. Mettee is the editor of The Portable Writers Conference: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Published, a Writer s Digest Book Club selection, and has published scads of nonfiction articles on subjects ranging from parenting to business. He is currently working on a book on nonprofit fund-raising for the amateur. Mettee serves on the board of directors of Writer s International Network-Writer s Inter-age Network. He was director of WIN-WIN s annual William Saroyan Writer s Conference from 1992 to 1997 and continues as chair of the conference. Mettee has taught classes on writing and publishing in a number of venues including the University of California, Davis extension program, the California Library Association s annual conference and the San Francisco Bay Area Book Festival. He was evaluated as a highest rating presenter at the California Writer s Club Asilomar conference. QDB/WDP is recognized by industry periodical Book Marketing Update as one of the Top 101 Independent Book Publishers in the United States. Writer s Digest magazine identifies QDB/WDP as one of the 100 Best Book Markets for New Writers. Mettee is always in the market for nonfiction books, particularly California regional titles; writing titles; practical, upbeat encouraging works that enhance the lives of people over 50, for QDB/WDP s trademarked Best Half of Life series; and concise, clear, how-to books for QDB/WDP s Fast-Track Course series.
