| Okay. Fess up. You'd love to avoid this section of | | | | thoughts without meaning to." Okay. In theory, I |
| your book proposal altogether because why | | | | guess that could happen. You could read: |
| bother? Your book is the ONLY one that needs | | | | "...I would not eat them here or there. I would not |
| to be written on your topic anyway, right? (And, | | | | eat them anywhere. I would not eat green eggs |
| who has time to read your competition and | | | | and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am." And, then |
| summarize it all when you've got your own book | | | | by accident, you could come up with the same |
| to write? Sheesh!) | | | | text. |
| Here's why it's important: Editors thinking about | | | | Not. |
| spending their money on you need to know what | | | | I highlight this delightfully silly ditty from Dr. |
| else is out there. They can't risk bidding on you, | | | | Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham to snap you out of |
| believing you've got something truly unique, only | | | | it already. No more fears. Okay?! Get to reading! |
| to find out later that they missed a similar book. | | | | Ideally, here's what you want to include: |
| They will LOVE you for doing the research for | | | | Four to six of the best-selling titles in your genre. |
| them. It's your job. To help them do their job. | | | | You know, the books that people would read if |
| But, some writers get writer's block because they | | | | yours never hit the shelves. For each title, include |
| worry about criticizing other titles. Don't worry! | | | | a paragraph comparing and contrasting your two |
| That's not a good idea anyway, in case you run | | | | titles. Include things like: |
| into the same editor. You can praise the other | | | | |
| titles, in fact. Just be sure and list what your book | | | | 1. Title and subtitle |
| offers that's above and beyond theirs. New and | | | | 2. Author's name(s) |
| fresh in the marketplace. That way, everyone | | | | 3. Publisher and year of publication |
| wins! | | | | 4. Page numbers |
| Some writers argue against reading similar books | | | | 5. Price (I see this in about a third of all proposals). |
| because they don't want to cloud their "take" on | | | | Hope that helps! You can also get helpful ideas on |
| their topic. Ah. Nice argument. Until you write | | | | the review section of your competing titles. Never |
| something ridiculously similar to someone else, | | | | depend upon this in lieu of actually reading the |
| when all it would have taken was a quick look at | | | | other titles, but intelligent reviews about what |
| your competition to see fantastic alternative | | | | works and doesn't work can give you valuable |
| angles. What about this fear I heard the other | | | | strategies. Not only about how to review theirs, |
| day. "I don't want to risk plagiarizing other people's | | | | but also regarding how to write yours! |