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Tables of Contents for Your Novel Proposal
Chapter/Section Title
Page #
Page Count
INTRODUCTION
ix
PART ONE THE APPROACH
1
94
CHAPTER ONE YOUR PUBLISHING OPTIONS
3
14
What's Selling
4
1
Who's Publishing All These Books?
4
1
The Nine Paths to Publication
5
12
CHAPTER TWO THE SEARCH BEGINS: Finding Agents and Editors
17
26
Organize Your Search
18
1
Four Ways to Approach Publishers
18
2
What to Look for in Agents and Publishers
20
1
The Ideal Editor
21
1
The Ideal Agent
21
2
What Agents Do for You
23
3
The Truth About Agents
26
1
How to Spot the Scams
27
4
Telling Good From Bad
31
1
What Agents and Editors Won't Do for You
32
1
Writers Conferences
33
4
Guidebooks
37
2
Trade Journals and Newsletters
39
1
Other Writer's Books
39
1
On-line
40
3
CHAPTER THREE THE ALL-IMPORTANT QUERY LETTER
43
42
What Agents and Editors Look for in a Query
43
1
Definition of a Query Letter
44
1
Just a Query Letter?
45
1
Who Gets the Query Letter?
45
1
When to Send the Query Letter?
46
1
Query Letter Formatting
47
3
The Elements of a Query Letter
50
10
Query Letter Approaches
60
11
Building Killer Query Letters
71
2
Query Letter Checklist
73
8
Back to the Plotting Board
81
1
Slow and Steady or the Blitz Approach?
81
4
CHAPTER FOUR THE PITCH
85
10
Arranging the Agent/Editor Appointment
86
1
Who Can Pitch?
86
1
Battling the Nerves
87
1
Interviewing Agents
88
1
The Anatomy of a Pitch
89
2
Other Pitch Line Uses
91
4
PART TWO THE PACKAGE
95
102
CHAPTER FIVE GIVE'EM WHAT THEY WANT
97
26
The Submission Package
98
1
Sample Chapters
98
1
Complete Manuscript
99
1
Presentation, Presentation, Presentation
100
4
Cover Letter
104
1
Synopsis
105
1
Chapter Outline
105
1
Agent and Editor Etiquette (Yours, Not Theirs)
106
12
Simultaneous Submissions
118
5
CHAPTER SIX SUCCESSFUL SYNOPSES
123
64
Why Writing a Synopsis Is So Difficult
124
3
When to Write the Synopsis
127
1
Formatting Your Synopsis
128
1
Elements of a Successful Synopsis
129
7
How to Structure Your Synopsis
136
1
Four Ways to Avoid "Synopsis Speak"
137
1
How Long Is Long Enough?
137
5
Building Your One-Page Synopsis
142
5
The Longer Synopsis
147
33
Six-Page Synopsis
Twelve-Page Synopsis
Twenty-Seven-Page Synopsis
Rewriting Your Synopsis to Specification
180
2
The Chapter Outline
182
5
CHAPTER SEVEN CRAFTING THE COVER LETTER
187
10
Greetings and Salutations
187
1
What Do You Say After You Say Hello?
188
2
When You're Ready to Stop
190
1
Cover Letter Format
190
2
Three Ways to Reveal You're an Amateur
192
1
Thirty-Eight Ways to Write a Rotten Cover Letter
193
4
PART THREE THE RESULT
197
28
CHAPTER EIGHT HANDLING THE WAIT--AND THE REJECTION
199
10
How to Analyze the Silence
200
1
How Long Should You Wait?
200
2
How to Follow Up
202
1
How to Handle Rejection
203
2
When to Revise and Resubmit
205
4
CHAPTER NINE HOW TO WORK WITH AGENTS AND EDITORS
209
16
What to Expect When an Agent Says Yes
209
1
What Your Agent/Writer Contract Covers
210
2
What You Need to Do for Your Agents
212
1
What You Shouldn't Do
212
1
How Agents Work
212
1
When You Have to Fire Your Agent
213
3
Starting the Hunt Again
216
1
Ten Steps Your Manuscript Takes to Become a Novel
217
1
What to Do When the Contract Comes
218
1
How You Get Paid
219
1
Oh Yes, You Will Need Editing
220
1
After You Novel's Published: A New Job Begins
221
1
How to Not Be a One-Book Wonder
222
1
When You Aren't Getting to Yes
223
2
APPENDIX RESOURCES FOR WRITERS
225
15
Books and Trade Publications
225
4
Writers Associations
229
2
On-Line Resources
231
9
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
240