Five weeks ago, I sent my completed proposal and polished
chapter to an editor who had expressed an interest in it. I haven't heard
anything and I've essentially lost hope for that outcome. I know, with fiction
manuscripts, it can be months before a response comes back, but I have been
told that things are much quicker with non-fiction proposals. So, what's next?
I'm going to rework the proposal a little and look into getting an agent.
Problem of the day: One part of the proposal that I need to
improve is the biography, which should be approximately the same text that will
be used on the book's dust jacket. I have a really lame biography. I have no
relevant credentials or experience and no publications. Even claiming I've been
interested in mammoths for a long time is a bit of a stretch. I have a small
plastic mammoth that I've carried around since kindergarten, but mammoths have
only been a big deal for me since around the time I started blogging ten years
ago. I am confident that I know more about my topic--history of mammoth
knowledge--but, how do I demonstrate my authority. Suggestions?
I realize I'm responding to the question months after you posed it, and you probably have thought of this already, but have you included your blogging credentials in your biography? "Author of a long-running blog on mammoth lore and discoveries"? Perhaps mentioning where your blog has been mentioned/cited and any relevant/impressive statistics on viewership? It seems to me that the blog itself has been an important vehicle for demonstrating your authority and disseminating your ideas.
ReplyDeleteAgain, you've probably thought of this already, but just thought I'd throw it out there.
Good luck!