Getting Non Fiction Published

Essential Ingredients by Sheila Kiely

gimmetherecipe Last week in Setting Goals and Making Time, Sheila Kiely in explained how she managed to put together her book Gimme the Recipe while juggling a job and six children. But how did she know which recipes to put in, and how did she go about deciding on a format for her book? When you are putting together a non-fiction proposal, a clear plan is essential. Finding out what else is on the market and identifying what will make your book different, and therefore of interest to publishers, is crucial. Sheila told writing.ie quite simply, "'Gimme the Recipe was written for people like me. I wanted a book that offered everyday recipes with a bit of variety and a reminder of the old classics too...

Written from the perspective of a regular busy mom I felt that there was a market for this type of practical approach to recipes. Most of the cookery books that are out there are written either by chefs or by people whose livelihoods revolve around food.They are people who are within reach of ingredients every day that may not be easily accessible to the more regular consumer. These writers concern themselves with food and food issues all day long whereas for many of us what we’re having for dinner is something that almost hangs over us or shadows us in the background and when finally faced is a decision that is made quickly and without the luxury of time to ponder it.Therefore I’ve ensured all ingredients that I have used can be bought at my local Irish supermarket.Besides having readily accessible ingredients I’ve also written the method of the recipes to include the preparation as well. This means that I view the ingredients list as just that, a shopping list of what I need and I don’t include instructions in the ingredients list like 1 onion finely chopped etc.Pre-preparing ingredients is how chefs cook and makes sense in a restaurant environment however in our homes there aren’t very many of us who have the time to first prepare ingredients and then cook and we usually prepare as we go, chopping our onions etc. just as we are about to use them.

Writing a Non-Fiction Proposal

rachelpic_3_167x250 Proposal letters are so important. They’re the first chance you get to make a good impression on an agent or a publisher.

The following are two real proposal letters I have sent to publishers and agents for two non-fiction books. I hope they will be useful to show you the points you need to touch on in your own proposal letter. Both proposals were accepted by publishers.