If you have a great idea for a nonfiction
book, the first step isn't to create the manuscript, but to craft a book
proposal that clearly describes your concept, why it'll be compelling
to a large number of readers, the ways in which it can be promoted to
those readers, and how you'd flesh it out in book form. This proposal
can then be used to attract agents and convince book publishers. It's
only after obtaining a contractual commitment and advance payment from
a publisher that you should proceed to the next step, which is actually
writing the book (either by yourself or with a ghostwriter).
Publishers vastly prefer this approach, because
it avoids your being "locked in" to any element of the book,
giving an editor the freedom to request adjustments before you pour time
and energy into the manuscript.
I know of what I speak, because I'm the author
or co-author of 16 acclaimed books that have sold hundreds of thousands
of copies.
These include five books in the popular Dummies series and a Complete
Idiot's Guide book, which demonstrate my
ability to explain even complex concepts in an accessible, entertaining
manner that anyone can understand.
They also include a book on electronic tools
for writers that garnered raves from The
New York Times; and a book interviewing world-renowned novelist
and screenwriter Neil Gaiman (The
Sandman Companion) that quickly became a national bestseller.
For almost all these books, I made the sale on the basis of
a 5-15 page "pitch" marketing
section, a 15-20 page detailed contents outline, and (in select cases)
a 40-60 page collection of sample chapters. I use the same skills developed
to get my own books published to help both experienced writers and beginners—doctors,
lawyers, business executives, artists, life coaches, chefs, psychologists,
marketers, dietary experts, financial advisors, fitness trainers, spiritual
gurus, storytellers, and many other diverse professionals—turn
their sharp book ideas into dynamic book proposals.
My name is Hy Bender, and you're unlikely
to find anyone who'll do as fine a job of identifying and then presenting
on paper the best aspects of your book idea. Regardless of your level
of experience, I'll take your concept very seriously and, if I believe
you have a solid chance at selling it, will work hard to create a winning
book proposal for you.
Among the reasons I'm successful at this
work is I'm a superb listener and interviewer. In addition to the extensive
interviewing performed for my bestselling books, I've used my conversational
skills to tackle projects for such renowned organizations as Morgan Stanley,
Reuters, American Insurance Group, New York Mercantile Exchange, Northern
Telecom, Juno Online Services, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Congress.
I can therefore pick up a great deal of information about your book by
simply chatting with you casually over the phone and via email.
In addition, I have a sharp sense of humor.
I've sold
funny articles to such diverse national publications as The
New York Times, Mad Magazine, Spy, American Film, and Advertising
Age; contributed to the book The
Mad Bathroom Companion; am developing comedy screenplays and TV sitcom pilots;
and run two daily-updated websites covering the NYC comedy scene (HyReviews.com and BestNewYorkComedy.com). My expertise with humor allows me
to write with wit and an easy-going style, thus avoiding the sort of dry,
muted tone that spells death for most nonfiction books.
On top of all that, I learn very quickly;
have an intuitive understanding of how to communicate effectively to a
mass audience; am meticulous about details; and am second to none at every aspect
of book development, including but not limited to book proposals.
If you have an existing manuscript, please know
that I'm a world-class book editor. I've turned books that no one wanted to
buy into hot properties through thoughtful—and at times brutal—cuts,
revisions, and rewriting.
And if you aren't interested in a book proposal but simply want
to self-publish a book, I'm also an expert ghostwriter who can efficiently
create a book from scratch; plus I work with an excellent designer who
can make both the interior and covers of your book attractive and commercial,
and a printer that provides superb quality on even
low runs at an affordable price.
To learn more about my experience, please
click below to explore:
You can also read about the 16 books I've
published to date by searching for "Hy
Bender" via either Google or online book superstore Amazon.com. The following are the covers
of some of my books:
Five
of Hy's 16 published
books
A book proposal is essentially a business plan
for your book. It requires only one investor—a publisher—but that
publisher will be spending tens of thousands of dollars if it greenlights
your idea. Publishers need you to provide a rock-solid document to
justify that investment.
Creating a book proposal that adequately meets this challenge therefore requires highly skilled and time-consuming effort. My rate is $60 per hour, working from upfront renewable retainers. That's very reasonable if you're serious about getting published to communicate your message to a mass audience, enhance your reputation, and/or push your career to the next level.
Further, if your budget is limited and you're willing
to do most of the work yourself, you can hire me as a guide and advisor. In
this case my rate remains $60 an hour, but you can pay a substantially smaller
retainer and lower overall cost since I'll be working fewer hours.
When you land a publisher you'll
typically receive an advance of anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000+ (depending
on the projected number of readers likely to buy your book). And if your
sales take off, you could earn a great deal more than that from your royalties.
If you need a proposal,
look no further; there's no better book proposal writer
for hire in the country. One of my clients, a New York Times bestselling
author for whom I helped create an award-winning business book, calls me "the
guru of book proposals." And another client who I've been helping since
his first manuscript just thanked me in his third book (published by Wiley)
for being "the world's best editor."
Alternatively, if you need an entire book written,
I'm a quick, efficient, and superb ghostwriter.
If you're writing about your life, I
have deep experience with this type of book. One of my great strengths
is the ability to fit memoirs into a movie structure, which vastly increases
the chances of success with a mass audience—and also ups the odds of garnering
interest from Hollywood for a feature film.
If you want to self-publish, I can build your
book every step of the way—writing
the text, gathering and scanning evocative photos, getting the book and its
cover artfully designed, and having the book printed
at one of the world's finest digital full-color presses.
And if you're working on a fiction manuscript,
I'm exceptionally great at providing analysis, editorial, and ghostwriting
help. That's why even Hollywood screenwriters rely on me to tell them whether
their movies are well-constructed and how their stories can be improved.
Please don't hesitate to share your book plans with me.
I receive hundreds of book and movie ideas a year, and as a matter of policy
keep them all strictly confidential. Protecting the concepts of my clients,
and potential clients, is as automatic for me as breathing. (Alternatively,
if you have even a partial manuscript, please feel encouraged to register
it online with the US Copyright Office
at copyright.gov/eco .
It's a quick process, and
the $35 charge is worth it for peace of mind alone.)
My email address is hy@hyreviews.com, and I'd love
to hear from you.
If you want help evaluating and/or bulletproofing a screenplay,
