No more than one and one-half pages, single spaced, telling us what your book is about, who will be interested in reading it, your qualifications for writing it and an overview of your publishing history. Think of your query as the back cover of your book: it should make us want to know more.

Your well-crafted proposal should contain the following:

1. Overview:

In two and one-half pages or less, explain what your book is about. Why will the book reading public want or need to read it? Think of this as a "sales pitch" and take your time getting it right, since this is where you'll not only demonstrate how great your book will be, but how well you can write it.

2. Author Bio:

Tell us who you are; your publication history; how you are THE person to be writing this book. Do you belong to any professional organizations? Have you won any awards? Be specific! Don't use the phrase "award-winning" without telling us which award(s).

3. Comparable Books:

List three or more titles with similar subject matter. Use the most recent examples you can find. How is your book similar in ways that will satisfy readers, and how is it different in ways that will excite them? Remember, once your book leaves the warehouse, it is "merchandise" and everyone who handles it needs to know what shelf it will occupy in the store. An effective way to find comparable books is to perform a search of the subject of your book on amazon.com. Please include each book's 13 digit ISBN number, title and author and year of publication.

4. Target Audience:

What group or groups of readers will want to read your book and why? Be as specific as possible.

5. Marketing Opportunities:

What publications and other media outlets will be interested in featuring your book (and you)? Do you have any contacts within the media? Are you a public speaker? Do you belong to any trade organizations or special interest groups in which your book can be promoted?

6. Chapter Outline:

Provide a detailed summary of your book's contents.

7. Sample Chapters:

Include three full chapters. They need not be consecutive, but please do include Chapter One.

To Submit Your Query or Proposal

We only accept electronic submissions. Email your query or proposal to newauthors@lachancepublishing.com. You may paste your query letter into the body of your email. Proposals should be attached as either a Microsoft Word document or PDF.