Submitting Nonfiction   


NOTE: before submitting nonfiction to the agency, please first read all of these instructions carefully.


Submission Requirements for Nonfiction ...

KEEP IN MIND THAT FAR MORE NONFICTION BOOKS ARE SOLD THAN FICTION AND THAT NONFICTION OUTSELLS FICTION AS WELL.  IF YOU HAVE AN ORIGINAL IDEA AND EXPERTISE, YOU HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING A BOOK PUBLISHED.  If you have ever attended a writers' conference, you must have noticed that fiction authors outnumber nonfiction authors ten to one.   Everyone seems to want to write a novel but few have the knowledge and discipline to develop a nonfiction proposal.

It is important that you include all of the following with your nonfiction submission:

Marketing Plan
This should include answers to the following questions ...

Additional submission instructions and information:



Sending In Your Nonfiction Proposal ...

Submit queries via regular mail or email. We do not accept submissions by phone.

Submitting via Regular Mail
Send the query letter and sample chapter by regular mail to:
Natasha Kern Literary Agency
P. O. Box 1069
White Salmon, WA 98672

You should receive a response from the agency within two to four weeks IF we are interested in talking with you further about your project. No response within that time is an indication that your project is not one that we are seeking to represent at this time.

Do not include an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) unless you need materials returned to you. We prefer to contact writers to request more material if we are interested in their project. However, if you do include an SASE with sufficient postage we will return your submitted material (other than query letter) along with a form rejection letter.

Submitting via Email
Send the query letter within the body of the email. We do not accept or read unsolicited attachments. Include the word QUERY, and also the title of your project in the email subject line. We will respond via email or phone within two weeks IF we are interested in your project and need additional material. Otherwise, you will not receive a response other than an auto-reply acknowledging your initial email submission.

Send email queries to: queries@natashakern.com

 

Some Recommended Reading for Nonfiction Proposals

We recommend the following books to assist your nonfiction proposal. These books are ideal for understanding book proposals for self-help, how-to and popular nonfiction subject:

Below is a link to one of the finest articles on how to create a non-fiction book proposal. It is written by Mike Hyatt, the current President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers...
Writing a Winning Book Proposal by Michael Hyatt

Author 101 Bestselling Book Proposals: The Insider's Guide to Selling Your Work (Author 101) -- by Rick Frishman, Robyn Freedman Spizman
Book Proposals That Sell by W. Terry Whalin
Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write
by Elizabeth Lyon

If you are writing a memoir, narrative nonfiction, science-based (like Longitude) or serious nonfiction book, it will also be helpful to read ...
The Forest for the Trees
by Betsey Lerner
Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction and Get it Published
by Susan Rabiner

 

Agency Client Fees

The agency does not charge a reading fee and does not use outside readers. Submission of material does not guarantee the agency will represent the author or render the work more salable to publishers. The agency receives a 15% commission on domestic sales, splits a 15% commission on film sales with our Hollywood subagents, and splits a 20% commission with subagents for foreign rights sales.

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