Your Big Book Deal: Sell Your Book Idea to a Major Publisher

Do you have a great idea for a book, and want to make sure you get the best deal possible for it?

There are five major publishers in the United States, known as “The Big Five: Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan. They’re the ones that offer the highest advances and have the best chance of landing your book on bestseller lists. I’ve written for all five of them, including several books that landed six-figure deals. Now I’m excited to teach you how to sell a nonfiction book to a major publisher.

Learn How to Sell Your Big Book Idea

Did you know that you don’t have to write a book before you sell it to a publisher? In fact, publishers and agents don’t even want you to write the whole thing. They want to be involved in the process, so what they want from you first is a document called a book proposal. We’ll go over all the ins and outs of vetting your idea and then writing an amazing book proposal, including…

• How to analyze your idea to make sure it’s good enough and big enough to land with a major publisher

• How to determine if you need a coauthor, ghostwriter, or other collaborator

• Checking out your competition to make sure there’s a market for it and see how you can differentiate your book

• How to write an overview that grabs attention

• The “author platform” and how you can build and improve yours before the book deal

• How to write an effective book outline

• Showing publishers you’re ready to promote

• Tips for your sample chapters

Why Take This Course?

This is a rare opportunity to take a course with an author who’s really “done it all”– I’ve had more than 30 books published, more on the way. They range from biographies and memoirs to true crime, reference, business and leadership, self-help, health, psychology, inspirational, and children’s educational. I’ve written books with celebrities. I’ve written books with “regular people.” Nonfiction books are my jam.

Along the way, I’ve worked with multiple top agents and publishers, so I have a wide-ranging knowledge base about what sells and what doesn’t, and what works in a book proposal. Plus, I’m one of those weirdos who actually likes writing book proposals. With any luck, I’m going to teach you how to like the process, too. It’s pretty exciting to watch an idea take shape!

Course Details

You don’t need anything to start this course except the desire to write a nonfiction book. If you have a strong idea for one, great. If not, you may find the inspiration for it here. 

This course is taught by video lecture and handouts.

Rating Distribution

• 1 stars: 0 votes
• 2 stars: 0 votes
• 3 stars: 2 votes
• 4 stars: 15 votes
• 5 stars: 23 votes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!