Query Letters and Book Proposals:
Getting Your Non-Fiction Book Project Ready for Submission
With Literary Agent Andy Ross, author of The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal
August 14 & 21, 2025
8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific)
If you’re writing a non-fiction book—memoir, how-to, business, health, spirituality, parenting, or any other non-fiction genre—this two-night class will help you prepare your project for submission to agents and publishers.
In non-fiction publishing, a great manuscript alone won’t land you a book deal. It’s your book proposal that opens the door. And your query letter that gets it read.
That’s why we’ve invited longtime literary agent Andy Ross, author of The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal, to lead you through the exact process that gets an agent to say yes.
This is a hands-on, information-rich, and deeply practical class designed to help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
Here’s how the class will unfold.
Session 1: Writing the Non-fiction Book Proposal
A non-fiction book proposal—usually between 30 and 50 pages—is a business plan that describes the concept of the book, why it’s important, who the audience will be, and why you have both the authority to write about it and the savvy to promote it. An effective book proposal will anticipate and answer the questions that agents and acquisition editors will be asking.
In this session, Andy will walk you through:
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What a Book Proposal Is—and Isn’t
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Why a proposal is a business plan, not a writing sample
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The key questions every agent and editor is asking
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The 8 Core Elements of a Proposal
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Overview / Introduction
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Audience and Market
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Competitive Titles
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About the Author / Platform
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Publicity and Marketing Strategy
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Chapter Summaries
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Sample Chapter(s)
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Table of Contents
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How to Write Each Section
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What to include (and what to avoid)
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How to strike the right tone: confident, clear, and compelling
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How much is enough (and how much is too much)
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Proposal Mistakes to Avoid
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Common red flags agents see in weak proposals
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Misunderstood sections and how to fix them
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How to Make Your Proposal Stand Out
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Real examples from successful proposals
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Tips for shaping your message to fit the market
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You'll leave with a clear understanding of how to structure and start writing your own winning proposal.
Session 2: Writing Query Letters + Your Next Steps
In this session, Andy will focus on your query letter—the short, powerful pitch that gets an agent to open your proposal. You’ll be able to submit your query ahead of time, and Andy will choose several to workshop during class. He’ll also reserve lots of time for your questions about all aspects of the book business.
You’ll learn:
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The Anatomy of a Strong Query Letter
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How to write a compelling hook
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How to describe your book in a sentence or two
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What to say about yourself—and what to leave out
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The right tone, structure, and etiquette
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How to Find the Right Agents
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How to research and target agents who represent your kind of book
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What to include in your outreach
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When and how to follow up
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Live Query Letter Workshopping
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Attendees may submit their query letters ahead of time
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Andy will select several to review live during class
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Everyone will learn from real-time edits and feedback
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Plus: Time for your questions about the whole process—from platform to pitching to contracts and next steps.
By the End of This Class, You’ll Have:
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A clear roadmap for writing your proposal
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An understanding of what agents and editors are looking for
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A strong draft or outline of your query letter
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Direct advice from a working literary agent
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Inspiration to keep going—and tools to do it right
This class is for anyone who wants to understand the non-fiction publishing process and how to craft a query and proposal that sell. No matter where you are in the process—just starting or revising your pitch—this class will help you move forward with professionalism and purpose.
Faculty
Andy Ross is a literary agent based in Oakland, California. Before becoming an agent, he was the owner of the legendary Cody’s Books in Berkeley, where he worked for 30 years.
Andy represents a wide range of non-fiction genres, including narrative non-fiction, science, journalism, history, popular culture, memoir, and current events. He also represents literary, commercial, historical, crime, upmarket women’s fiction, and young adult fiction.
Authors Andy represents include Daniel Ellsberg, Leonard Shlain, Susan Griffin, Fritjof Capra, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Gwen Strauss, Mark Goldblatt, Anjanette Delgado, Elisa Kleven, Tawni Waters, Randall Platt, Mary Jo McConahay, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Gerald Nachman, Michael Parenti, Paul Krassner, Milton Viorst, Senator Jeff Bingaman, and Michele Anna Jordan.
He is the author of The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal. In addition to his work as an agent, Andy also offers literary consulting and freelance editing services to writers not represented by the agency.
You can learn more about Andy at www.andyrossagency.com.
Today's Price Only $127 for 4 hours of instruction
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Please note: Our classes are designed specifically for live participation, so your attendance is important. If you need to miss a class for any reason, you’ll receive a passcode-protected link to watch the recordings after the course is over.
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