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Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, 2nd Edition | 
 enlarge | Authors: Jeff Herman, Deborah Levine Herman
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $5.85
You Save: $10.10 (63%)
New (27) Used (27) Collectible (1) from $5.73
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 8878
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0471353124
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.02
EAN: 9780471353126
ASIN: 0471353124
Publication Date: May 4, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Want to publish your book? Learn how—it's easier than you think! Charismatic authors and literary agents Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman have successfully sold hundreds of titles and learned—through trial and error—how to write a flawless book proposal that publishers can't resist. Now you can benefit from their hard work and publishing savvy. In this new edition, they offer guidance and advice that will inspire, educate, and, most importantly, give you the necessary edge to get your book published. They explain: •How to shape your idea and create a title •Ways to get to know the market and competition •Tips on writing an effective outline, query letter, and sample chapter •The art and science of fiction and nonfiction book proposals •How ten actual proposals (included here) were successfully sold to publishers—and why "A submission from Jeff Herman always gets moved to the top . . . his new book will show you how to move to the top."—Frederic W. Hills Vice President, Simon & Schuster "This book will take writers to the highest level of proposal writing and success."—Roger Cooper Quality Paperback Book Club "If you want your proposal to ignite a busy editor's interest, read this book."—Adrienne Hickey Senior Acquisitions Editor, AMACOM Books
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Don't waste your time if your a fiction writer April 26, 2009
Stephen W. Reilly (Cape Cod, MA, USA)
The little gold label in the top right of the front cover (which is illegible!) says this is for NON-fiction. I could not read this until I received the book! The title is misleading. One or two pages were relevant to me- I was very disappointed- and CLEARLY misled. The product description says for non-fiction AND fiction- NOT TRUE!!! I wasted my money- AGAIN!
 Why Vietnam Matters March 19, 2009
Harvey Neese (Clarkston, WA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Review for "Why Vietnam Matters" by Rufe Phillips
Harvey Neese is co-author/editor of "Prelude to Tragedy: Vietnam 1960 to 1965" published in 2000.
Rufe Phillip's book should not be construed as pertaining only to the former conflict in South Vietnam. It's a book that every American commander on the ground should be required to read in Afghanistan and Iraq and the U.S. State Department employees in the Middle East. To review the past, America lost in South Vietnam because of a myriad of mistakes, the primary one being unqualified bureaucrats put in charge of an unconventional guerrilla war fought by America conventionally. Was it by mistake or deliberate to select these people? It is difficult to comprehend how the American Government made such a mistake by appointing McNamara as Sec. of Defense and another big mistake in sending James Killeen to be the Director of our foreign aid component in South Vietnam. Neither of these two knew the first thing about counterinsurgency and winning the hearts and minds of the people to help achieve what most people in any developing country wants: better economic opportunities, better health care, better schools and more. And they did not appear smart enough to want to learn.
It doesn't mean that the people in Vietnam or now Iraq or Afghanistan should be given oodles of money crammed into their hands with no responsibilities of their own. It means that in insurgencies as Iraq and Afghanistan, that the U.S. Government should assist these governments to help the people to help themselves and win them over to our side. This is what Rufe taught us in Rural Affairs in Vietnam and General Lansdale taught Rufe. And this is what Rufe through Rural Affairs tried to instill in the military brass in Vietnam but McNamara and company did not want to listen.
I was in South Vietnam during the early 1960's when Rufe Phillips was head of the Rural Affairs counterinsurgency program. In the field, I worked closely with local village and province officials as well as technical people in the agricultural sectors. I learned how to work in rural areas with small farmers in a country with a very active political opposition force, the Viet Cong, and remain alive. I also learned what might have assisted me to remain alive.
Rufe as Director of the Rural Affairs program began to teach us in the field, who had no prior knowledge of counterinsurgency in the beginning, how to work with the people and local officials by helping them help themselves. And we would remain in the background so local government officials could get most of the credit for improving the lives of poor farmers and rural dwellers where most of the insurgency efforts took place. I had an eye opening experience which probably helped me immensely to stay out of ambushes and remain alive and upright during my nearly 15 years in Southeast Asia.
Rufe Phillips and Bert Fraleigh, Deputy Director of Rural Affairs, came up with a program to help the poorest, small farmers improve their lives--this was the Pig Corn Program which entailed offering small loans to thousands of the poorest farmers sufficient to purchase three improved Yorkshire pigs which they could never afford except through this program. I never experienced another program working with poor rural dwellers during my 40 year career that was more popular than the Pig Corn Program.
My Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Qui Dinh, and I were co-field directors of the Pig Corn Program. As the program grew in size, the Viet Cong were increasing their ambushes and terror activities in the northern coastal provinces where we initiated this program. After hearing of nearby Viet Cong activities in Quang Ngai Province below Hue, I became nervous as I drove to villages in remote areas to check out how the latest improved pig introductions to small farmers were doing.
One day I asked a village chief in a larger village of what I should do to protect myself as we continued to ship more pigs from our Mekong Delta quarantine station to Quang Ngai and nearby provinces. Dinh and I were in the field constantly. He informed me that I did not have to worry about the Viet Cong ambushing me. He continued by saying the Pig Corn Program was so popular with the villagers that if any harm was directed at me, every villager would rise up and oppose the people responsible. Well, I took his reassurance to heart and continued my field work with the Pig Corn Program which eventually totaled some 60,000 pigs being sold on credit to the poorest farmers in South Viet Nam. This then is the secret to a successful counterinsurgency program in any country as Rufe taught us; work with the villagers in close connection with the government on programs that would win the hearts and minds of the people. It is much cheaper than bombs, mortars and weapons of destruction being the center of assistance programs in countries where we must have support from the people if we are to win guerilla type conflicts.
Some of us who worked under Rufe Phillips wondered why the U.S. Government has not made use of his counterinsurgency knowledge in Iraq and Afghanistan that was learned in Vietnam. If he had been involved in setting up a counterinsurgency program in these countries, I dare say we would not be in the mess we are in today and we would not have had the huge costs in money and lives. Counterinsurgency programs are inexpensive compared to destroying villages and livelihoods if done right. And when you win the hearts and minds of the people, you can usually win the conflict. Rufe Phillips has vast knowledge of how to do this with his experiences in Vietnam and training under General Ed Lansdale. I highly recommend American military leaders to read every page of his book and learn how it's done and consult with an expert, Rufe Phillips. And I highly advise everyone to read Rufe's book so you will learn how we lose the support of the population and the war in guerilla type insurgencies such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
Don't hesitate. Buy it. Read it. Use it. December 21, 2008
S. J. Swanepoel (Aliso Viejo, CA)
If you want to get your book published then Write The Perfect Book Proposal is the book you must read before contacting any publisher. It is the definitive guide on how to write an excellent that will grab their attention and make your book stand out from the others. Jeff and Deborah also offer incredible examples, with great commentary, on what you should and shouldn't do. It helped me a great deal. Thank you.
Very helpful December 12, 2008
Rebekah Bernardo (Florida)
This book is great for those of us who need examples to learn. The 1st part of the book gives a brief explanation of what goes in a book proposal and the 2nd half is examples of successful proposals. It would probably benefit a new writer to buy an additional book on how to do a book proposal because others I have purchased are more in depth. That being said this is my favorite due to the samples. So whatever other book you choose to purchase on this subject, I highly recommend you follow up with this one. Really excellent and helpful.
 Great for samples October 18, 2007
Leslie Truex (Palmyra, VA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I used this book along with Michael Larson's How to Write a Book Proposal and Elizabeth Lyon's book on Non-Fiction Book Proposals. Larson's and Lyon's books were better at explaining each section and how to create interest, but I liked this book for the actual examples. When I was ready to write a section, I'd read about it in the other books, and then read the samples in this book.
I was successful in getting an agent who asked what books I used in creating my proposal as she said it was very good. I have since sold the book to a publisher as well.
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