How to Get a Six-Figure Advance for Your Business Book Idea
An industry insider spills the beans on what you need to get a publishing deal
A book publisher I used to work with once met with a potential business book author, heard the author’s pitch, and offered him and his agent a few hundred thousand dollars right on the spot.
When the publisher later told his marketing director about it, the marketing director said, “He must have an amazing platform.”
“He doesn’t have much of a social media presence. He gives talks, but he doesn’t get paid for them,” the publisher said. “But you just have to hear him talk.”
He was right. That book has now sold over a million copies, and if you’re reading this, there’s also a good chance you probably own it.
How was that publisher so sure the book would work without even a proposal? The author had an amazing idea, he told me, that he couldn’t stop talking about. And with every story he told, the publisher could easily imagine huge audiences getting to their feet, applauding.
At a pitch meeting with a publisher, the first question you’re likely to hear is, “Why did you want to write this book?” A frequent — and…
