Unbottled Potential, Avery/Penguin Random House
Amanda Kuda
I mean it with absolute certainty when I say that working with Richelle changed my life.
Through her Book Proposal Blueprint program, I created a bang-up proposal that got the attention of my dream agents. That proposal went on to earn me meetings with major publishing houses and ultimately resulted in an amazing book deal for my first book.
I would not be where I am today, as an author, without her expert support and guidance along the way. I've invested in many, many programs and BPB has had the biggest return on investment so far.
Is this your current book reality?
You know you have a book you’re meant to write, but just don’t know how to get published — or really, where to even start with writing it (does every writer go full Rowling and put their draft on a stack of napkins?). You’ve maybe heard you need to get an agent, but what does an agent really do?
Maybe you feel overwhelmed or have lost hope as you try to navigate the publishing process and don’t know who to listen to or if you need a book coach or a course…
I can answer all these questions, plus ones you haven’t even thought to ask yet. And when it comes to needing a coach or a course, I can do you one better… My comprehensive, 10-week program The Book Proposal Blueprint is both.
The Key to Publishing Your Book:
A Book Proposal That Brings Big Book Energy
Book Proposals are a lot of things: they’re business plans, they’re resumes, they’re writing samples. Every word of the proposal carries weight.
They’re the most critical and necessary part of the book publishing process—even if you don’t plan to follow the ‘traditional’ publishing route.
It’s the literal blueprint for your book; writing it, selling it, bringing it to life.
You want it to be just right so you can attract the most aligned agents and publishers and, eventually, readers. It’s the only document an agent and publisher will read… It’s your ticket for entry—it’s your shot, it’s crucial.
But creating a book proposal can be daunting, especially when you have a day job, kids, other responsibilities, and no defined path to follow.
When you join the Book Proposal Blueprint, you’ll gain the guidance and expertise you need to forge your way forward and create a proposal that brings you both confidence and peace, plus major author credibility.
By the end of our time together, you’ll emerge with a proposal that ticks all the boxes a publisher is looking for and maximizes your chances of securing a life-changing book deal and knowing the exact steps you need to take to bring your book to the masses.
I know the book industry cover to cover and I also know the players making the deals happen.
They don't call me the "Six-Figure Book Deal Coach" for nothing! I've worked with hundreds of bestselling authors and coached many authors to six-figure book deals with the largest publishers in the world. Over the past few years, I’ve helped my clients land MILLIONS of dollars in book advances from major publishers. And in this program, you’ll go through the same step-by-step process my private clients follow, plus insider secrets from my 20 years of publication experience by learning…
- What agents & editors are really looking for in a kick-ass book proposal
- How to build an author platform from the ground up that will help you get that book deal, negotiate a bigger advance, and sell more books
- The inside scoop on agents: what they do, when you need them, and how to get a good one
- How to overcome the common missteps that cause 90% of new writers' proposals to be instantly rejected
- Simple tricks to overcome overwhelm and writer’s block to finish your book proposal quickly and confidently
Anti-Racism + DEI Writer and Speaker, Author of The Body Liberation Project (Tiny Reparations 2023)
Chrissy King
With Richelle’s guidance, the journey from book concept to full proposal was easy and seamless.
Not only did I sell my book with ease, but I walked away from the experience with such clarity on the content of the book. I have a literal blueprint that will guide me through the book writing process.
Psychotherapist + relationship expert, author of Boundary Boss
Terri Cole
If you are looking for a secret weapon for creating a book proposal that will WOW publishers, look no further—Richelle is it! I am so grateful!
AUTHOR OF UnDOUBTABLE, Award-winning Peak Performance Educator to Fortune 500s
Shadé Zahrai
Engaging with Richelle for our book proposal was one of the best decisions we made. Her flexibility and understanding shone throughout the process, making it extremely smooth for us. She helped us enhance the value of our proposal in a very systematic and structured way. Without her expertise and guidance, we couldn't have achieved such excellence. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to craft a compelling and professional book proposal. Thank you Richelle!
Get Step-by-step Guidance from an Industry Veteran
Clarify Your Book Concept
So you’ve got an idea for a book. But to sell it, you need more than an idea—you need a crystal-clear concept and a marketable mission. Richelle will help you polish your core idea until it shines. This will make your book 10x easier to sell—not just to publishers, but to eventual readers around the world.
Create Your Book Proposal
Learn exactly what to include in your book proposal, and how to craft each section so that it checks every box on a publisher’s wishlist. What’s more, you’ll go through this process in the right sequence so that every part of your book proposal builds off the last—helping you finish your proposal quickly.
Find Your Dream Agent
The right agent is an invaluable business partner who will help you find the right publisher and negotiate the best terms—including a juicy advance payment. Learn how to find and query the right agent who will work hard to make sure your book lands on bookshelves around the world.
Avoid Common Pitfalls
Agents and publishers read proposals from new, inexperienced writers every day. Richelle will help you to set yourself apart from the rest by teaching you to avoid the common mistakes that cause 90% of proposals to be instantly rejected.
Build Your Platform
One of the biggest factors in any author’s success is your platform—the community of people around your book topic. Learn to build a thriving and engaged platform that will help get your book published and ensure strong sales.
The Book Proposal Blueprint
Program Curriculum
Your journey to publication starts with a frank discussion of what you need to know before you begin. You’ll get the inside scoop on what agents and editors are really looking for (hint: it’s better to offer a fresh take on a tried-and-true topic than to suggest something wildly original) and how to augment your proposal with your credentials, platform, and personality. Last but not least, learn how to avoid getting derailed by the most common mistakes and distractions that plague 99% of aspiring authors.
Just like a business needs to be focused on its customers, as an author you need to understand your future readers on a deep level. Who are they? What problem are you helping them solve? What other books and solutions are they using right now? Learn how to research your readers and uncover insights that will help you write a book that speaks to an audience that will be receptive to your message.
Right now, you probably have an idea for a book. But that idea is like an unpolished gem. In this module, you’ll clarify and polish that book idea into a core concept that’s tight, appealing, and marketable. Learn the 3 questions you need to be able to answer to craft a compelling journey for the reader, and how to turn your brain dump into concise bullets and universal themes that you can expand into a satisfying and engaging book.
Chapter summaries are the second-most important part of your proposal, and for good reason—they’re the bones of your book. This is where you start to add structure to all the ideas you’ve brainstormed and crafted. Through lessons and examples, you’ll learn how to write an effective chapter summary that appeals to agents and editors. Along the way, you’ll learn to infuse this section with your own voice and personality.
The first few paragraphs of your book proposal are called the overview, because they give a big-picture overview of what your book is about. Not only is the overview the most important part of your proposal—it could turn out to be the single most important thing you ever write. You’ll learn what to include, what not to include, and how to create a strong opening with a motivational close that propels readers into the rest of your proposal.
Successful authors write with a clear target market in mind. And in this module, you’ll learn how to research your target market like a pro, starting with demographics, psychographics, and market proof. You’ll categorize your readers into three tiers—primary, secondary, and tertiary—and illustrate reader avatars in your book proposal.
Publishers don’t like risk. They want to know there are readers out there who are already buying books on your topic. That’s where your comparative analysis comes in. You’ll learn how to find comp titles that give publishers the reassurance they need that there are buyers out there for your book, and helps guide them in understanding where your book fits in the market.
These days, authors are expected to market their own books. But don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be scary. In this module you’ll learn how to think of your platform in buckets (some will be more full than others), and to focus on the few buckets that are most important for you. One particularly important lesson in this module is how to craft a pre-launch strategy that incentivizes early buyers. When done right, this can help catapult your book onto bestseller lists.
Time to finish your book proposal strong, with a professional bio and compelling sample chapters. Learn how to choose which chapters to include—chapters that show the cornerstone of your work or include a tipping-point moment. Last but not least, start writing your chapters quickly and efficiently using quick 20-minute sprints that keep writer’s block at bay.
A good agent is an invaluable business partner who shares your passion and vision. And in this module, you’ll find, research, and query agents. Learn the secrets of writing a query letter that grabs an agent’s attention, and submit your proposal in a way that maximizes your chance of landing an agent who’s a great fit for you, your book, and your aspirations as a writer.
The Book Proposal Blueprint
Program Curriculum
Module 1
So, You Want to Write a Book…
Your journey to publication starts with a frank discussion of what you need to know before you begin. You’ll get the inside scoop on what agents and editors are really looking for (hint: it’s better to offer a fresh take on a tried-and-true topic than to suggest something wildly original) and how to augment your proposal with your credentials, platform, and personality. Last but not least, learn how to avoid getting derailed by the most common mistakes and distractions that plague 99% of aspiring authors.
Module 2
Understanding Who You’re Writing For
Just like a business needs to be focused on its customers, as an author you need to understand your future readers on a deep level. Who are they? What problem are you helping them solve? What other books and solutions are they using right now? Learn how to research your readers and uncover insights that will help you write a book that speaks to an audience that will be receptive to your message.
Module 3
Clarifying Your Core Concept
Right now, you probably have an idea for a book. But that idea is like an unpolished gem. In this module, you’ll clarify and polish that book idea into a core concept that’s tight, appealing, and marketable. Learn the 3 questions you need to be able to answer to craft a compelling journey for the reader, and how to turn your brain dump into concise bullets and universal themes that you can expand into a satisfying and engaging book.
Module 4
Writing Chapter Summaries
Chapter summaries are the second-most important part of your proposal, and for good reason—they’re the bones of your book. This is where you start to add structure to all the ideas you’ve brainstormed and crafted. Through lessons and examples, you’ll learn how to write an effective chapter summary that appeals to agents and editors. Along the way, you’ll learn to infuse this section with your own voice and personality.
Module 5
Bring the Drama! Crafting Your Overview
The first few paragraphs of your book proposal are called the overview, because they give a big-picture overview of what your book is about. Not only is the overview the most important part of your proposal—it could turn out to be the single most important thing you ever write. You’ll learn what to include, what not to include, and how to create a strong opening with a motivational close that propels readers into the rest of your proposal.
Module 6
Identifying Your Reader in the Target Market
Successful authors write with a clear target market in mind. And in this module, you’ll learn how to research your target market like a pro, starting with demographics, psychographics, and market proof. You’ll categorize your readers into three tiers—primary, secondary, and tertiary—and illustrate reader avatars in your book proposal.
Module 7
Proving the Market with Comparative Analysis
Publishers don’t like risk. They want to know there are readers out there who are already buying books on your topic. That’s where your comparative analysis comes in. You’ll learn how to find comp titles that give publishers the reassurance they need that there are buyers out there for your book, and helps guide them in understanding where your book fits in the market.
Module 8
Author Platform & Marketing
These days, authors are expected to market their own books. But don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be scary. In this module you’ll learn how to think of your platform in buckets (some will be more full than others), and to focus on the few buckets that are most important for you. One particularly important lesson in this module is how to craft a pre-launch strategy that incentivizes early buyers. When done right, this can help catapult your book onto bestseller lists.
Module 9
Author Bio & Sample Chapters
Time to finish your book proposal strong, with a professional bio and compelling sample chapters. Learn how to choose which chapters to include—chapters that show the cornerstone of your work or include a tipping-point moment. Last but not least, start writing your chapters quickly and efficiently using quick 20-minute sprints that keep writer’s block at bay.
Module 10
Finding and Querying Agents
A good agent is an invaluable business partner who shares your passion and vision. And in this module, you’ll find, research, and query agents. Learn the secrets of writing a query letter that grabs an agent’s attention, and submit your proposal in a way that maximizes your chance of landing an agent who’s a great fit for you, your book, and your aspirations as a writer.
BONUS
How to Build Your Platform
A strong author platform makes it so much easier to get your book published—and once it hits shelves, your platform is what will drive strong sales and grow your exposure, create more media and speaking opportunities, and amplify your impact on the world. In this bonus training, you’ll learn what an author platform is, why it’s so crucial, and how to build your platform from the ground up.
JOIN THE BOOK PROPOSAL BLUEPRINT
Financial expert, TV Host & Contributor, host of the So Money podcast & author of the upcoming book A Healthy State of Panic
Farnoosh Torabi
Working with Richelle, I felt like I had the ultimate advantage: someone who gave me all the secrets to the literary world and how to shape my proposal in a way that would generate lots of interest—but also still remain true to my mission as a writer.
In a few months, Richelle coached me to a multi six-figure book deal with one of the largest publishers in the world.
Host of Being Human with Vasavi podcast ,CEO of MIND Your Own Business, author of the upcoming book Say It Out Loud (New World Library)
Vasavi Kumar
What I knew for so long is that I really wanted to get my book proposal done–and what I also knew is that I had been making a lot of excuses as to why I “couldn’t”.
After working with Richelle and going through the Book Proposal Blueprint program, not only do I have my book proposal done (with sample chapters!), but I also have my agent query letter done—I’ve completed it! What I said I was going to do, I did.
What to Expect
Are you ready to write a book proposal worth publishing?
JOIN THE BOOK PROPOSAL BLUEPRINT
Pay in Full
$2200
- 10 Weeks of Comprehensive Video Lessons
- 2 Monthly Group Sessions (for 16 weeks)
- Insider Secrets from Decades of Publishing Expertise
- Worksheets, Templates, Resources, and More
- On-demand, Lifetime Access
- BONUS: Exclusive Platform Building Module
- BONUS: Save $200 on my Book Proposal Review (Normally $1,700)
3 Payments
$766/Month
- 10 Weeks of Comprehensive Video Lessons
- 2 Monthly Group Sessions (for 16 weeks)
- Insider Secrets from Decades of Publishing Expertise
- Worksheets, Templates, Resources, and More
- On-demand, Lifetime Access
- BONUS: Exclusive Platform Building Module
- BONUS: Save $200 on my Book Proposal Review (Normally $1,700)
Sex Therapist, Writer and Author of the upcoming book Sex Talks (Atria 2023)
Vanessa Marin
The proposal we completed together landed me my dream agent, a KILLER book deal, and so much confidence in myself as a soon-to-be author.
I can say with 1,000% certainty that it was worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Universe Has Your Back
Gabby Bernstein
I had the pleasure of working with Richelle for a number of years and she rocks!
She’s a forward-thinking media and marketing maven who will support your vision and get you the results you need. From her hustle to her heart, I would highly recommend working with Richelle.
Frequently Asked Questions
The program is dripped out over 10 weeks. Each week, you’ll gain access to a new module, complete with video training, supporting material, and homework. You will have access to the group calls for 16 weeks with the opportunity to renew after your calls are completed.
The course content, including all videos and downloadable assets, are hosted through the Kajabi course platform. You'll even be able to access your training on the go with the Kajabi app.
The group calls will be on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, at alternating times (either 12 pm ET or 4 pm ET) to accommodate as many people as possible.
Hi! I’m Richelle Fredson.
From public relations & digital marketing launches, to acquisitions & book proposals — I've seen it all.
I’ve been a leader in the publishing industry for two decades. Formerly, I was the Director of Publicity & Book Marketing as well as on the Acquisitions team for Hay House.
These days I put all the hats I've worn to work for you — aspiring authors who want to make an impact by anchoring your story and amplifying your expertise so you can change lives and leave a legacy in print.
I’ve coached many authors to six-figure book deals, including Chrissy King, Farnoosh Torabi, Jen Winston, Jannese Torres, Vanessa & Xander Marin and more.
In short, I guide change-makers from book concept to proposal to publishing deals and beyond.
Many of my clients have gone on to secure top literary agents and significant book deals with major publishers. Others have chosen to pursue hybrid or self-publishing with huge success.
In other words, I know what it takes to publish a successful book—and I can help you get there. In this comprehensive program, I’ll take you through the action steps you need to craft a book proposal that will attract the ideal agent and publisher for your book. Ready to get started?
JOIN THE BOOK PROPOSAL BLUEPRINT
Pay in Full
$2200
- 10 Weeks of Comprehensive Video Lessons
- 2 Monthly Group Sessions (for 16 weeks)
- Insider Secrets from Decades of Publishing Expertise
- Worksheets, Templates, Resources, and More
- On-demand, Lifetime Access
- BONUS: Exclusive Platform Building Module
- BONUS: Save $200 on my Book Proposal Review (Normally $1,700)
3 Payments
$766/Month
- 10 Weeks of Comprehensive Video Lessons
- 2 Monthly Group Sessions (for 16 weeks)
- Insider Secrets from Decades of Publishing Expertise
- Worksheets, Templates, Resources, and More
- On-demand, Lifetime Access
- BONUS: Exclusive Platform Building Module
- BONUS: Save $200 on my Book Proposal Review (Normally $1,700)
Executive Speaker Coach
Bonz Swencionis
When I first started thinking about my book proposal, I just couldn’t conceptualize how I would do it without writing a full manuscript first. I wasn't confident that my unorthodox combination of skills and experience would produce a market-worthy project.
When I learned about The Book Proposal Blueprint, I was happy to see that Richelle’s clientele are clearly social justice focused and from diverse life experiences – which made me more comfortable that she'd try to bring out my voice, rather than shove me into an existing publishing lane that didn't really fit me.
Richelle really has boiled down a career of bespoke professional work into a broadly applicable curriculum. When I did need to customize, there was a group call. There was always a call at the right time for me to hear the thing I needed to hear to move forward.
One of the most valuable things I learned in The Book Proposal Blueprint is that my expertise is neither my learned skills nor my lived experience-- it's the alchemy that comes from the combination of the two.
This program delivered and the value was undeniable. I now feel empowered, confident and clear in my book proposal and future book.
author, women’s health expert and podcast host
Alissa Alter
I kept putting off writing my proposal because I didn’t know what was expected in the industry. It felt like a huge undertaking and I wanted to feel confident presenting a complete, polished, organized proposal that agents and publishers expect from an author. Ultimately, I knew going it alone meant never actually doing it. If you want to actually write a book proposal and move forward toward publishing a book, you need The Book Proposal Blueprint. Richelle will make it nearly impossible for you to stand in your own way–so be ready to do the thing!
Richelle clearly knows every aspect of the industry and gave insider tips that I never would have found elsewhere. Now, I speak more confidently about my book topic and feel so much more centered in my ability and position to write my book.
© Copyright 2024 Richelle Fredson