by Blythe Daniel @BlytheDaniel

There’s the old familiar saying, “Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?” In a similar fashion, many people wonder, “Which comes first, the proposal or the writing?”

I’d like to be able to tell you a consistent answer, but the truth is that for some writers, it’s the proposal that grabs an agent’s attention and for some, it’s the writing.

Now that it’s as clear as mud, let me try to break it down for you a little more.

Sometimes, especially at conferences, which is coming up for Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference goers, we read some of your writing and/or hear your idea something  piques our interest. We may ask you to send us some more so we can take a look at it and evaluate it further. So in this case, at conferences or some venue where we hear or read your writing, that is the initial way we look at what you are working on.

Other times, if one of our agency clients refers you to us, we will most often look at your proposal first to get a sense of who you are and what you are writing. If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you in person, we like to get to know who you are on paper, so to say, and get a sense of your background and why you are writing the book. So often, a proposal will give us this information best.

There isn’t a secret code from an agent that if they ask you for a proposal or sample writing that one thing means a higher interest level than the other. Honestly, these days as agents, we really don’t get a writer’s material through to publishers unless there is a proposal AND sample writing. Even previously traditionally published authors most of the time need a proposal.

So what do you do first, especially heading into conference season, when it comes to a proposal and sample writing?

My recommendation is to do both. That way you have whatever an agent or editor is looking to review. Some prefer to start with writing and some prefer to start with a proposal. It’s better to have more than someone is looking for than to fall short.

I can tell you that if you have any of these, we will be more than likely to take a look with interest:

• Crisp, clear, engaging writing that doesn’t feel preachy but is genuine, professional, and has the qualities of sounding as if you are talking to me not at me (this includes more of a conversational tone in language that we use today). For fiction, it needs to detailed enough that gives us what we are looking for with setting and characters so that we can follow along and not feel like something is missing, especially early on in the set-up.
• You are sharing on a topic in a way that is specific enough and isn’t just because you were looking for a book like this years ago or what you have been working on for years that you feel you have to write, but is what others a topic that is missing in today’s marketplace in the way you are presenting it, in a fresh tone. It’s a different angle, a different voice and/or a flipped-upside-down approach. For fiction, it’s a creative storyline that fits into the categories that publishers are publishing. For this, you’ll need to visit specific publisher websites to see what they are publishing, knowing that sometimes they are full on a genre you see on their website and aren’t looking for more. That’s where an agent can help you know which publishers are publishing what types of books (non-fiction or fiction).
• You have already done your homework and show us how your book compares to other books in the marketplace either in the same category or similar topic. And, you already have influencers and some endorsements for your book and marketing that you have been working on. You can share this verbally and have it written out as well.

I think perhaps the biggest thing that we are looking for is a writer that is willing to go the distance and work really hard, from the presentation of your writing or proposal, the refining with an agent and/or editor, and all the way through pre-launch and post launch marketing efforts to ensure the book has its best chance of infiltrating into the marketplace with continued, sustaining efforts (for at least the first several months of release or longer). Publishing is a long-haul venture, and there really are no short gains or wins. It’s over seasons that we invest in our writers and want to see them invest in themselves as well.

So as you prepare for conference season, I encourage you to think about what would make the biggest difference in presenting not just your idea, but also you as an author and how you will show the way you have established and are continuing to meet the needs of the reader you envision for your book. That will go a long way for those of us interacting with you.

And which comes first, the chicken and egg thing? I hear that some creative storytellers have told it both ways. So I’m counting on you to be a creative who knows just when it’s time to  propose an idea and when to create some sample writing. It may turn out to be a creation that we can’t live without, just like eggs. 😉

Blythe Daniel is a literary agent and marketer and has been in publishing for over 20 years. She has written for Proverbs 31 Ministries, Focus on the Family, Ann Voskamp, and Christian Retailing. She and her mother Dr. Helen McIntosh are the authors of Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters (Harvest House Publishers).

www.theblythedanielagency.com; www.ourmendedhearts.com