Please Stop Writing Your Whole Book.

Back in July, I encouraged y’all to ask me anything.

And RaShonda did. She asked —

Honestly, how can I get my manuscript out to publishers?

Someone else — clearly thinking the same — asked:

How much of your transcript* you need done before pursuing the traditional publishing route?

Before I jump into haterade, I love that you’re asking this question.

And here is the answer.

You do not need to write an entire book (aka manuscript) to get a book deal.

This advice applies specifically to how-to prescriptive nonfiction.

Which is: books about business, self-help, personal growth, inspiration, parenting, personal finance, and anything where you’re teaching someone to improve their life.

If you’re writing anything else, please: Subscribe to my friend Kate’s newsletter instead. (She is a literary agent and will be way more helpful to you, I promise.)

You don’t need to write your manuscript to get a how-to book deal because traditional publishing doesn’t work that way.

Instead, you need a book proposal — which is what I help folks with, when they are ready.