Book Proposal Academy is an online course that walks you through the process of writing a book proposal that sets you on the publishing path. In addition to providing clarity and direction, prompting you to think about your book’s structure and teaching you how to talk about yourself as a writer, you’ll gain insight and understanding of the publishing industry.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this Book Proposal Academy review:

What is Book Proposal Academy?

This is a course and community built around learning how to create a book proposal that gets results. Through Book Proposal Academy, you learn from industry experts about the publishing business, how to decide between self-publishing and traditional publishing, and how to craft a proposal that engages readers and, more importantly, sells your book.

Inside Book Proposal Academy, you’ll find a wealth of resources walking you through the ins and outs of casting a vision for your project, structuring your book, and creating your book proposal. 

In addition to pre-recorded training videos, Book Proposal Academy includes sixteen book proposals that have secured book contracts and a Private Facebook Group for asking questions and learning from other Academy members.

Here’s what you’ll learn about in Book Proposal Academy:

When you enroll in Book Proposal Academy, you have immediate access to more than 35 instructional videos and transcripts, as well as a field under each training for asking questions.

When you log into Book Proposal Academy, your first step is to watch the welcome video where you’ll get a high-level overview of the program and what to expect. From there you’ll have a chance to join the Private Facebook Group and download sample book proposals before beginning the coursework.

The training is broken into nine modules. The core modules two through six mirror a traditional nonfiction book proposal:

• Module 1: Introduction
• Module 2: Brief Description
• Module 3: Table of Contents and Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
• Module 4: Bio
• Module 5: Marketing Section
• Module 6: Writing Sample and Wrap-Up
• Module 7: For Fiction Writers
• Module 8: For Children’s Picture Book Writers
• Module 9: Pitching Your Book to Agents and Publishers

Book Proposal Academy creator Chad R. Allen says this course is the distillation of his two decades of publishing experience. He aims to help authors learn and understand everything that goes into writing a winning book proposal.

Who is Chad Allen?

Chad R. Allen is a writer, editor, speaker, and writing coach with a BA in English and a MA in Theology. Before going full-time with his own business, Chad spent 20 years at Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, and has collaborated with numerous bestselling authors such as Michael Hyatt, Jeff Goins, Caroline Leaf, Ernie Johnson Jr., Chip Ingram, Mary DeMuth, John Burke, Mark Batterson, and Phyllis Tickle. He is passionate about helping writers get their books into the world. 

How much does it cost?

At the time of this review, Book Proposal Academy retails for $997.

The Book Proposal Academy team believes this is the best course available on how to write a book proposal, and back the claim up with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not fully satisfied, for any reason, just let them know within your first month for a full refund.

Who will get the most out of Book Proposal Academy?

No matter if its memoir, self-help, or prescriptive nonfiction, if you’re writing a nonfiction book and want to pursue traditional publishing, then a book proposal is essential in securing a book deal.

However, if you write fiction, children’s books, or are considering self-publishing, you may also benefit from writing a book proposal. The process of putting one together helps you clarify your idea and build a solid structure for your work. While the core material will most benefit nonfiction writers, the seventh module is specifically for fiction writers and the eighth module is especially for children’s picture book writers.

Book Proposal Academy Perks

Of course, the absolute biggest perk of Book Proposal Academy is if you follow the videos and do the homework, you will have completed a book proposal by the end of the course.

Here are a few other less obvious perks from becoming part of this membership community.

• Chad breaks down the overwhelming process of writing a book proposal into manageable steps

There are many steps and each step matters, but taking them one at a time is much simpler than attempting to build a 50-page document explaining your book idea, detailing your marketing plan, and demonstrating your writing skills all in one shot.

• In addition to having access to winning book proposal samples, there is a book proposal template to follow

It’s so helpful to have a template and Chad provides an easy-to-follow document to aid in the proposal writing process. The sample nonfiction book proposals range from young adult to Christian living and memoir. There are also sample proposals for a novel and a children’s picture book.

• Private Facebook Group

Members have access to an exclusive group created for the Book Proposal Academy community. Inside the group you’re free to celebrate wins, ask questions, and share ideas.

• Watch a coaching session

You’ll have access to a previously recorded coaching session between Chad and a Book Proposal Academy member. There will be many takeaways you can apply to your own book proposal.

Book Proposal Academy Areas for Improvement

The concept for this course is straightforward: learn why you need a book proposal, and how to write one.

But like any course or membership community, there are elements of Book Proposal Academy that aren’t for everyone. Here are a few potential pain points when considering purchasing.

• You will need high-speed Internet access

This is an online, video-based course. While you do have the option to download the videos to watch them offline, this will be a bandwidth-heavy experience so plan accordingly.

• No subtitles on many of the videos

The majority of the videos are uploaded into the course platform and there are no subtitles. There are transcripts available as a workaround, but it’s not quite the same.

• There are a lot of videos and you really do need to watch them in order and do all of the steps to get the most out of this course

Once you purchase your membership into Book Proposal Academy, you have immediate access to every module and video in the course. However, there is a natural order to follow if you want the best results. 

Be sure to give yourself lots of time to take in the teaching material and to do the homework at the end of each module to make the most of this course.

Deep Dive Into Book Proposal Academy

While this course is primarily focused on the actual book proposal writing, there is also plenty of education on writing, publishing and how the industry works.

Here are the main modules included in this course.

Introduction 

Learn about agents, book contracts, publishing, traditional publishing versus self-publishing, and how to come up with a great book concept.

Brief Description

This section teaches you how to put together the description portion of your book proposal. When done well, you’ll cast a compelling vision for your book and capture the interest of readers and publishers.

Table of Contents and Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis 

Learn how to structure your book in order to give your readers an engaging and enjoyable reading experience that keeps them turning the pages.

Bio

How do you craft a bio that establishes your credibility and positions you as an authority? This module covers the basics and sometimes difficult process to writing a compelling bio.

Marketing Section

Your entire book proposal is a marketing piece, but it also includes a marketing section where you outline how you plan on building your platform and selling your book.

Writing Sample 

This is one of the larger modules in the course and it includes training on how to create a compelling experience, first lines and paragraphs and even some tricks of the trade.

Next Steps

If you’re considering writing a book but you don’t know where to start, a book proposal may be your next best step. Learning about the writing and publishing industry can be an overwhelming process, but you don’t have to navigate this world alone. Chad R. Allen has poured his life’s work into this comprehensive course with the singular goal of helping you start and complete your book proposal and open the doors to the possibility of a book deal. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

Because we have found this course helpful, and Chad R. Allen to be a person of integrity, we have set up a special offer for our readers at this link.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting Selfpublishing.com— and we thank you for that.