Query to Contract
A traditional publishing expert writes your pitch materials, coaches you on the pitching process, and submits to agents for you for up to a year.
Our more affordable query letter package gives you a great head start to promote your manuscript to agents and publishers. However, it’s not a fully comprehensive, white-glove service.
For that, we recommend our query to contract service with our publishing expert Jessica. With years of experience in the publishing industry, she draws on her expertise and connections to maximize your chances of landing a contract.
Jessica
Traditional Publishing Expert
Who is Jessica, our traditional publishing expert?
Jessica began her career as a writer with an international management consultancy, Hay Group, but she was destined for something different. Her local job as a writer for the firm turned into a regional position as the director of public relations for all of Southeast Asia. She was highly successful in increasing Hay’s visibility throughout the region via television, newspapers, and magazines. Upon returning to the United States, Jessica focused on her writing as the head writer for a national property development firm in San Diego, before founding Professional Communications, her one-woman writing company.
Jessica uses the book proposals she crafts to do her best to secure agent representation for authors or obtain contracts directly with publishers. She has successfully brought clients to the contract stage with traditional houses such as Wiley, Square One, Sage, Hay House, and Rowman & Littlefield. Helping clients navigate the tricky terrain of the publishing world is her specialty. There are no guarantees in publishing, but working with Jessica gives you a great chance to achieve your traditional publishing goals.
With the query to contract service, Jessica will:
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Develop a book proposal, which is a 25–40 page document that includes
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An overview
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Clarification of the target audience and target market
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A marketing analysis
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A promotion plan
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An author bio
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A chapter outline
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Your unique selling proposition
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Edit 1-3 sample chapters to ensure they’re ready to submit
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Research agents and publishers to create a targeted list of 50 contacts
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Manage the submission process for query letters and proposals, so you can focus on writing your next big idea
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Act as a liaison between you and the agents and publishers
Examples of Jessica’s work
Query Letter
Book Proposal
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Jessica is available seven days a week and tries to respond within an hour to all messages sent between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. EST.
Not ready for the comprehensive service?
Jessica is available for hour-long consultations for US$175/hour. Subjects covered can include:
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The process of publishing from query to contract and what each step entails
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The pros and cons of traditional publishing vs. self-publishing
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Whether your book project would garner the interest of a literary agent
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The pros and cons of pitching directly to publishers vs. literary agents
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University press interests
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Jessica’s opinion on the viability of the project
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The difference in approaches and requirements of a fiction manuscript vs. non-fiction manuscript