Writing a Great SAS Press Proposal

Every SAS Press book begins with a proposal. When you send in a proposal, you're not just providing us with information about your topic, but you're showing us why you are the best person to write about that topic. It's your chance to shine. Here's my best tip to help you do just that. It's all in the details! And the details matter—oftentimes determining which books get approved and which don't.

SAS Press proposals consist of five items:

• Completed Author's Questionnaire (where you answer questions about your book's content and potential audience)
• Outline or table of contents
• Sample chapter
• Resume
• Signed Information Release Agreement

I honestly can't stress enough how important details are to your proposal. With the exception of the Information Release Agreement (because, really, how detailed can a signature be?), we're looking for the most complete information you can possibly provide. Your proposal tells us 1) if there's a need for your book, 2) if you're the right person to write it, and 3) if it has sales potential.

After I do an initial evaluation of your proposal, I send it out for review by a team of professionals with expertise on your particular topic. The reviewers look at your material and make a judgment call on your book's potential. Can a three-word answer give them the best sense as to what your book is about? Is "all SAS users" enough to let us know about potential audiences for your book? The more detailed information the reviewers have, the better they are able to visualize the end product…with you as the author.

Let me give you an example using the Author Questionnaire portion of the proposal.

Question: Will this book be for novice, intermediate, or advanced users?

Don't answer this way: Novice

Do answer this way: The subject of tagsets is generally considered to be an advanced topic, but this book is written to be an introduction to tagsets that draws on a programmer's knowledge of basic DATA step techniques. Users should know the DATA step well and have experience with ODS.

Beyond full answers in the questionnaire, we're looking for an outline or table of contents that breaks each chapter into as many subsections as possible. (I'll talk more about how to do this is an upcoming post.) If you are writing a technical book, your sample chapter should contain code, output, screen shots—whatever best shows off your technical expertise.

Remember, the SAS reviewers do not know you personally. Write your proposal so that it demonstrates both your interest and expertise in the topic. And provide details. A proposal has never been rejected because the potential author gave us too much information!

Shelley Sessoms