So that you wish to publish the subsequent nice e book! To take action you first want a e book proposal.
Again in late 2011, I spent hours placing collectively a e book proposal for my severance negotiation technique e book, How To Engineer Your Layoff.
After engineering my very own layoff three months earlier, I had hoped to get a literary agent, land a e book deal, and spend the subsequent yr writing the e book. Writing a e book was all the time on my bucket checklist. And what higher time to take action than after retiring on a seashore in Hawaii?
Alas, destiny had different plans. I submitted my e book proposal to about 15 brokers and did not get a single reply again. Undaunted, and with the assistance of my dad and spouse, I made a decision to self-publish my e book anyway.
I had been writing about retiring early since 2009 when Monetary Samurai started. Throughout this time interval, I handled my struggles of strolling away from a gradual paycheck at a younger age. I additionally met a whole bunch of others on-line who struggled with the identical points.
We talked about overcoming the another yr syndrome to do one thing new. We even mentioned methods on the best way to persuade our spouses to work longer so we might retire earlier! I failed in that division.
Then it hit me. What if extra individuals might stroll away from their jobs with a departing monetary reward? A severance package deal would assist ease the transition into early retirement, entrepreneurship, parenthood, training, or perhaps a new profession.
I knew I simply needed to publish the e book.
My Rejected E book Proposal Turned Out High quality
One of many explanation why I write from firsthand expertise is as a result of I prefer to know what’s significant and what’s not. Negotiating a severance package deal gave me the liquid braveness to stroll away from a six-figure job I disliked at age 34.
A severance package deal modified my life for the higher.
Not do I endure from power decrease again ache, sciatica, and TMJ as a result of stress of working in finance. My hair stopped falling out and greying. My spouse and I have been lastly in a position to have youngsters after years of attempting. And I obtained to pursue my inventive aspect whereas being free!
How To Engineer Your Layoff has gone on to generate over $550,000 in income since 2012. When the gatekeepers do not provide you with an opportunity, do it anyway! Don’t be deterred by rejection. Embrace it!
In the course of the first couple of years, HTEYL solely generated about $10,000 a yr in revenue. However after repeatedly increasing and revising the e book, income have grown by 5X.
Positive, you are not residing it up on $50,000 a yr earlier than tax. You’ll be able to’t even comfortably maintain a household of 4 with solely $50,000 both. However to me, $50,000 is an wonderful supply of passive earnings that was created from nothing.
As well as, if I have been to have gotten a e book deal again in 2012, I most likely would have accepted a e book advance of as little as $25,000. Phew!
New Alternatives Come up If You Stick Issues Out Lengthy Sufficient
Eight years of writing later, on the finish of 2019, I lastly obtained a e book cope with a significant writer: Portfolio Penguin Random Home. I did not go searching for one so no e book proposal was essential. The supply got here to me via a chilly e-mail outreach.
As soon as the pandemic started in February 2020, I made a decision to put in writing my subsequent e book, Purchase This Not That,
Trying again, I admire all of the rejections I’ve had in my life. The rejections make any success you’ve gotten all of the sweeter. Rejections are additionally extremely motivating to show your rejectors incorrect! I really like them.
If you wish to change into a printed creator, beneath is my rejected e book proposal that ought to have been accepted. I have never learn this e book proposal in 11 years. I simply occurred to have discovered it in my Google Drive paperwork after I was looking for one thing else.
Upon re-reading the e book proposal, I discovered it to be fairly good! Alas, I am biased.
Instance Of A Rejected E book Proposal
Title: How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune and Dwell The Life You’ve At all times Needed
Submitted by
Sam Dogen
Tackle
Introduced on June 15, 2012
I. THE CONTENT
A. Premise
In a current examine by Manpower Inc, 44% of respondents say they’re “unhappy” with their jobs. With roughly 138 million taxpayers in America, no less than 61 million Individuals are searching for one thing extra significant to their jobs.
Go over to China, and that quantity is probably going within the a whole bunch of thousands and thousands. Sadly, individuals really feel caught of their jobs due to payments to pay and debt obligations to satisfy. There’s a endless quantity of anxiousness skilled by thousands and thousands of staff.
Until one plans to work till dying, there may be all the time a backstop the place one not needs to work. Because of this, this e book just isn’t solely focused to the disgruntled employee, however to all staff.
How To Engineer Your Layoff will educate individuals the best way to strategically negotiate their layoff by constructing key relationships and deploying varied methods to make sure most return.
B. Distinctive Promoting Proposition
There are many books that present you the best way to get a job, however there are none that present you the best way to exit a job with a wholesome severance package deal.
It’s just like the age outdated consumer criticism to his stockbroker that they all the time get suggestions on when to purchase, however by no means to promote. As an government who has engineered his personal layoff, readers of this e book will:
1) Understand workers have unbelievable authorized rights and aren’t simply discarded rag dolls in an ever rising world of company energy.
2) Discover ways to efficiently negotiate with giant companies with out the necessity for costly authorized council.
3) Examine success tales of particular person individuals who have engineered their layoffs.
4) Assume critically about their monetary future in order that when the time involves separate, they are going to be greater than able to take the leap of religion.
5) Plan for all times after work.
C. E book Overview
The manuscript shall be divided into 16 chapters consisting of a number of subjects.
Introduction
Desk Of Contents
Chapter 1: Take Again Your Life
Chapter 2: Your Worst Enemy Is Additionally Your Greatest Buddy
Chapter 3: Time For A Coronary heart To Coronary heart With Your Boss
Chapter 4: When All Else Fails, Carry In The Massive Weapons
Chapter 5: What To Look For Throughout Severance Negotiations
Chapter 6: Case Research Of Folks Who Have Efficiently Been Let Go
Chapter 7: Negotiating A Separation Package deal When Becoming a member of A Competitor
Chapter 8: Grey Space Separation Maximization Methods
Chapter 9: Why I Left My Job
Chapter 10: Life After Separation
Chapter 11: Rediscover Your Numerous Revenue Streams
Chapter 12: Causes Why You Ought to Not Engineer Your Personal Layoff
Chapter 13: Causes Why You Ought to Engineer Your Layoff
Chapter 14: How To Retire Early And By no means Have To Work Once more
Chapter 15: Making Your Financial savings Work For You
Chapter 16: The Privilege Of Giving Again And Sharing Our Data
Conclusion
Assets
Acknowledgements
D. The Manuscript
1. Manuscript Standing: I’ve written 30,000 phrases thus far. With the framework in place, I’m ready to put in writing 55,000 extra phrases to complete the e book. Moreover, I’ve over 100,000 phrases written in varied weblog posts from which I can draw data.
2. Particular Options: The chapters will comprise subheads, lists, bullet factors, and a evaluate field of key factors for environment friendly studying.
3. Anticipated Size: 60,000-85,000 phrases.
4. Anticipated manuscript completion date: Roughly 60 days after receiving a dedication from the writer.
II. THE MARKET
A. Traits
There are 138 million taxpayers in America immediately. Roughly 44% of staff within the newest survey by Manpower Inc revealed they’re “unhappy” with their job, and one other 20% who’re borderline.
In different phrases, greater than 60 million Individuals wish to do one thing else extra significant with their lives and logically engineer their very own layoffs.
The audience isn’t simply the disgruntled employee. Sooner or later, everyone will cease working. With the decline in pensions and a fickle economic system, everyone wants a information to determine the best way to maximize their separation.
B. Motivation
The viewers for this e book is made up of people that don’t have the talents, information, or braveness to face their superiors and negotiate their freedom. It’s as if the US workforce is one large zombie wasteland, begrudgingly following orders to stroll off a cliff till no extra.
C. Scalability
How To Engineer Your Layoff shall be written in a manner that’s scaleable throughout all cultures, and throughout a number of industries in varied nations.
The e book touches concerning the softer aspect of human feelings and negotiation ways that transcend all areas.
Do you actually assume your landlord will elevate your hire after you get them tickets to your favourite opera? Will the Human Assets supervisor fireplace you when you introduced her a shawl again from her favourite island of Santorini?
I’ll write my e book in a manner that’s translatable and relevant in many various languages. I grew up in six completely different nations and have visited 30 different nations. Because of this, I’ve the flexibility to narrate to a big number of audiences.
D. Platform And Affinity Teams
1. 150,000+ month-to-month guests to FinancialSamurai.com
2. 3,000 Twitter followers of @FinancialSamura
3. The eye of a whole bunch of probably the most influential private finance bloggers on the internet because the founding father of the Yakezie Community of PF and Way of life Blogs.
4. Yakezie Community’s potential attain is round 750,000 pageviews a month.
5. The burgeoning early retirement / FIRE group which I helped kickstart in 2009
6. The 1000’s of Occupy Wall Avenue protesters who needs to take again their lives and battle for his or her rights in opposition to giant companies.
7. The thousands and thousands of staff in extremely cyclical industries similar to semiconductor, banking, consulting, capital items, communications, power, and transportation who expertise employment whiplash each time the economic system goes via a increase and bust
E. Comparable Books
I’ve by no means come throughout on-line, or within the bookstore a e book on the best way to get laid off and negotiate an exceptional severance package deal. All of the books are about the best way to get a job, the best way to interview, how to decide on an business that matches you and so forth.
Getting laid off is large enterprise, with large payoffs. Doing a fast search on Amazon, I’ve discovered the next three books. The most recent e book was printed in 2010 and is a comedy.
1. How To Get Fired!: The New Worker’s Information To Perpetual Unemployment by Jeff Havens (Writer: Massive Pow! Books; 1st version (April 1, 2010)). E book is a comedy and doesn’t provide the instruments to barter actual cash severance.
2. Getting Fired: What to Do if You are Fired, Downsized, Laid Off, Restructured, Discharged, Terminated, or Pressured to Resign by Steven Sack (Grand Central Publishing (January 15, 2000)). Outdated.
3. Fireplace Me, Please! 101 Methods to Get Fired from Your Depressing Job by David Cordell (Dreamcan Books (December 27, 2004)). Outdated. Solely 96 pages.
My e book shall be distinctive as a result of:
1. Dwelling my e book in real-time. I managed to work for 13 years on Wall St., construct a internet value of three million {dollars} by age 34, construct a well-liked private finance weblog, and engineer my layoff that paid for 5 plus years of regular residing bills.
2. A strong platform. With the creation of Monetary Samurai and the Yakezie Community, I’ve a big platform to market and distribute my e book. Not one of the authors have the identical platform and presence on-line.
3. Scaleable. The e book shall be written in a manner that may join throughout staff in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, and Asia. The e book is not going to be restricted to only the 138 million staff in America.
III. THE AUTHOR
A. Background
I’m a 13-year veteran of Wall St. who grew to become a Vice President on the of 27, and a Director at 30. I managed a multi-million greenback enterprise in San Francisco for one of many main funding banks.
In 2012, on the age of 34, I spotted my dream of working for myself by efficiently engineering my very own layoff. I acquired my undergraduate diploma Magna Cum Laude from The Faculty of William & Mary and my MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas Faculty of Enterprise.
I grew up in six completely different nations (Philippines, Zambia, US, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia) and might communicate Mandarin. My hobbies embrace investing in the true property and inventory markets, enjoying poker, tennis, snowboarding, golf, climbing, and touring.
In 2009, I began the private finance weblog, Monetary Samurai, which has grown to be one of the extensively learn private finance blogs on the internet with over 150,000 pageviews a month. Monetary Samurai has a Pagerank of 4, mozRank of 5.5, an Alexa Rank of 30,000, and a Area Authority of 66.
In December, 2009, I began the Yakezie Community, which now has 100 of the most effective private finance and life-style bloggers on-line as Members. The potential attain of the Yakezie Community is within the 1 million+ pageviews a month.
B. Private Advertising and marketing
- I’ll faucet my whole Community of bloggers throughout the Yakezie Community to assist promote and change into associates of my e book. The utmost potential attain is over 750,000 readers a month.
- I plan to talk at Fincon 2012, Weblog World and every other convention who could have me.
- I’ll create video content material on my website, and visitor submit on no less than 10 different extremely rated blogs.
- I’ll do no less than 10 podcast interviews from throughout completely different genres, and completely different nations to get the message out.
- I’ll contact base with all my ex shoppers and colleagues within the business to assist them unfold the world. I’ll ship private e-mails to associates in cyclical industries to additionally assist spotlight the e book.
IV. Pattern Content material
Chapter 1: Take Again Your Life
Welcome to the start of the top! You’re sick of your job and don’t know the best way to get out. Day by day that passes looks like one other ounce of distress crushing your soul.
You have been as soon as once more handed up for promotion as your boss makes your life hell. You’ll be able to not stand your co-workers, particularly the one who retains whistling some tune you possibly can’t stand and the slob who cracks hard-boiled eggs at his desk for breakfast.
Your commute is so lengthy you’re certain child pandas are dying due to your air pollution. In the meantime, you possibly can’t assist however surprise if even a monkey can do your job. You didn’t go to high school to join this!
Tens of millions of persons are caught in work conditions the place they really feel trapped. A Might 2012 examine by Proper Administration a Manpower subsidiary, discovered that solely 11% of individuals have been glad with their jobs and that 16% have been “considerably glad.” A full 44% have been dissatisfied. However you already knew this!
With payments to pay and dependents to feed, how can we be irresponsible and voluntarily abandon a gradual paycheck? With unemployment charges at 8%-20% ranges all over the world, there’s no assure we’ll ever discover one other the same paying job once more!
What do you worth extra? Freedom or the hypnotic attract of cash? I think when you’ve bought this e book, the reply is freedom. For many of us, work is a method to an finish. Work to reside relatively than reside to work.
Think about A Totally different Atmosphere
Think about somebody supplying you with $20,000 to not work. Or how about $50,000, $100,000, and even $500,000? Greater than seemingly, you’ll be ecstatic and take it, particularly when you have been considering of leaving anyway.
Let’s flip issues round and picture a situation the place your organization says you must pay $20,000, $50,000, $100,000, $500,000 with the intention to stop your job.
This proposition is much like a slave having to work off his debt to achieve freedom. It’s absolute horseshit, however in actuality, quitting your job with out something in return could be very comparable. Positive, you possibly can achieve your freedom by quitting your job, however you’re additionally dropping all of your earnings!
Many individuals are afraid to method their boss a couple of separation settlement. Much more individuals don’t notice workers have highly effective rights. When you realize your rights, you’re in a position to maximize your returns.
One pal managed to carry off getting laid off for for 2 years in Seoul, South Korea. He realized that workers can’t be terminated with out extreme monetary penalty to the corporate except an worker volunteers or conducts gross negligence. In these two years, my pal was in a position to present for his household, save a ton of cash, and go away with a separation package deal valued at 2X his wage.
Know you’re serving to your boss make the troublesome determination of whom to let go. Some obtain $5,000 for leaving, whereas others could obtain $500,000. No matter sum you obtain is best than zero and all gravy. Better of all, bonus cash provides you a pleasant cushion to embark on the brand new life you’ve chosen.
I, the Monetary Samurai, am right here to assist make what you think about a actuality.
The Greatest Push Backs To Negotiating A Severance
I’ve talked to over 100 less-than-satisfied workers concerning the topic of engineering their layoffs as a substitute of simply quitting. I all the time inform them that as a substitute of complaining, to do one thing about their scenario! The most typical excuses I get are:
- “I discover it disingenuous to scheme the best way to get let go. It’s extra honorable to stop.”
- “I’ve numerous satisfaction in my work and might’t see myself taking it down a notch.”
- “If I engineer my very own layoff, I worry that I gained’t be capable of get employed once more.”
Most of those persons are both too younger, or too naïve. They haven’t labored lengthy sufficient within the work pressure to get screwed over by a co-worker, boss, or financial cycle. Additional, they haven’t seen sufficient good associates and family members lose their jobs via no fault of their very own. By the point you are carried out studying, you will notice that negotiating a severance is feasible.
One in all my associates obtained let go whereas on trip simply two years earlier than he might begin receiving retirement advantages. He was 54 on the time and the most effective mailroom clerk one might have! The corporate might have lower any variety of financially safe workers, however selected to chop a 10-year veteran of the agency who barely made $30,000 a yr. Shameful.
As a former supervisor who participated within the hiring and firing of individuals, I nearly all the time observed when an worker’s enthusiasm began to fade. Work all the time follows the center.
Ideas Comply with Motion
In case you are studying this e book, however have one of many above widespread responses, you might be considering issues via. Is it nonetheless scheming if you don’t act, however your thoughts thinks in any other case? In fact it’s. Wanting to determine the best way to go away your job demonstrates you not have the complete want to work and carry out such as you used to.
There are thousands and thousands of individuals on the market who would gladly take your place for much less cash and work more durable besides. Denying individuals this chance is egocentric. As a substitute, do society justice. Let somebody who needs your job do it and determine the best way to go away your job gracefully and in your phrases.
The worst worker is the one who complains concerning the scenario and does nothing to it.
Gone are the times of firm loyalty to workers and firm pensions. One should look out for themselves first as a result of the corporate and only a few different individuals will.
Now that you simply’ve carried out some self-discovery, it’s time to get to work!
Thank You
I firmly imagine my e book will allow thousands and thousands of individuals to interrupt free from depressing jobs to reside extra significant leaves. I did not assume negotiating a severance was attainable till I attempted.
Thanks to your time and consideration.
Regards,
Sam
E book Proposal Overview
So there you’ve gotten it! My rejected e book proposal. Not too unhealthy proper? It’s extra thorough than I had remebered.
I think the e book proposal was rejected as a result of negotiating a severance was too uncommon a subject, despite the fact that there are thousands and thousands of workers who will ultimately transfer on. Maybe the concept of negotiating a severance to FIRE was too new of an idea since FIRE had not gone mainstream but. Or possibly I simply did not contact the suitable literary brokers. I am unsure.
What I do know is having a platform is the principle approach to get a e book cope with a conventional writer. Given publishers do not actually market your e book, you want an current platform to assist unfold the phrase. But when you have already got an current platform, chances are you’ll relatively self publish and earn higher economics as a substitute.
No matter route you determine, construct a platform and construct a model. In the event you do these two stuff you’ll have a a lot simpler likelihood of touchdown a e book deal. On the very least, it is best to be capable of have a literary agent reply to you!
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