The Art of the Book Deal with Brenda Knight

Open to the Public
NVW Members: $5
Guests: $10
Students: Free with ID

The Art of the Book Deal
Insider Secrets to Navigating the Publishing Process

From the outside, book publishing can seem mysterious, but from the inside it is really quite simple. Twenty-two year publishing veteran Brenda Knight will teach you how to sell yourself and your book idea, who you are really selling, the importance of “comp titles,” how to craft the perfect proposal, and trend tracking. “I have acquired over one thousand books in my career, including a few New York Times bestsellers. One of the great joys in my life is to help authors get their work into print and published successfully,” says Knight. From the art of the pitch, the perfect proposal to mastering marketing, Knight shares the inside scoop on how to get a book deal.

Hook Your Book

Every book needs a fantastic sales hook.. One of the hooks also used in the selling and marketing of the book was that it was. For example, “Random Acts of Kindness meets Pay It Forward,” the old Hollywood pitch. But you’ll notice that every comparison is to that of a bestselling book or movement or meme. This can take some time as you should try a few different hooks. Try them on your friends, try them on people in your writing group. Make friends with your local booksellers, buy them coffee and tell them what you’re doing because they can be enormously helpful. You will not always get it on first hook, but you can really hone in to what works. Great book hooks can really make a difference to sales people and editors.

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Brenda Knight is a twenty-two year publishing veteran, starting at HarperCollins, where she fell in love with publishing. Today she is the publisher of Books That Save Lives President of the San Francisco Chapter of Women’s National Book Association. Knight is also the author of Women of the Beat Generation, which won an American Book Award, and The Grateful Table: Blessing, Prayers and Graces for the Daily Meal.

https://www.booksthatsavelives.net

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Napa Valley Writers, a non-profit organization, is a branch of the California Writers Club and holds monthly meetings. For more information, contact [napavalleywriters@gmail.com](mailto:napavalleywriters@gmail.com)