Dear Jane,
I wanted to drop a brief line about Dianne Jacob’s enormously helpful book proposal course. I got a tremendous amount out of it, both from the in-class discussions and (perhaps especially) Dianne’s no-nonsense comments on the weekly assignments.
A book proposal is a language all its own. Dianne walked us through how best to present our ideas to agents and publishers, saving me from months of false starts and wrong turns. The class was a great blend of general principles and individual attention. It helped me to tighten my focus, so that I ended not only with a drafted proposal, but with a clearer direction for the book itself.
I’d recommend this class for anyone thinking about a nonfiction project.
Best,
Andrew Beahrs
UPDATE from Writing Salon: Andrew’s forthcoming book, Twain’s Feast, has been accepted for publication by Penguin!
Hi Dianne:
Great class today! By far one of the best I’ve taken at the writing salon.Thanks!
-Stephanie
Dear Jane,
“I learned a great deal from Dianne’s class, through her presentations, materials and gracious answers to our many questions.” – JuNelle Harris
Hi Jane,
I loved the “Get Your Book Published” mini-class. Dianne was extremely knowledgeable, realistic, and clear about the process of getting published. I liked when we had to write down our “tag lines” (or, as Dianne referred to them, “what we’d say about our books if asked at a party,” as it helped me clarify what I’m writing about. Dianne was entertaining and accessible, yet she didn’t give us any false hopes that publishing is easy. She helped me see that I could just focus on writing my book and building my platform, rather than worrying too soon about all the other publication aspects.
— Katie Burke
Dianne Jacob is a no-nonsense, well-informed, and informative guide to writing a salable proposal for nonfiction books. She knows her business from her own publishing and coaching successes. Dianne showed me how to think carefully about my uniqueness as a writer, what the book is about, my current and potential audience, and which of my experiences establish credibility. She can help you find the jewel in all your possibly scattered thoughts and make that jewel shine for potential agents and publishers.
Sara Orem
Re: Getting Your Book Published mini-workshop
It was a very thorough overview, which is what I wanted. I learned a lot about the publishing industry, and I what I need to do to get published. It was helpful that Dianne adapted the information to address the different kinds of writing each student was working on (fiction, memoir, travel, etc.) I liked her down to earth, direct style. The handouts were helpful too.
Mariah Klein
Thanks Dianne,
I was skeptical about taking your book proposal class, not sure if it would be practical
or theoretical, but it was excellent — the weekly homework was exactly
what I was looking for.
Thank you so much for all your care, both serious-no-games and personal, caring engagement and advice.
I really enjoyed your company (and that of all my classmates). I’ll definitely keep you posted. I’m a turtle, slow but persistent.
Karen Kemp
***
I really enjoyed the book proposal class! Thanks so much for your insight, humor and enthusiasm.”
— Kerry Tepperman
***
I just finished Dianne Jacob’s Book Proposal Class and loved it.
I had been reluctant to sign up for that class given my hectic schedule on Mondays. I was worried that I’d be too tired to take Dianne’s class. . .
To Diane’s credit, I never felt tired in her class, if anything I felt revived by it. Diane did a great job of encouraging us even as she laid out the many challenges of publishing a book. Dianne’s an excellent facilitator. She shared her own expertise and yet made space for my gifted class mates to share their unique talents.
I’m so glad that I made the effort to take Dianne’s class and would highly recommend it. (I just wished she had also taught my Statistics class)
By the way, my book is entitled THE WOMEN’S BOOK OF BREATHING: A Simple Approach to Resolving Female Issues. I’ll credit this class when I publish this book and it helps millions of women lead more productive and happy lives.
Happy Holidays!
Breathe easy,
Natazha