What sections go into a nonfiction book proposal?

Short answer: Kelly Bergh’s advice: A proposal opens with a cover page (title, subtitle, author name and credentials), then a proposal table of contents listing: overview, About the Author, About the Book, audience, marketing, comp titles, the book's own table of contents, chapter summaries, and a sample chapter.

Answered by Kelly Bergh, Literary Agent, Lucinda Literary.

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The agent’s answer

Start with the easiest pieces to build momentum, Kelly recommends: a cover page with the title, subtitle, and the author's name and credentials, since that alone tells an agent or editor what project they're looking at. From there she walks through the fixed shape of a proposal's own table of contents, listing overview, About the Author, About the Book, audience, marketing, comp titles, and then, distinct from the proposal's contents page, the book's own table of contents, followed by chapter summaries and a sample chapter.

In Kelly’s words

We expect to see an overview, an About the Author section, an About the Book section, an audience section, a marketing section, comp titles, the book’s table of contents, chapter summaries, and a sample chapter.
Kelly Bergh, 14:03

Source: How to Develop a Sellable Nonfiction Book Proposal.