When I decided that I wanted to get serious about securing a publishing contract, I knew that John Wiley & Sons was my first choice. In my industry, I believe there is no better publisher to work with. They have phenomenal marketing capabilities and an industry-wide respect that gives added credibility to their publications. Other publishers do a fine job with technical books, but Wiley was where I really wanted to be.

I initiated contact again with my editor in mid-December, and indicated that I wanted to get very serious about writing a book. I made it clear that Wiley was my first choice, and that if we couldn’t move forward, I’d look for another publisher.

My next step was to put together several proposed ideas for a book, as well as a reason why that idea is needed in the marketplace. I again took a look at some Wiley publications and considered how my book about fraud would fit in with the titles they already had.

I put together five rough ideas for topics, with my favorite being a “fraud in the real world” idea. I was interested in writing something for executives, attorneys, and auditors that combined easy-to-read and useful information, along with real world case studies. As I waited for a response, I worked on an outline for this favorite idea and sent it along to the editor.

This idea was the winner, and was deemed a good fit for the Wiley Essentials Series. The series is geared toward executives and professionals who need quick knowledge on a particular topic. The books are easy to read, and are filled with bullet points, quick tips, and case studies.

My editor wanted to move forward with this idea, and I was thrilled, of course.

Next: Helping my editor create an internal proposal.

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