In recent years, the publishing landscape has undergone a fundamental shift in how books are sold, marketed and read. This contemporary landscape can seem like it’s constantly changing, but for the aspiring writer, one aspect of the publishing process remains as important as it ever was: the book proposal.

Recently, Yahdon Israel joined Simon & Schuster as a senior editor, and has since acquired seven books for a broad range of markets. Yahdon, who also teaches in the City College Creative Writing MFA program, spoke with our community via Zoom about what the book proposal is, why it matters, and how you can master the form.

A sample book proposal can be found here. 

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YAHDON ISRAEL is an educator, entrepreneur, editor, writer and founder of Literaryswag, a cultural movement that intersects literature and fashion to make books cool. He teaches creative writing at City College. He is the former editor-in-chief of Brooklyn Magazine, and has written for The New Inquiry, LitHub, and Vanity Fair. Currently, he is a senior editor at Simon & Schuster.

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