The Biggest Mistake Entrepreneurs Make When Trying To Get a Book Deal
If you’re an entrepreneur or expert racing to “just get the book out,” you’re about to make the three mistakes that kill most traditional nonfiction book deals: skipping proof of concept, ignoring platform, and winging the proposal. The good news? Every one of those mistakes is avoidable if you actually understand how publishing works.
This episode of Kind of a Big Book Deal — hosted by ghostwriter, collaborator, and proposal specialist Meghan Stevenson — breaks down those mistakes and shows you how to dodge them so you can move toward a real, traditional deal.
Meghan’s central point is simple and brutal:
The biggest mistake entrepreneurs and experts make when they want a book deal is not understanding how traditional publishing really works.
Most people think it’s “all about the writing” or “all about the idea.” In reality, book deals are mostly about:
Whether your book can sell in today’s market.
Whether you, as the author, can help it sell enough copies to be viable.
Whether your proposal communicates those two things clearly and convincingly.
She organizes this into what she calls the 3P Framework™:
Potential – Could this book realistically sell in today’s market?
Platform – Do you, the author, have the reach and credibility to sell enough copies?
Proposal – Does the document you send to agents and editors make the business case for both?
If you misunderstand any one of these, you can take yourself out of the game — sometimes before you ever submit a proposal.
Mistake #1: Ignoring “Potential” (Thinking Passion Equals Proof Of Concept)
To create a bestselling prescriptive “how‑to” nonfiction book, you need proof of concept:
Your advice must work — not just for you, but for other people.
It must be robust enough to fill 200+ pages without feeling padded.
People need to genuinely want to buy it, not just “like the idea.”
The mistake Meghan sees constantly:
Most entrepreneurs haven’t tested and shared their ideas enough to fill those pages.
They rush straight to “write the book” before they’ve:
Built clear frameworks.
Worked with enough clients to see patterns and results.
Tested the ideas at scale through social media, email, or one‑to‑many offers (courses, workshops, group programs).
She shares two cautionary outcomes she’s seen:
Authors who don’t have enough IP to finish a proposal — they run out of meaningful content before the proposal is even complete.
Worse, authors who don’t have enough IP to write an entire book, ending up with thin manuscripts that can’t justify a deal or help readers at the level they promised.
If you skip the potential step — proof, content depth, tested frameworks — you’re trying to sell a dream instead of a business case, and the industry will feel that.
Mistake #2: Underestimating Platform (Assuming The Publisher Will “Do The Marketing”)
Platform is the second P, and it’s the one Meghan sees most entrepreneurs and experts misunderstand.
You are going to have to do almost all the marketing and selling for your book.
Publishers do not specialize in your corner of the internet; they don’t magically “find” your readers for you.
Authors need a big audience and the ability to sell at least 20,000 books for a traditional deal to make economic sense.
She links this to conversion rates:
Average conversion rate for books is roughly 2–5% of your audience.
To sell 20,000 copies, you generally need somewhere between 100,000 and 1,000,000 followers, depending on engagement and segment.
Important nuance:
This isn’t always purely about follower count. Platform can also include:
Speaking (paid keynotes, regular conference appearances).
Facilitation (large workshops or corporate programs).
Connections (strong networks, partnerships, and media relationships).
The mistake:
Many people rush to publish a book thinking the book will magically generate an audience.
In reality, you should grow an audience first, so:
You can land a stronger book deal.
You have readers ready to buy when the book comes out.
The book can produce the impact and outcomes you’re dreaming of.
Publishing expects the platform to exist before the deal — not as a by‑product of it.
Mistake #3: Wrecking The Proposal (Treating It Like A Casual Document)
The third P — proposal — is where many otherwise brilliant entrepreneurs fumble badly.
Meghan lists several common ways people “fuck up” their proposals:
Rushing to send a proposal to an agent or editor.
When you rush, you send something that doesn’t reflect the best version of your idea or business, and that can be hard to recover from.
Using AI or low‑quality templates/resources.
In 12 years of doing this work, Meghan says she hasn’t seen a single author‑written proposal she didn’t want to tear apart and rebuild.
AI and generic guides can give you structure, but they can’t replace nuance, positioning, and industry‑specific strategy.
A weak, boilerplate proposal sends the message that you don’t understand how publishing works.
Not understanding that you have one shot.
She compares it to American Idol: you step out, you sing, and the judges form an impression.
In many cases, you don’t get multiple chances to impress the same agent or editor with the same project.
A sloppy first attempt can close doors that would have opened for a polished, strategic proposal.
Not getting professional help.
Entrepreneurs invest heavily in copywriters, marketing strategists, and business coaches — but often balk at investing in proposal expertise.
Given how much is riding on this single document, winging it is one of the costliest gambles you can make.
A proposal is not a casual pitch; it’s a sales document for your book. It has to show the potential, prove your platform, and make editors see how you’ll sell 20,000+ copies. Treating it like a simple outline or cover letter is a classic deal‑killing mistake.
How The Industry Really Sees You: The 3 Ps In Practice
Meghan’s 3P Framework™ — Potential, Platform, Proposal — exists because of how traditional publishing works backwards from book sales:
An editor looks at a project and asks:
Can this sell enough copies to justify our advance and marketing spend?
Is this author someone who can reach and move a sizable audience?
Before a project ever gets to an editor, an agent has already asked those same questions and decided whether to spend their time pitching it.
That’s why she builds the 3Ps with her clients:
Potential – Make sure the idea is strong, proven, and deep enough for a book.
Platform – Ensure the author has the reach and credibility to sell.
Proposal – Package both into a document agents and editors can understand quickly.
She also notes a painful side effect of misunderstanding the industry:
Some authors take themselves out of the game, assuming they can’t get a deal — when in reality, they could have, if they’d known what they didn’t know.
Misbeliefs about “needing a huge list right now” or “already being famous” stop them before they ever build their 3Ps.
Her work is about giving you the real criteria so you can decide whether to build toward a deal or choose a different publishing path.
What Success Looks Like (Versus The Horror Stories)
Meghan backs up her perspective with her own track record:
She and her team help entrepreneurs and experts turn ideas into bestselling books.
They’ve helped dozens of authors land six‑figure book deals.
Collectively, their clients have earned more than $7 million from publishers like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hay House, and Simon & Schuster.
And the stats that matter most for this episode:
About 85% of her clients land book deals.
The remaining 15% — the ones who don’t — are the ones who made the very mistakes she just described:
Rushed before they had potential or platform.
Botched their proposals.
Ignored how the industry really works.
Her message:
If you understand the 3Ps and avoid these mistakes, you dramatically improve your odds of being in that 85% — not the 15%.
Questions Answered In This Episode
What are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs and experts make when trying to get a traditional nonfiction book deal?
How does traditional publishing actually work behind the scenes (agent to editor to sales)?
What do “potential,” “platform,” and “proposal” really mean in the context of landing a deal?
How can rushing to write or publish a book hurt your long‑term success?
Why is building an audience and author platform essential before seeking a deal?
What kind of audience size and conversion rates do publishers expect?
How do some authors mistakenly assume their book will generate an audience instead of growing one first?
What are the most common ways authors mess up their proposals?
Why is relying on AI or low‑quality templates dangerous for proposals?
How often do Meghan’s clients succeed in landing book deals compared to those who make these mistakes?
What free resource does she offer to help entrepreneurs and experts identify their next steps toward a deal?
