This virtual panel will bring together three nonfiction writers to discuss the craft of book proposals. It will cover subjects that include the sections and conventions of a book proposal, how the goals of the form are different from those of a manuscript, and the ways a project might (and will!) evolve between pitch and execution. Depending on the makeup of the panel, it may also touch on the questions of incorporating archival research, cultural criticism, and/or reporting into the proposal.
Nicole Chung is the author of A Living Remedy and All You Can Ever Know. A Living Remedy was named a Notable Book of 2023 by The New York Times and a Best Book of the Year by over a dozen other outlets, including Time, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, TODAY, and Electric Literature. Nicole’s 2018 debut All You Can Ever Know was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, a semifinalist for the PEN Open Book Award, and an Indies Choice Honor Book. Previously, she was the digital editorial director at Catapult, the managing editor of The Toast, and an editor at Hyphen magazine.
Amy Brady is the author of Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks–a Cool History of a Hot Commodity and coeditor of The World as We Knew It: Dispatches from a Changing Climate. Brady has made appearances on the BBC, NPR, and PBS and serves as executive director and publisher of Orion magazine. She holds a PhD in literature and American studies and has won writing and research awards from the National Science Foundation, the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference, and the Library of Congress.
Tajja Isen is a writer, editor, and voice actor. Her first book, Some of My Best Friends, was published in 2022 and was named a Best Book of the Year by Electric Literature, The Globe and Mail, CBC Books, and Daily Hive. She is also the former editor-in-chief of Catapult magazine, and she has also edited for The Walrus (where she is currently a contributing writer) and Electric Literature.