Date/Time
Date(s) - Tuesday 7 Jul - Thursday 30 Jul, 2026
7:00pm - 9:00pm
How to craft a non-fiction proposal
Non-fiction books tend to sell to publishers on proposal. While you may need to have thought about everything you’d like to write in your book, you may not need to write it in its entirety. Through four interactive workshops led by Caro Clarke and Margaux Vialleron, you will explore what you need to include in a non-fiction book proposal and how best to present your idea. Each workshop will include one or more writing exercise or activity. You will be given a proposal template as part of the month-long process and will have a first draft of a non-fiction book proposal by the end of the month.
Open to writers of all different levels of experience who are interested in non-fiction writing.
Moniack in a Month: Non-Fiction Proposal includes:
- a short introductory welcome session
- four stimulating online workshops, preceded by optional drop-in social time
- one 30-minute tutorial
- a final ceilidh session – sharing of work
- Contact and support from your community of writers via Google Classroom (optional)
- Drop-ins before each workshop to help you get to know your group (optional)
- Support from your Moniack Mhor host
Caro’s and Margaux’s workshops will focus on the following themes:
Workshop 1 – Structure, Journey and Chapter Outline
In this workshop, we will take you through how to shape the ideas in your head into a cohesive structure that will inform the journey in the book and the chapter outline. We will cover how to get started on structure, work on your narrative strands, the balance of themes and how to organise the order of the book.
Workshop 2 – Synopsis, Themes and Pace
In this workshop, we will take you through how to write a synopsis for your book. It will include the general narrative arc, the themes, why you wrote it and why it is relevant to readers now. This exercise will also help you see your chapter outline in a different way and highlight any issues with pace or order.
Workshop 3 – Biography, Market and Readership
In this workshop, we will look at how to present yourself when drafting your biography and what is relevant to include or not. We will also take you through the market and readership sections that will show agents and editors how you see your book, where you see it fitting in the market and how you envisage its publication going.
Workshop 4 – Sample Chapters
In this workshop, we will discuss which sample chapters to include and what they should be showcasing of your writing, themes and yourself. We will also discuss concerns regarding research, privacy, sources.
Timetable
Week 1 Tuesday 7 July 18:30–21:00 Welcome Session and Workshop 1
Week 2 Tuesday 14 July 19.00-21.00 Workshop 2
Week 3 Tuesday 21 July 19.00-21.00 Workshop 3
Week 4 Tuesday 28 July 19.00-21.00 Workshop 4
Week 4 Thursday 30 July 19.00-21.00 Ceilidh
Tutorials
Your one-to-one tutorial with Caro or Margaux will be scheduled when the course starts and will most likely take place in weeks 2 or 3.
Tutors
Caro Clarke is the founder and literary agent at Portobello Literary. They founded the agency in 2022 after twelve years working in publishing houses – Transworld (PRH) and Canongate Books as a Senior Rights Manager. They were named Rights Professional of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2021 and a Bookseller Rising Star in 2024. In 2019, they co-founded the Nan Shepherd Prize for underrepresented nature writers.
Margaux Vialleron is the Rights Agent at Portobello Literary. She handles North American and translation rights for all our authors, working directly in North America, France, Greece and Italy and with co-agents in the rest of the world. Before joining Portobello Literary, Margaux was a Translation Rights Agent at David Higham Associates for eight years. Margaux is also the author of two the novels: The Yellow Kitchen and Breaststrokes.
Fees
The full fee for this online course is £360. A deposit of £100 is required to secure your place, which is non-refundable after a 14-day cooling-off period. The balance payment of £260 is due six weeks before the course begins.
Bursaries are available, and you also have the option to pay in instalments, please email online@moniackmhor.org.uk to enquire.
All activity takes place on Zoom, and workshops include a short break. Moniack Mhor staff will be on hand to support you during your course.
For more information please email online@moniackmhor.org.uk.
Access
Please let us know in your booking form if you have any access requirements when working online so we can do our best to support you. For more information about access to our courses, please visit our Access page.
Terms and Conditions
Please read our Terms & Conditions before booking.