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OMI LITERARY •
PO Box 62088 / Cincinnati, OH 45262

Founded in 2009, OMI Literary is dedicated to cultivating high-quality writing that presents original ideas, especially those that challenge the mainstream consensus in any field. We focus especially on the nonfiction categories listed below.

HOW THE AGENCY WORKS WITH AUTHORS

Authors who have presented outstanding proposals to Origin Press are on occasion invited to become clients of OMI Literary. But in most cases, OMI Literary finds clients by sifting through queries that come directly through this page. You must begin by sending a query, only; we don’t respond to unsolicited proposals, but we do reply to all reasonable queries within three weeks. Then, if you are invited to do so, you are most welcome to email or mail a formal proposal. Proposals need to follow the general format detailed below. If we choose to represent you, we will serve you by pursuing co-agency agreements with larger literary agencies. Toward that end, we focus especially on the early development of projects, in three phases:

• Manuscript evaluation and development: comprehensive editorial services for promising manuscripts

• Proposal development: consulting and editorial services that lead to the completion of your book proposal, including sample chapters

• Coagency adoption: the establishment of a co-agency agreement with appropriate large agency, as may be needed

Book categories favored by OMI Literary include:
• Spirituality, popular philosophy, “deep politics,” health, psychology, esoterica, ufology, and memoirs
• “Integral” or “integrative” treatments of any nonfiction topic
• Creative nonfiction and visionary fiction

Please send queries to: byron@originpress.com

Nonfiction Book Proposal Template
OMI Literary

I. Overview
Describe your book in 500 words or less. What is the title and subtitle? Who is the target audience and what makes your book unique and worthwhile for them?

II. Target Audience
Who are the likely purchasers of this book? How big is the overall market? What “segments” or niches does your book target?

III. About the Author
State your credentials and experience as well as your previous publications. What makes you uniquely qualified to write and promote this book? What other media outlets do you regularly appear in? What kind of internet presence do you have?

IV. Competitive Titles
List and summarize the major competitive titles, and explain why yours is different from each one. In this section, try to prove that there is an audience who would find your book compelling as demonstrated by earlier, successful books on the same topic. In addition, make clear how your book is different enough to compel those same readers—and others—to also buy your book.

V. Marketing and Promotion
What is your comprehensive plan to actively promote your book? Where should publicity be focused? What are the magazines, websites, radio shows, and other media outlets that your target audience pays attention to? Where should you and your publisher work especially hard to get the book reviewed?

Endorsements
Who would be willing to contribute a blurb? Can you get their commitment to an endorsement before the manuscript is completed?

Media and Speaking Appearances
Does this book or your prior experience give you credentials to speak on any current topics in the media? What are these topics and target outlets? Are you willing and able to tour to speak in front of interested audiences? Beyond book stores, what other types of groups and organizations would be interested in having you speak to them?

VI. Chapter Summaries and Detailed Table of Contents
Include the full Table of Contents of the book, along with detailed summaries of each chapter. This section could be as long as 10 or 20 pages. Provide a comprehensive, detailed map of what the book will contain.

VII. Sample Chapters
Include the first one or two chapters or perhaps an opening chapter plus one later chapter, and include the book’s introduction if that seems appropriate; most important here are sample chapters that offer an accurate sense of the style and substance of the body of the book.