Even with all the resesarch in the world, your idea won’t sell unless you can show that you really are a good writer. Here are a few tips to make your writing better and your idea more interesting (and saleable!).
Make your letter stand out with punchy writing, a great title, and an original idea.
If you are writing a book proposal (as opposed to a magazine article proposal), include the line you think your book will best fall into.
Use your own voice. Just because it’s a formal letter does not mean you have to use formal language. Write your letter the same way you will write your final draft.
Write in a way that makes you seems confident, but not cocky.
Write about your topic, including why you are interested in it, what your main points will be, and how you will grab the reader.
Emphasize what your angle on the topic is. This should be a short summary of what you’ll include in your piece. For example, let’s say you want to write about bears. Maybe your angle is that you are focusing on bears in the frontiers of Alaska, the Eskimo women who live in close proximity to them, their fears and concerns about living so close, how they protect their families and children, etc....
Include your estimation of what your word count will be. Tell the editor how far along you are already in writing your piece.
Do use tools such as bold print, numbering, and bullet points to make your idea stand out on the page. Don’t get too fancy, just use enough so that the editor can skim the page to see your great idea and your main points at a glance.
Include a short explanation of why you in particular are best suited to write for that publication.
Tell a little bit about yourself, including your published works if you have any, any relevant memberships, any career information that relates to the topic at hand. Just let the editor know why you are an expert here.
Show excitement for your topic by using strong, memorable sentences.
Rewrite it. Your first draft probably isn’t good enough, but it’s a good start!