Most books on writing advise authors to submit a sample chapter as part of their book proposal. But do you really need to go to all that trouble? It’s a lot of work, after all, taking a week or two, at least, to research and write.

My experience goes both ways. I’ve written proposals both with and without sample chapters. For the record, in many of my books—written for my byline and for other authors—I have not written any sample chapters. All of the proposals sold to publishers, including Jossey-Bass (Wiley), McGraw-Hill, Harvard Business Press, and Palgrave Macmillan.

Sample chapters are important. They show editors you can write. But if their main purpose is as a writing sample, they may not be needed. In my favored proposal format, I write chapter summaries that kick off with chapter-like openings that run 300 to 600 words. The openings mimic the style and polish of an actual book.

To be sure, I have a track record as a writer. Acquisition editors have more to go on than just the proposal. I also wrote proposals long enough that they were writing samples in their own right—8,000 to 12,000 words.

But if people tell you that you always need a sample chapter to sell a book, they’re simply not correct.

Still, that leaves the question hanging: When do you need a sample chapter? And there is no definitive answer. You should ask your agent to guide you. (In one narrative book, my agent did tell me I needed a sample chapter.)

Like so many things, the answer about sample chapters is, “It all depends.”

[Revised January 2020. Originally published April 5, 2011]