I have never been a good book proposal writer. I have written six books and the long, maddening, courage-testing, confidence-shaking process of writing a book is far more appealing to me than the process of having to propose one. Book proposals are pitching on anabolic steroids, far more extensive, demanding, and exacting than trying to convince an editor to commission you to write, say, 1000 or even 5000 words. Those you can, and really should pitch in a page; longer is not always the better.