Writing and Publishing Fiction

Vaporware fiction: a story that is promoted when it may never be written

I completed most of a book proposal for a collection of short stories about Ambrose Bierce and Jerry O' Connell having adventures together chasing after Bierce's run away moustache. Many writers would begin by writing the story first and then writing a proposal to submit to publishers and agents. I, on the other hand with my background working for software companies, have done the reverse and created fiction vaporware.

The Hand of Unpublished Guy's
Mighty Fiction Writing Blog

Another section of my fiction book proposal complete—all about me:

Unpublished Guy earned a BA in professional writing from Old Dominion University, an educational institution that obviously has a long tradition of academic excellence, since it has the word "old" in it.

Fiction Book Proposal Promotional Plan
Must Reach Jerry O' Connell/Ambrose Bierce Demographic

In the increasingly fragmented world of literature, a book of fiction such as mine must take a niche approach to marketing. It lacks mass appeal. I have decided a good target market would be those people that both enjoy the witty satire and 19^th century literary works of Ambrose Bierce, as well as movies like Kangaroo Jack and TV shows like Crossing Jordon. I have located this person.

Ambrose Bierce, Main Character of Unpublished Guy's Fiction Book to Be

Here is the brief synopsis of the fiction book I intend to write this month.

In 1913 while traveling in Mexico to observe that country's developing revolution, Ambrose Bierce, satirist and author of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (mandatory reading for US high school students), disappeared with no explanation. What could have happened to Ambrose Bierce? For nearly century, it had been a mystery.

Three Sample Chapters. No more, no less. Three shall be the number,
and the number shall be three. Five is right out.

Being a submitter of unsolicited short story manuscripts that I could fold twice and fit in a #10 envelope, I had to do some research on this book proposal thing. What the book proposal should contain and the order that different sections should appear varied.