Hannah Boursnell: 'If your book has a clear and compelling USP, then it's always going to stand out'
BY Maya Fernandes
25th Sep 2025
In this interview Hannah Boursnell, tutor of our new one-day course Writing Your Non-Fiction Proposal, shares her advice for budding non-fiction writers.
'Many writers think that describing their book as perfect for a ‘general’ readership is a good way to indicate strong sales potential. But the truth is that publishers like specificity. Try to really zoom in on who your reader is.'
We caught up with Hannah to discuss our new brand-new Writing Your Non-Fiction Proposal course, what she enjoys most about working with budding writers and what makes a non-fiction proposal stand out.
We’re so excited to have you on board as the tutor of our brand-new Writing Your Non-Fiction Proposal course and as an editor providing manuscript and submission reports for our editorial services. What do you find most rewarding about working editorially with budding writers?
Thank you! It’s a real pleasure to be involved.
Supporting writers at the beginning of their journey and helping them to shape their work is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job as an editor. The variety of projects that cross my desk is endlessly astonishing to me, and I love hearing about the genesis of writers’ ideas and their creative aspirations. There’s nothing better than helping a writer to turn an idea into words on the page, and – hopefully – into something that might one day take pride of place on a reader’s bookshelf.
You spent over fifteen years as an in-house non-fiction editor before becoming freelance. How has that experience shaped your approach to working with authors today, especially those at the start of their journey?
Understanding the mechanics of publishing – how the sausage is made, to put it bluntly – is enormously helpful when working with writers at all stages of their career, but especially those who are just starting out. Publishing can be quite an opaque industry, and there’s an overwhelming amount of (often contradictory) advice on the internet about how to score a six-figure book deal or become an overnight bestseller. There’s also often a lot of doom and gloom about traditional publishing. I see it as my responsibility to offer practical, realistic – and not entirely pessimistic! – advice about how publishers and agents work and the ways in which a writer can optimise their chances of success.
When assessing non-fiction proposals, what do you think makes a submission stand out?
When I was starting out as a commissioning editor, a literary agent (who shall remain nameless) told me that when it came to non-fiction, he was interested in ‘books that tell me sh*t I didn’t know before’, and that’s something that has stuck with me throughout my career. So when I’m looking at proposals, that’s in the forefront of my mind. What question does this book seek to answer? What need does it address? If your book has a clear and compelling USP – if it does something that others aren’t – then it’s always going to stand out. This is something we’ll really be delving into on the course.
What’s the most common misconception new non-fiction writers have when putting together their proposals?
Many writers – entirely understandably – think that describing their book as perfect for a ‘general’ readership is a good way to indicate strong sales potential. But the truth is that publishers like specificity. It’s much easier to pitch a book to a defined market, whether that’s a particular demographic or fans of a popular genre, than to an amorphous ‘likes a bit of everything’ reader. Try to really zoom in on who your reader is.
Could you share your top three tips for writers who are at the start of their writing journey, especially those pursuing non-fiction?
- Find your community! Writing can be a lonely pursuit, and it’s helpful to surround yourself with people who understand both the ups and downs of your creative practice and the journey towards publication, whatever that might look like for you.
- Do your research. If you are writing a non-fiction project with a view to publication, it’s important to understand how the process works before you get going. Joining a course like this one would be a great first step.
- Remember your ‘why’. Why are you writing this book? You’ve got to be in it for the love of the book in front of you and try not to get too hung up on what may or not happen to it in the end.
What novel do you most frequently find yourself recommending to others, and is there a particular non-fiction title that you think every aspiring author should read?
Oh, gosh! That’s a tough question.
I think the novel – or novels, if it’s not cheating to pick a series – I recommend most often, and have done most consistently over the years, are Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles. She was such a sharp observer of character, and each and every one is a masterclass in storytelling.
Non-fiction… I think Patrick Radden Keefe is a genius. Everyone should read Empire of Pain. But if you’re interested in honing your non-fiction writing skills, I highly recommend a deep dive into essays. The short form encourages writers to be at their most focused and efficient, and – whatever the genre, whether it’s Joan Didion or David Sedaris – you’ll learn a huge amount about craft.
And finally, do you have any thoughts on the best way for a writer to get the most out of their Writing Your Non-Fiction Proposal course?
I think writers interested in this course shouldn’t worry too much about how much of their non-fiction book they’ve committed to the page. What’s much more important is that you have a clear and well-developed idea for its themes and content and are ready to get into the nuts and bolts of how to communicate that to potential agents.
Hannah Boursnell is an editor and copywriter. She worked in trade publishing for 15 years before going freelance in 2020. For ten years, she acquired non-fiction for Little, Brown Book Group, publishing across a range of genres including memoir, lifestyle and cookery, humour and current affairs. Eight of the books Hannah published hit The Sunday Times bestseller charts, with two reaching the number 1 spot. Hannah now works directly with writers, and with publishing clients, offering editorial services and publishing consultations.
We’re delighted that Hannah is the tutor of our one-day course, Writing Your Non-Fiction Proposal. Next course runs 18 Nov.
Hannah is also a CBC editor providing manuscript and submission reports to writers looking for in-depth feedback before formally submitting to literary agents.
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