How To Submit A Manuscript For Publication
How to Prepare Your Manuscript For Publication
Author: Amanda Clark
The best way to prepare your manuscript for publication is to keep it extremely organized throughout the entire writing and editing process. This will make all of the other necessary steps go quickly and smoothly and will provide you with a polished final product.
As you write, keep your work and any notes you may take pertaining to it organized and easily accessible. Having all of your ideas within reach will help you be more efficient with what you are trying to say. Keeping a clean, well arranged workspace will help keep your mind clear, which will in turn make the writing process easier and more productive.
After you have finished writing the manuscript and are ready to enter into the editing stage, it is highly suggest that you hire a professional editor. This is important because a fresh set of eyes can pick up on a lot of things that you may miss. Because you are used to reading your work and you know what you mean by what you have written, another person’s perspective may pick up on things you didn’t notice. These things may need to be taken out, or may offer an exciting new spin on what you have written. Professional editors are also very knowledgeable about grammar and will fix any grammatical errors in your manuscript.
Another advantage of a professional editor is that he or she will not be emotionally attached to the manuscript. This detachment will allow them to see the story as it is, rather than as you have envisioned it to be. The help of an emotionally detached, well trained, professional eye is an invaluable resource to every writer.
After your editor has gone through your manuscript, read over his or her comments. While you do not have to make the changes to the story that are suggested, you should take them into consideration. After the first edit and first rewrite, the manuscript should be grammatically correct and the storyline should be fully developed. You will want to have your editor go over the manuscript again, to check the rewritten segments. This process should be repeated until the story is complete and ready for print.
When you send your query letters out to all of the different publishing houses, you should include in them that you have a professionally edited manuscript and are prepared to send them a sample. This will show that you are serious about your attempt to get your work into print.
So remember, when preparing your manuscript for publication, always remain organized and hire a good editor. These two things will not get you a golden ticket into the world of publishing, but without them you won’t get anywhere.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/publishing-articles/how-to-prepare-your-manuscript-for-publication-2652596.html
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8-1/2 x 11 plain white paper printed on one side
12 point Courier or Times New Roman font
1 inch margin on all sides
double spaced between lines
your name and address on the first page
your last name and the title on all other pages
approximate word count on the first page
visit http://www.writersdigest.com to see if there is anything else that should be included
I have worked in the fields of print communication and media during more than 15 years and I can say that the problem you experienced is understandable.
Science is science, and physics is hard and highly rationalistic science. So, it doesn’t mix well with religion! About what you call “highly sensitive subjects” I don’t know what you mean but such mention does little to add credit to your work after you were talking about religion.
So, better looking for editing houses having a department specialized in esoterism, psychic things and other UFO stories and theories, which may be interested in your work.
Nobel prize and physicist Werner Heisenberg wrote a book mixing philosophy and its down-to-earth principe of uncertainty, but this book doesn’t belongs to the science category.
Phisicist Jean Charron got away from quantum mechanics at some point when he suggested that certain particle he named “eon” has a “memory” of past events. Although Jean Charron’s books are filled with complex equation and formulas and so it adresses to a limited public familiar with the field of quantum mechanics, this example shows where is the limit beyond which your are no longer talking about science and rationality.
You put the word count on the title page, approximate it to the closest thousandth.
You can find info. on how to format your novel as well as tips & hints on my website –
http://thewritersguide.webs.com/mswordnovelformat.htm
As well as the publishing process –
http://thewritersguide.webs.com/bookpublishingprocess.htm
Non-fiction books are usually sold based on a proposal, not based on a finished manuscript, so you need to sit down and write a proposal. There are lots of books out there that can help you with this, just look up “book proposal” on Amazon to find them. The issue with the photos will not be an issue at this point because not only do publishers prefer to choose their own photos, they generally prefer that the book not actually be written before the proposal is accepted. Even if the proposal is accepted the publisher will likely request significant changes from what you propose so chances are they will never see the manuscript that you have now in anything closely resembling it’s current form so don’t waste time worrying about it at this point.
Cheers.
get some opinions before publishing.
I wouldn’t worry too much. On the bright side, you are about to start a PhD program, so you are not depending on this paper to get into a program or get a job. So it isn’t urgent that you get it out. You may want to get it out now because you will have less time when you start your graduate program… But most people have to continue working on papers after they leave a position and start somewhere else. It is rare to have all papers finished before starting somewhere else.
You said that your advisor has had the manuscript for an entire semester and hasn’t made any progress. I know this seems like a long time, but for most professors/grad students I know, this would seem pretty normal. The semester is a very busy time and many professors leave manuscript editing for vacation time.
Try to consider that your advisor may have other responsibilities to deal with. For example, he may have graduate students, and be advising other undergrads, and be doing his own research, and be teaching classes, and have to participate in faculty meetings/commitments. In other words, he may be excited about the paper, but overwhelmed with other things right now, like most professors.
If your advisor is an author on the paper, he HAS to go through the paper carefully. In fact, because you are currently an undergrad, he has to take extra-special care to look everything over. It is his responsibility as an author and as an advisor. If he were second author on a paper with another professor, he would probably be less careful in looking things over, so it would take less time to get the paper published. I’m guessing that he is waiting until he has enough spare time to do a good job of going through the manuscript.
There are always conflicts between authors about getting things done. This is something you will have to deal with your entire career! My advice in this situation is, don’t worry at this point. Before you leave your current institution, schedule a meeting with your advisor and try to get him to agree to a timeline for the paper. Tell him, “Of course, my goal is to get this paper out as soon as possible. When do you plan to look it over”? If you don’t see any progress for about six months, write to him and say that you are getting a little anxious. If you have someone else who can help you with the paper, suggest to your current advisor that that new person becomes co-author instead, as a way of pressuring him.
If you are on good terms with any other professors in your current department, describe this situation to one of them. They may have good advice about how to deal with your advisor and about his work habits. For example, they may tell you not to worry because he always gets things done eventually, or they may advise you to bring in another author.
I did the same thing. Searched and searched for hours online and came across a website that is a life saver. There isn’t anything you can’t find on this site. The first website is a god send to me but I will list others that had helpful information and worth reading.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php
This is a website with an extensive list of publishers and if they accept unsolicited manuscripts.
http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pebp.htm
I find these websites helpful.
http://michaelhyatt.com/2008/08/advice-to-first.html
http://www.book-editing.com/subjects.shtml
http://www.gkbledsoe.com/articles/submissions/format.html
Article on Self Publishing
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/06/print.on.demand.publishing/index.html?iref=t2test_techmon
Self Publishing – You can find all this information, the pro’s and con’s on the first website I gave you. Great information. Self Publishing can be reasonable in cost and actually it is a vanity press that cost thousands (avoid those at all cost).
These are printers, I have heard they are good to work with if you decide on Self Publishing. They have a good reputation.
http://www.lulu.com/publish/?cid=en_tab_publish
http://www.lightningsource.com/default.aspx
Last word – NEVER use Publish America. Just google them and you will find thousands of people with valid complaints and horror stories. They are on the beware list.
http://www.sfwa.org/beware/
I always wonder the same thing when I read an author that is amazing but that few people have heard of, and then I read a really popular author that only has mediocre writing. It seems so unfair.
I like what Terry Pratchett (multi-million-selling author of the Discworld series of books) said on the subject when asked if he is jealous of JK Rowling’s swift success:
“It’s luck. OK, there’s a level of competency that is required. (But) it’s down to luck and arriving at the publisher at the right time when the wind is blowing in the right direction.
So if you think that you’ve been lucky enough to win at the roulette wheel you certainly aren’t jealous of someone who’s been lucky to win on the baccarat tables next door. It’s all ultimately, within reason, a kind of crap shoot.
“There are better writers than me and J.K. Rowling who aren’t particularly financially successful.”
It does cover the basics, including how to format a manuscript and write a querry letter. Each book has articles on the publishing industry, submission process, and some author interviews.
consider joining absolutewrite.com/forum (the watercooler) for more assistance. It’s a large and knowledgable group with a wealth of information to share.
How to approach a popular publisher of science-related work?
I have been thinking of submitting a manuscript for publication. It is all about science, rather physics. However my previous attempts weren’t successful because of some references in it to highly sensitive subjects, including religion.
How is it that other people like that girl on Oprah just easily get a book published like NOTHING, yet I ca?
ok, I have a very compelling work of non fiction which was so outstanding that it was praised considerably by numerous professors at this college and even won me first place in a creative writing contest with a $75 prize. For this reason I thought for sure that the story would be more than considerable for publication by any one of a number of publishers accepting unsolicited manuscripts, so I submitted it to a couple online. And I don’t think I heard back from more than one or two of them, who would not accept my story. Yet if anyone watched Oprah yesterday about the girl who wrote a story, it was like she just “submitted the story, and suddenly someone “responded” and said they “will accept it!!”” And I was SO mad that I almost broke the TV, because I have been trying for SO many years with no luck, and here SHE just immediately gets it accepted like it was nothing. Man. Does anyone know the name of any publishers which might easily accept my story?
Writer’s Market: What else do I need?
I’m purchasing the 2009 version of WM, but having never submitted any of my writing as a freelancer before, what else do I need to know that’s not included in this book? For example, will it tell me how to write a query letter, the dos and don’ts of my manuscript, and so on? At this point I have no idea if I should be sticking to a certain number of pages, what the format of my manuscript should be, and so on.
Basically, I’m trying to find out if the WM only gives listings, or if it will guide me step-by-step through the submission process.I would appreciate any guidance regarding websites or other publications for the first time writer, if you feel that WM does not cover some of the things I need to know.
Thanks in advance!
Any recommendations for books or websites…?
…that give a recommended, step-by-step process to getting a manuscript published?
I have read several books and websites concerning the subject, and it seems that most of them focus on two things:
1.) They list 101 things NOT to do (yes, I understand that editors and agents are busy professionals and I shouldn’t hound them with E-mails all day, I assumed that such advice was common sense, but since every source I’ve read mentions this…)
2.) It is an extreme long-shot to EVER be published, so don’t expect to even have your manuscript reviewed (paraphrase: you are not possibly as gifted and talented as I am, or any other published author for that matter, so why even waste your time trying, you worthless worm.)
So, my question is: Are there any resources available that simply focus on the “nuts and bolts” of how to actually go about submitting your work for publication (e.g., what font to use, is it best to submit the entire piece or just a sample chapter/synopsis, is it better to first approach an agent or a publishing house that accepts unsolicited material, etc.)
Thanks in advance for any recommendations or advice.
How do I format a manuscript (for a novel) to submit for publication?
Margins, characters per line, lines per page, anything you can tell me will help.
Thanks.
How should I deal with a lazy and difficult college research advisor?
I am an undergraduate student about to graduate in just a week. I have been going through a difficult time with my advisor and am in need of some advice.
I have been working with my advisor for the past two years on some research. I have made a lot of headway and was able to present my research at two large science conferences in the past year.
My advisor and I have planned to submit our research for publication. I have worked very very hard in order to get this research done and ready for publication. I have actually had a complete manuscript completed about a year ago, figures and all, ready to submit. My advisor wanted to take a look at it and give some contribution since he is second author on the paper. The problem is that he has had this manuscript for an entire semester and keeps putting off working on it at all. Every time I ask him about it, he says he hasn’t got around to it, and that he will in the next few days….This has been going on for almost an entire year. He has continuously gotten my hopes up, making me think that we are about to submit the paper, and every day I am let down again and again. Now I am about to leave to go to a PhD program in another state in about a week, and he has made zero progress on his contribution to this research.
Submitting a manuscript to a publisher?
Hi; I have written a book, purely for the fact that I like to write. I have no idea if it is publication worthy, but I was doing some research online about how to go about submitting it, and I am really confused. It is a non-fiction book about horses. I’ve found a few names of publishers that have currentlly published non-fiction horse books out there.. do I just send them my manuscript and hope for the best? The text of the book is finished, but there are many many many images in the book. A few I’ve provided for myself, that I personally took ( I’m an amateur equine photographer, too), but the majority of them are just “borrowed” so it’s set up the way it should look. Does that matter? I realize my borrowed images cannot be printed, but I really wanted the book to look 100% done.
Any experienced authors out there who would offer me some insight on what to do next? I absolutely know I do NOT want to self-publish. NO way.
Thanks in advance for insight in to this matter.
Is it better for a beginning writers to submit their works to contest or cut right to getting it published?
There’s a magazine I’m looking at that accepts unsolicited manuscripts but also has an annual contest. Are contests, in the publishing industry, considered a better option for novice writers while more seasoned writers are more likely to have their works accepted for publication without going the contest route or how does it work? If anyone with experience can give me some insight that would be helpful.
submitting novel manuscripts?
i have written a novel and am planning to submit it for publication. does anyone know if the word count needs to be precise or is an approx ok? Any more tips on how to get published would be great