Submit Book Manuscript
Tips to Follow when you Submit Articles
Author: Alpine Laurel
When you submit articles, you want to increase traffic to your website. You want to increase awareness of who you are and what you offer. When you follow some simple tips when you submit articles you will get the best success rate from them. Try to keep your articles between 400 and 500 words.
That is enough space for you to convey a general idea, to explore two or three key points about it, and then to summarize it. If you feel anxious that you are leaving other details out, don’t worry. Instead, you can branch off in those other directions to create new articles.
Always make sure your articles are clear, concise, and written for humans. Too often people jam them packed with repetitive keywords for Search Engine Optimization. That annoys readers due to the robotic nature of them. As a result very few will even finish reading what you have. When you submit articles in such a manner they will often be rejected by the directory.
Take the time to carefully read through your materials before you submit articles. If you have mistakes relating to grammar or spelling it will get noticed. Then you aren’t going to be taken seriously or viewed as a professional. If you have strong ideas but weak spelling or grammar skills, ask someone to proofread them before you submit. While Spell check can be helpful too much slips by it to rely on that alone.
What you offer in your articles should be information, not a sales pitch. This isn’t your sales letter so don’t treat it like one. You can use any ideas to share information and then have a great resource box at the end. If you write quality articles it will encourage people to go find out more. Then they will take the link to your website which is your goal when you submit articles.
With some of the article submission sites, you can get a count of how often your article is read. This is a good idea as it allows you to see what information people find to be interesting. It can help you to differentiate between your information submitted that is in demand and what isn’t. That can help you to decide what to write about before you submit articles in the future.
Make sure you always follow the guidelines of a given directory when you submit articles. They can vary from one to the next. It is a good idea to write yourself some general notes about the different directories you use. Then you can have it handy for a quick reference when you are ready to submit articles. It will avoid delays when it comes to getting them published.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/publishing-articles/tips-to-follow-when-you-submit-articles-2848800.html
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BeautyBlitz is quite correct. You don’t know if a “better” agent will respond, so you’re stuck with what you’ve got.
Most agents, especially the really good ones, prefer exclusive offers – meaning that if they find out you shopped it around to a lot of other agents, they won’t touch it. This means it may take months to find an agent, if at all, but doing things more slowly the right way is much better than screwing yourself over because you’re in a hurry.
Hey sillyolem…,
Sure there is a way to submit these days, of course. You will have to read about the catches and what they want. But here are some good sites.
Good. Getting the best feedback is always the first thing to do when you are trying to get a book published.
Maybe you would like to ask around and perhaps shop around. Many would also suggest getting an agent which could take SO long for them to sit down and actually notice what you have there and believe me, we are not just talking months here but years. Let me give you something to peruse at while you are at it and hopefully this will help in your ride to the wagon of success.
Authors are made – not born at the first sign of christening and as long as you can write and pull off a manuscript at an early age of what, 6, you can be a published author.
Self-publishing is one venue for authors who wanted to test how their book will fare in the market.
To get into a contract, yes, you must have someone legal to assist you with it. Self-publishing will entail you to make a deposit before going through production and any financial transaction done should be legitimate.
How can you NOT publish? I have known of authors who started as early as 6 to 10- years old.
With parent’s consent, supervision and resources, these children are already raking exposure in the publishing industry as young as they are now.
Best of luck. 🙂
There are plenty. In fact, you only need an agent to make sure your manuscript is of expected quality (typeset, grammar etc) before it’s offered to publishers. You should be able to write to most publishers yourself – but expect to be ignored quite often. Especially at your age it’s very hard to break through, but good luck!
Canongate, a Scottish publisher, have a set of handy links to get started with – but at the moment don’t seem to entertain unsollicited manuscripts:
http://www.canongate.net/About/Links
Probably not. I think the fact they may have already read it is a negative not a plus. If they were interested, they would have requested you send it back exclusively for a period of 30 days or more. If they remember it, they will probably reject it again.
I have explained the submission process here a multitude of times. You really have to learn to advocate for yourself and follow submission guidelines and submit your work in a professional fashion. You immediately told all of them you were an amateur by the unprofessional way you submitted.
You should never ever never ever submit to more than two agents or publishers at a time. Then, they should both be agents that clearly state in their submission guidelines that they accept multiple submissions. What you send is usually a query letter and a synopsis – not a manuscript. I do not know of any agents who accept unsolicited manuscripts. Unsolicited manuscripts get slush piled and a clerk sends form rejection letters out when they get around to it.
In the query letter, clearly state that you have sent the query to another agent as well. That is the proper thing to do. If either is interested, they will contact you regarding the other query and request a manuscript and an exclusive. You went about it totally the wrong way.
I am wondering where you found these multiple agents, because I don’t know of that many who read children’s books anymore.
You should understand the children’s book market. You have chosen the most difficult thing in the publishing business – getting a children’s book published.
Let me describe for you the current nature of the children’s book market. I just finished ghostwriting two children’s books for a very major sports figure – already sold to a very major NY publisher. The first is with artist now and due out in Spring. I am currently working on another one with others to follow. This information was given to me by a Senior Editor at the publisher I write for (one of the top 5 on that list) …
40% of children’s books published today are by celebs like Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis etc.
40% are written by existing, established children’s authors like Eric Carle.
15-20% are reprints of children’s classics like Curious George.
That leaves at best 5% for new authors.
And that percentage is being cut into by adult authors like Carl Hiaasen and Mary Higgins Clark entering the childrens’ market recently.
To that, add the fact that most of the large publishing companies are backlogged with children’s books they have under contract but havent gotten out yet.
As a result, most A list publishers aren’t even reading childrens’ books right now, which means agents arent either. Agents only read what they can sell.
There is very little room to break into the children’s market. Only books that are extremely exceptional and have huge appeal stand a chance. Forget any holiday related books – the selling season is too short to make money.
And most publishers have huge backlogs of children’s books they have purchased and are not published yet. It takes about a year for a children’s book to make it out. It usually takes an artist about a month a page to illustrate. So most publishers have their production schedules for children’s books filled out for the next few years.
Take a walk through any major childrens’ book department and you will confirm what I am telling you. Getting a childrens’ book done is almost impossible – and getting an advance for it is virtually out of the question anymore. Unless you fall into one of those categories above. I am fortunate to have the backing of a very major sports star to get me in the door with kids books. I write adult novels, but believe me I have tried with kids books before and failed for exactly the reasons I list here.
Ghostwriting has gotten me in through the back door, and now I will be able to sell some of the children’s books that have my name on them. For now, someone else’s name is on the cover. Someone whose name sells books – big time. Don’t ask me how you can get a ghostwriting deal for a major sports star … I really backed into this. It was a gift from Heaven really and it is a blast working with this person too!!! My mantle is now covered with sports memorabilia worth a fortune!! Presents.
That is the nature of the beast. You might get a copy of Writers Market and search for some small publishers who are reading childrens’ books, but searching through the agents section, you will see that almost NO agents are reading childrens’ books. Try for some small publishers that read without going through an agent. Expect a lot of rejection. Develop a really thick skin and learn to advocate for yourself.
Always remember that before you send anything to anyone, check them out. Preditors and Editors, Absolute Write Water Cooler’s Bewares and Background Checks, Writers Weekly.com and Writers Wall are all great sources and totally free – although if they help you, it is nice to contribute a donation. Someone has to pay for running the sites. If you do not see information on the publisher or agent in question, write to Dave K at Preditors and Editors, Victoria Strauss or James Macdonald at Absolute Write or Angela Hoy at Writers Weekly. They are happy to pass along any info they have to help you.
As for self publishing it – it will get you nowhere. Self published books dont make it to bookstores. Childrens’ books are impulse buys. What is out on the tables for kids to see is what sells. Kids don’t shop at websites for things like books. They have to hold them in their hand and nag Mom to buy it. The only way to achieve that is through a good traditional publisher.
I have starred a lot of great Q and A regarding writing on my profile. You can access it and print out the pages. Start a notebook you can refer to. There s a lot of good information here and I add more as I see good ones. I am doing it to help others. Feel free to use it. Add me as a fan and get the regular updates. Keep writing. Remember you have to need to grow a hide as thick as a herd of elephants. There will be more rejection letters.
Just keep writing. Be exceptional!!
Good luck. Pax – C
How do I submit my children’s book manuscript to a publisher?
I know I’m supposed to request guidelines from individual publishers, but surely there is a way to do this electronically these days, instead of sending it through the mail? I have looked at several publishers’ websites and cannot find any information for hopeful authors! Thanks!
Can I re submit manuscript to agent?
I recently sent a children’s book manuscript to multiple agents. I have received a few replies back saying they are unable to consider multiple submission inquiries. My question is, once all the agents have responded or after a period of time, can I then re submit the manuscript again to one of the previous agents but of course without it being a multiple submission. Do you think they would even bother to read it at this point?
Well in response to Persiphone_Hellecat, I actually did do my research before I submitted my manuscript. I have several copies of the Writer’s Market as well as other highly recommended books. I went through and specifically searched for agents who are seeking to represent children’s literature. Most of them requested a completed manuscript along with the query letter, so I did as each agent suggested. Those who stated only to send a query letter, i did. Those who said they did not accept multiple submissions, I didn’t send it to them. So I really didn’t just write something and send it off blindly. I do appreciate the advice you gave though and will definitely use some of it in the future. On a side note, I work a children’s museum centered around children’s lit, so I see kids reading books everyday and we have alot of local authors who come in for story time. The market is still there, it just may not be as easy to get published as other forms of literature.
Are there any UK book publishers where you don’t need an agent to submit a manuscript?
I know about self publishing – dont like it.
I dont have the money for a proper literary agent (im 14) – cant get it.
Are there any UK book publishers where you don’t need an agent to submit a manuscript? Or are there any literary agencies in the UK where you pay them by your profits?
If you submit your book manuscript to many agencies what happens if…?
Some of them reply first with a wish to represent but you know that there are some better agent you sent of to. Do you go with one of the first ones or wit out and see if the other agents reply?
xox
Hi, im 13 and am writing a book, where would be the best place to submit my manuscript for publishing?
Hi, im 13 and am writing a book, where would be the best place to submit my manuscript for publishing?
yes i know i am young, but i have had teachers and other authors view my work and they have said that it is of a high standard.