Submitting A Manuscript
Learn To Write – 7 Tips To Submitting A Manuscript!
Author: Lisa Brunel
Looking at the last written page of your latest creation, you breath a sigh of relief. Your manuscript is finished! Those, learn to write classes, are behind you. No more burning the midnight oil, only to wake and find yourself slumped over your desk. Through blurry eyes, you see the only reminder of the last five hours of writers block. A carpet full of crumpled up paper balls. The results of your labor over the last eight years, is now in print. Granted, it is not the kind of print you want, but the first half of the project is now behind you. The next half, getting it published, can be the most difficult.
The appropriate format is the first thing a publishing company will look for. The hundreds of submissions received every month, must pass the first test before it goes any further down the line. That test is primarily a visual test. If the document looks “off” a the first glance, it will not go any farther. That means that all your hard work could wind up in the trash. Without so much as one word of your precious project having been read.
To prevent this from happening, follow the next few tips. The classes you took with lessons on how to learn to write, may have covered these tips. Never the less, they bare repeating. Check with the publisher before sending illustrations with your manuscript. Most publishers have a staff of publishers to illustrate for them. Check publisher guidelines for the appropriate process as each publisher has their own instructions.
Manuscript Basics:
#1. Use only good quality white paper. Never use erasable or colored paper. This is a dead give away that a novice has written this document.
#2. Double Space. Use double spacing between each sentence.
#3. Use at least one inch margins all around each page.
#4. Use a font that is clear and readable. Make sure your font is legible. In some fonts, the letters squish up and make some words illegible .
#5. Paragraphs. Paragraphs should be indicated by indentation only. Do not use tabs or extra spacing between lines.
#6. Running Headers. Headers are expected at the top of every page, except the first. Headers are 2-3 words that tag the pages so that if they get separated from the body, they can be replaced in the right manuscript.
#7. First Page Articles and short stories will have your name, address and contact information in the upper left hand corner. It should be single spaced, block form. Estimated word count is positioned on the upper right hand corner. About halfway down, center your title(using a larger font than than the text.) Skip down a couple of lines and center your name, with the font size returned to the original size. Skip another two lines and start your article. Number pages consecutively. Start with page two. Leave first page blank.
Following these guidelines will make those learn to write classes, come pay off. When you see your name in print, it will be worth it all. A publishing house out there that is just waiting to see your name in print.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/learn-to-write-7-tips-to-submitting-a-manuscript-2099470.html
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The absolute best way to get your manuscript ignored and promptly thrown in the trash is to ignore the magazine’s instructions on how to send them stuff.
Go ahead and do it your way, if you want. Just understand that you won’t hear back from them, and your stuff will not be published.
As a published author I can for certain give you these tips.
1) Buy a copy of The Writer’s Market. It list publishers, what genre they accept and how to submit. Most important it will tell you if a publisher accepts from a first time author. It will save you time and postage. Many of them also list email addresses. If you are serious this book is a writer’s bible.
2) Each publisher varies. If you do not take the time to find out how they accept submissions…they will not consider your work if it is sent in the wrong way.
3) BEWARE! There are many vanity presses that look good at first. Don’t pay to have your own book published unless you have money to blow. A serious publishing house will not take you serious if you opt for a vanity press. If you have to start with a small publisher…so be it. Your royalty’s may be smaller at first but, at least you did not pay to get your work into print. A real publisher pays you!
4) Be prepared to edit and rewrite!
5) Be prepared to promote yourself side by side with your publisher.
BEST OF LUCK AND MUCH SUCCESS!
Robinette
Author of Susquehanna Spirits
Try researching on the publishing house’s website. Usually the guidelines for any manuscript are the same.
You have to be careful about sending out multiple submissions. If an agent or publisher says they don’t accept them, then DO NOT send them. It’ll just ruin your reputation with that publisher or agent, plus get you a quick rejection letter and spoil whatever chances you might have had.
What I learned early on about being a writer is to not ‘look’ like an amateur when I first began making manuscript submissions. If you look like an amateur, you’ll be treated like one and are therefore likely to land on the slush pile. A mistake new writers often make is not taking it seriously enough when editing their work and preparing it for submission to an agent or a publisher. You only get one opportunity to make a first impression. For a writer, your first impression is on paper. If your manuscript is full of errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation, then your work will not be read and you’ll be branded the amateur you are. Another mistake new writers make is not paying attention to an agent or publisher’s submission guidelines. Follow them exactly as they are outlined. If you divert from what they ask for, you won’t be read.
New writers also are anxious to make their first sale and sign their first contract. However, they aren’t really careful about the pitfalls that await them at nearly every turn. Some agents are not honest. Their contracts are full of fees the writer has to pay. Fees like a reading fee, editing fee, representation fee, etc. An agent who makes his money from fees doesn’t sell any of the work he claims to represent. Agents and publishers make money the same way the writer does…by selling your work. All money flows to the writer, not away from her.
Be wary of the “sounds too good to be true” offers from vanity publishers. They’ll happily sell you a bill of promises, and deliver a low quality box of books you won’t be able to give away.
Always be cautious, but not so guarded you pass up a real opportunity. Have an attorney review any contracts before you sign them. He’ll protect your rights.
Before submitting your work, make sure you have a completed and polished manuscript. There’s really no point in attempting to sell something you’ve not yet written–another sign of an amateur–and a sure fire way to lose what could have been a promising relationship with an agent or publisher.
Always do your homework. Never submit anything that an agent or publisher doesn’t represent. Use the genre guidelines they have listed on their web site or in the market trade manuals.
Continue to read whatever you can get your hands on, it’s the most convenient way to keep your finger on the pulse of the market.
Write, revise, edit, write some more.
Use books like the Literary Marketplace and the Writers Market to find listings for publishers and agents. Use websites like Preditors&Editors also to find listings for agents and publishers.
Good luck to you! :o)
Writer’s Market
Writer’s Digest magazine
Submitting manuscript to publishers?
When you submit a manuscript to a publisher, which way is most appropriate, a hard copy, or a CD?
Where can I find information on submitting a manuscript for publishing?
I was wondering if anyone knows of a book or website where they list publishing houses and how one goes about submitting their literary work(s) to them to be reviewed for publishing? Thanks!
How does one go about submitting a manuscript to a publisher?
Also, can you submit the same manuscript to multiple publishers?
What are the guidelines for submitting a manuscript to Del Rey books?
I am looking for the guidelines to submit a manuscript to Del Rey. They are a large fantasy, sci-fi publishing house. Any help would be appreciated. If anyone can find the actual guidelines I will give ten points.
When submitting manuscript for a magazine, if the website says submit by e-mail, can I still send by reg. mail?
This is my first time submitting a manuscript for a magazine. Their site does state to send submission by e-mail. However, I just think they get so many submissions, they just may blow past the e-mail, whereas if I mail it snail-mail, it’s right in front of them and may have more of a chance of being read.