Starting Your Career As A Writer - A Submission Guide For First-Time Authors

by Jim Phillips

Starting out to publish your book is no different than starting out in any other profession. You can't get hired if you don't have experience, and you can't get experience if no one will hire you! Book publishers prefer to read manuscripts submitted by literary agents. Literary agents don't handle unpublished authors. However, there are publishers who will read unsolicited manuscripts from unpublished authors. This article lists the basic steps to follow when submitting an unsolicited manuscript as a first time author.

1. Research the publishers who handle the type of book you have written.

Publishers specialize in different adult fiction genres, categories of nonfiction, children's books, etc. Browse the bookstores to learn which publishers would be interested in your work. Get the names of editors from book acknowledgements or call the publishers of books you've found in your genre research and ask who edited them.

2. Get the writer's guidelines.

Once you have made up a list of names of publishers who would be interested in your work, send in a SASE for a copy of the writer's guidelines and study them. Publishers do new authors a favor by reading unsolicited manuscripts and you should follow their stated guidelines in every detail. It is easy to toss aside a manuscript if the author has not taken the time to read and follow the publisher's requirements!

3. Call the publishers.

Make at least one call to every publisher on your list. Find out as much as you can about the submission process and, whenever possible get the name of an editor who works with the type of material you are submitting.

4. Prepare your manuscript.

Guidelines vary but you will need to prepare some variation of the standard typed (letter-quality), double-spaced manuscript on unfolded plain white paper in a 9 x 12 envelope. Use 1-inch margins. Do not plan to submit your manuscript electronically, most publishers prefer you to mail a hardcopy. Again, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want the manuscript returned.

Your manuscript should be error free. This goes for grammar as well as spelling and typos.

Follow the writer's guidelines. You may need to submit a few chapters rather than the entire manuscript.

5. Write your query letter.

Your query letter should be one page in length. The letter should always be addressed to a specific person (use the name you found in Step 3). It should be single-spaced and error free.

Remember that the query letter is your sales pitch and write it accordingly. The query letter should grab the editor's attention in the first paragraph and then summarize the hook or main selling point of your manuscript. Include any relevant experience you have in the field you are writing about and any published work or editorial credits. Include an estimated word count of the finished manuscript.

Your query letter should also include a description of the book's audience and a marketing strategy for your book.

End the query with an offer to send the manuscript or a request to write the article.

6. Write your synopsis.

The last part of the standard submission is the synopsis. This is also a sales tool for your book or article. It tells the story of your novel in the present tense from beginning to end. Don't divide the synopsis into chapters and don't include dialog. Practice a clean, spare style that allows you to retell your story in a compelling way that makes the editor ask for the manuscript!

I'll end with the warning to proofread, proofread, and proofread your submission. Nothing stands out more than an overlooked typo or grammatical error and nothing will make it easier for an editor to turn you down. When you are sure that your materials are perfect, send them and keep a log of the editor's name, publisher's address and the date.

Good luck and happy writing!