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A good digital submission: Editor's Notes #260 May 02, 2018 |
| Hello, then . . . you are not a writer anymore, just someone who dreams about being a writer. —Dorothy C. Fontana In this issue: 1. What makes a good digital submission 2. Tickled my funny bone 3. Interesting Web site 4. Writing prompt 5. Letters to the editor 1. What makes a good digital submission First, be sure that the publisher or agent is interested in new material. Next, be sure the agent or publisher wants the sort of book you have on offer. What proof do you have of a good match? Proof would be information from a conference, the publisher’s Web site, a market guide, or some other knowledgeable source. If you have no proof, wait until you have it, or submit somewhere else where you are likely to be accepted. If you use market guides, check each Web site in case anything has changed. Editors move from one publisher to another. Publishing calendars fill up. Be sure you are working with the latest information. Follow submission guidelines to the smallest detail. Busy people will not be interested in dealing with you when you don’t pay attention to their needs. Many agents and acquisition editors skim their emails daily looking for interesting submissions. When I say skim, I mean check out the subject lines, so when considering a good submission, start there. Get that right, and you are over the first hurdle. Mess it up, and your email may languish for years at the bottom of a subterranean inbox. The first word should be Submission because there are other types of email in the box. If you have been asked to submit, indicate that with Requested material. Follow with your genre and title. For nonfiction, instead of the title, you can give a very brief topic. If you write for children, give the age range. For example, Submission, YA fiction: TITLE or Submission, How to: TITLE. Get the spelling and punctuation right throughout the email. Many of us find the send button tempting. This is the time to compose in your word processing program. After you’ve edited the message thoroughly, copy and paste it into an email or the online submission form. Give your full contact information and the full information (genre, title, word count) in the body of the email even though they are in the subject line. The body of the submission should follow exactly what the publisher or agent asks for under submission guidelines, which are sometimes hiding behind Contact Us or About Us on the Web site. In the current publishing climate, it is fine to include links to more information about you in your signature. These would include links to your personal Web site and social media links. Finally, keep track of your submissions. If possible, create a mailbox expressly for this purpose. =========== 2.Tickled my funnybone No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery. =========== 3. Interesting Web site There are many market guides. This is one of the most trusted. https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Market-2018-Trusted-Published/dp/1440352631 =========== 4. Writing prompt Put on your publisher’s hat. Write three guidelines you want writers to follow when submitting a book to you for consideration. I’d love to see your results. =========== 5. Letters to the editor Re:Choosing Details: Editor’s Notes #259 I disagree about the jogging pants. We've had jeans (and called them jeans) for more than 60 years. My mother wore bell-bottoms in the '30's and, by the '70's, they were back. Same thing could happen with peddle-pushers any year now. —Anne Miles, Gibsons, BC CANADA =========== Join Writer's Helper Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WritersHelperEditor Follow me on Twitter @AudreytheEditor Link on LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/audreyowen (Email me first so I know how you know me.) =========== If you know a writer who would appreciate receiving Editor's Notes, forward this issue. If someone has passed this on to you, you can get your own free subscription by signing up at https://www.writershelper.com/newsletter.html |
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