Publishing Tips
WRITING FOR PUBLICATION
Every type of writing has its peculiar conventions. Editing International is ready to help you find your niche in the literary marketplace. The general submission guidelines listed below will aid you in selecting the best venue for your work.
NONFICTION BOOKS
In the U.S., nearly all nonfiction books are sold on the basis of a proposal. The nonfiction book proposal is a document written in a highly specialized way answering specific marketing questions. A table of contents, chapter outlines in summary form, and three sample chapters typically accompany the marketing sections of the proposal. In the case of memoirs or autobiographies, writers may have to supply one-half or even the entire book before they can get a sale.
A query letter begins the process of marketing. Reflecting many of the eleven sections of the proposal, a query letter for nonfiction books may be up to one-and-a-half pages in length. Because literary agents represent ninety percent of all books sold in the U.S., most queries should be directed to agents. Agent names, experience, and preferences can be located in directories such as Literary Market Place, Guide to Literary Agents, and Writers Guide to Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents.
Many literary agents and most U.S. publishers maintain websites where writers can find preferences, guidelines for submission, and contact protocol.
Elizabeth Lyon, owner of Editing International, has written the definitive book on how to write proposals, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write: How to Get a Contract and Advance Before Writing Your Book. In a team editing approach, she and her specialist editor for proposals can help you organize and write an effective proposal, including sample chapters, and find literary agents to represent it. If your book fits the needs of a niche, or a specialty publisher, she can help you locate such a publisher and write a professional query letter.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Lyon at the e-mail address: info@4-edit.com.
NOVELS
Acquisitions editors in publishing houses base their initial decisions to accept or reject your work on the quality of the query letter, and/or synopsis and sample chapters. Industry-wide conventions can make writing a strong introduction to your novel a complex task. Elizabeth and her associates help you package your work to invite a request to send more of your novel.
An error-free and professional standard of formatting gives your work the chance to be read without distractions that may divert the attention of the editor.
Submission Standards and Guidelines
Be sure that your manuscript meets the complex details of accepted industry criteria. Assemble your submission package according to the instructions of the agent or editor to whom you are submitting.
- Editors or agents may ask you for a query letter, synopsis, or chapter-by-chapter outline, along with sample chapters from your book. Each submission requires a specific technique.
- Double-space your manuscript, using approximately 250 words per page. Use a standard format and a non-condensed font such as Bookman Old Style, Century Schoolbook, or Georgia. Use one-inch margins on all sides.
- Know the genre, or category of your novel. Read Elizabeth Lyon's The Sell Your Novel Toolkit: Everything You Need to Know About Queries, Synopses, Marketing, and Breaking In for a full explanation on preparing a submission package.
Elements of Craft
Know the elements of craft and incorporate them into each novel.
- Familiarize yourself with the art of in-depth characterization through the use of emotion and sensory detail.
- Understand the fundamental elements of plot that develop the story arc.
- Develop a voice that will catch the ear of the reader.
- Make your story fulfill its promise in a dramatic way. Know the difference between plot and story.
- Read A Writer's Guide to Fiction, by Elizabeth Lyon, to learn everything you need to know about craft and to begin the revision or marketing process. Read Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore to be able to revise your manuscript to a substantially improved level.
For more information, contact us at our e-mail address: info@4-edit.com.
FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS
- Use a 12-point serif font, such as Bookman Old Style, Century Schoolbook, or Georgia, for query letters, synopses, and book proposals. You may use Times New Roman for a query and synopsis, but not for book proposals or novels as it condenses the characters and puts as many as 350 to 400 words on page. Use one-inch margins and a standard header (last name, title, page number far right). Double-space all manuscripts, except the query or a cover letter, which is single-spaced with double spacing between paragraphs.
- For paper submissions, always enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for return of your manuscript or for a response.
- Many publications now accept, even prefer, e-mail submissions. Always check guidelines before querying or sending your manuscript.
- Get to know the writing that the magazine, journal, or newspaper has previously published. Read several issues to be sure that your writing fits with the style and genre each publication uses.
For more information, contact us at our e-mail address: info@4-edit.com.
|
