Manuscript Submission – Do Your Homework

I’ve attended more than a few writer’s classes and meetings where the topic of ‘doing your homework’ with regard to manuscript submission has been discussed at length. ‘Doing your homework’ refers to the research a writer should do to determine the appropriate market trends and publishers to submit a manuscript to. This is in advance of submitting a manuscript to any publisher for publication, and sometimes even before beginning a project.

The general discussion at meetings is that if someone is really interested in a topic or has a burning idea for a novel, they should write about it, and not worry if it is marketable or not. If it comes from the heart, how can it be all that bad? Right? Wrong… When publishers look for new titles to add to their lists, they look toward market trends and what the readers are reading now.  If you are someone who writes in a genre geared toward market trends, then you will have a higher chance of getting published.

When you are looking at different markets, and want to know what publishers are seeking, do a look-up using ‘author submission guidelines’ as a keyword phrase. Many publishers post their guidelines on their websites with what they want and especially what they don’t want. Even if you haven’t written toward a market trend, but have a manuscript you wish to sell, then you need to know which publisher will accept your manuscript.

Not only are you finding out what the publisher requires, but they also list ‘how’ they want the manuscript sent (i.e. with cover letter, brief CV or bio, synopsis, first three chapters, etc.). By meeting their submission criteria, you increase the chances of your manuscript reaching the right department and actually being read.

Note that some sites have taken great pride in creating several pages of guidelines, so they mean business. Don’t send a manuscript away without looking at these guidelines with the thought that, “Well, my book or query is really great I am sure they will read it.”

Some publisher guidelines also give useful tips, resource lists and links about publishing and organizations. These are invaluable tools and can help you with writing and submitting for publication.

It is wonderful to write an exciting story that comes from the heart and mind, but keep your mind open to suggestions for stories and submissions from those publishers who are actually looking for specific ideas to market.

Tags: author submission guidelines, book market trends, Manuscript Submission, submitting manuscripts to publishers