Preparing to Submit: Part Three

This week we've talked about preparing to submit our work to agents and editors. Today is the final installment, the nitty-gritty details to attend to before you send out your work.


Here are several questions to ask yourself before you submit. This is not the definitive list, but it covers the basics.

1. Is my manuscript formatted correctly? Most agents and editors expect to see it double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and in a twelve-point font such as Courier or Times New Roman. They also expect the header to include the title of your manuscript and your last name. Page numbers should be either in the header or the footer. Be sure to give each new chapter its own page.

2. Is my query personalized? Address the query to a real person. You can find the names of editors and agents through their websites or in a publication such as Writer's Market.

3. Does my query include contact information? Include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and your blog's URL and website's URL if you have either.

4. Am I submitting this correctly? You may have to print and send your query, or you may have to e-mail the query, depending on the agent's or editor's guidelines.

If you are sending the query through the mail, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for them to reply to you.

If you are e-mailing your query, include your name and intent in the subject line and do not send the query as an attachment. The subject might look something like Jill Kemerer: Query, or, if they've requested something, Jill Kemerer: Requested Partial and Synopsis.

Don't give them any reason to reject you before they've even read your query. Tess Hilmo recently posted about how agents and editors need a recognizable name in order to open an e-mail file. Avoid using a vague e-mail address.

5. Have I included everything? When you're submitting a query, usually the query letter is all you need. However, when someone requests a partial or a full, there are other important items to include.

I prefer to include a brief cover letter, which is a shorter version of the query. It contains the title of the book, the word count, the genre, and a brief blurb. All of my contact information is in the cover letter. Then, I include a synopsis, a cover page for the manuscript, and the requested chapters. The cover page is the title of the book, the word count, and my contact information.

Again, depending on who is requesting, I may have to send a printed out copy of all of this, with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, or I may have to e-mail it. If e-mailing, find out the person's policy--whether they want it in an attachment or not.

What do you think? Have I forgotten anything? I'm sure I have! Please let me know your tips on the nitty-gritty of preparing a submission.

Have a fantastic weekend!

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