How to Submit Your Work to Publishing Companies

So, you’ve finished that manuscript, article, poem, or short story and you’re now ready to submit it to the publishing company of your choice. For many new inexperienced writers this is a great challenge. They struggle with the right words to include in their cover letter and are very unsure of themselves. If you’ve made it to where you are struggling with words on your cover letter, you’re half way there.

There are other writers who are too scared to send out their work to an editor in fear of rejection. A writer must learn to feed on rejection. That is one lesson you can’t learn in a book or on the internet. You must experience it first hand and thrive from that little letter that says, “I’m sorry, but your work doesn’t fit with our magazine. Sincerely, The Editor”. I’ve gotten a few of these in the mail and I’ve never quit writing and trying.

Before submitting your work to any publication, you should always, always, check their submission guidelines. So many authors have been rejected, not because their writing was necessarily bad, but because they didn’t read the guidelines and sent the publisher something that would not fit within their magazine. I think we’re all a little bit guilty of this one.

Many writers complete their articles, manuscripts, poetry, etc before they start trying to market them to publishers. This sometimes works and is somewhat effective for fiction pieces, but for nonfiction it doesn’t balance out too well. Most publishers seeking nonfiction pieces have a certain angle or subject that they are looking for, so it is best to query them before proceeding to write the article so that you will know exactly where you should begin.

When you are focusing on your query letter or cover letter, be sure to be concise, but brief. By sending your letter to a magazine editor, you are tying to convince them to buy your ideas or article. Your letter should be addressed to the right person. So many times authors address their query or cover letters to the wrong person and that is why they are never published. If you are unsure of whom you should be addressing it to, call the magazine or look at a current issue of the magazine to find who the editor may be. Your letter should be limited to one page, single spaced, and attention grabbing. If the first couple of lines don’t grab the editor’s attention, nothing else will. Editors are far too busy to read every word on every letter, so they tend to read the first few sentences looking for what may be right for their magazine. If it grabs their attention, then they will give you a call back or acceptance letter.

Not only should you have your letters all in order, but your manuscript should be followed in the correct format. It should be as follows:

• Your full name, address, phone number, and email address should be in the upper left hand corner all single spaced and on separate lines on the first page of your manuscript.
• The estimated word count and the rights you are offering should be in the upper right corner of the first page of your manuscript as well.
• You should place the title of your manuscript one third of the way down in the center in all capital letters. After the title, double space and type the word “by” and then double space once more. On that line you should put your name in the center.
• Your name should be followed by two more double spaces and that is where you should begin your manuscript.
• On every page that follows you should type your full name and the page number in the upper right hand corner.
• Do not staple your manuscript. Simply hold all the pages in place with a paperclip.

This is the required manuscript format whether you are mailing your manuscript to the editor or e-mailing it to them. Be sure to always record every submission that you send out so that you don’t accidentally send the same manuscript to the same publisher twice. That is a big waste of both of your time.

Agent or no agent? That is the question. An agent is mainly there to just represent your work. If you are writing a book whether it is fiction or nonfiction, an agent may be ideal for you. They can help you to get you manuscript out there to possible book publishers in your genre. This saves you time and effort so that you can spend your valuable time writing while your agent does the dirty work. Some new writers want to try to get published on their own, without the help of an agent. That’s all good too, if you’ve done your research and know how the writing world works.

You must be able to know where and to whom you should send your manuscript ideas. You should know that it’s not an easy task to do unless you have a way in, an agent is just that. If you are writing only short stories, articles, poetry, etc an agent is not necessary. As long as you know the markets and have done your homework, you should be published in no time whether it’s a book, short story, or article.

The last thing that all writers, new or old should know is that no matter what, be professional. Being professional and having great communication skills is what can set you apart from those writers who aren’t. Editors will notice whether it is written in your letters or spoken to them over the phone. Being a writer is just like any other business. You have to be polite to the clients or they will not return for your services.