| Submissions |
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| Ready to send your baby out into the world now that you've gotten the formatting and word count right? Make sure you've included everything you want to include, and everything that the editor or agent requires. |
| Okay, the manuscript is finished, your formatting is perfect, the word count is just right for the line you wanted to submit to, you've got the request from the editor or agent from your great query letter. Now what? Well, first of all, be certain you know exactly what s/he's asking for. Did they request a partial? What the heck is a partial? Three chapters and a synopsis. Did they request the full manuscript with SASE? Um, what's an SASE? Self-addressed, stamped envelope. Did they suggest including a SASP for letting you know the package arrived? And what's a SASP? Self-addressed, stamped postcard. Basics for a submission package include: -SASE for a reply or to return your manuscript; some authors choose not to have the mss. returned, and include only a business-sized envelope for the editor/agent reply. Basically, it's up to you which you prefer. If you want to be able to salvage the mss. for other submissions, send the big envelope with return postage for the whole thing. Otherwise, indicate in your cover letter that they can recycle the mss. -SASP for the editor/agent to send back to you when they open your submission. In my experience, these come back most of the time, though it may be a while before they actually open the package and see the postcard. You may want to create a space on the card for the date of arrival and another for an estimated time for response so you get a better sense of how long it's really going to be. -Cover letter; this basically says, here's the partial/manuscript you requested, I've included SASE (or you may recycle the mss.), SASP, and I look forward to hearing from you. -Manuscript/partial and synopsis; make sure when you print it out, that your printer heads are clean, that they're not leaving gaps in the print, or that you've got fresh toner, depending on what kind of printer you've got. And there is your basic checklist for submission. Not too tough. The really hard part for some writers is the actual mailing of the package. |
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