I am delighted to welcome fellow Aussie author and all-round wonder, Tania McCartney here to my blog today.
Tanis is in the midst of a blog tour to promote her new picture book Riley and The Grumpy Wombat, and has taken the time to call by and share with us her insights in preparing manuscript submissions.
Welcome Tania. Over to you.
Riley and the Grumpy Wombat Blog Tour
Top 10 Tips for Writing a Submission
I’ve been submitting to publishers for around 25 years now – and the process has certainly changed over time, particularly as the digital age has overtaken our lives.
For my most recent book – Riley and theGrumpy Wombat: A journey around Melbourne – I was very fortunate in that I had an existing relationship with Ford Street Publishing’s Paul Collins, so although I didn’t have to go through the regular submissions channels, the manuscript for Wombat was nevertheless put through the complete acquisitions process. Paul absolutely required a manuscript worthy of Ford Street’s list, so I was thrilled when the book was accepted for publication.
This kind of ‘fast forward’ through the submissions process only comes after many years of hard work and many, many submission attempts. I am still submitting manuscripts to publishers all over the world – via the regular submission channels – and I hope my Top 10 Tips on preparing your Submission help you secure that wonderfully-elusive publishing deal yourself.
Number 1 – Set up a submissions spreadsheet
First things first. Set up a spreadsheet to document your submissions. List the date, the book title, the publisher, any contact names, the street address and email address. Leave a column blank for their response. Make notes in this column if you receive feedback for ms rejections.
Also make notes on the submissions process for this publisher – for example, if they ask for an exclusive submission, if they ask you to leave the ms with them three months before submitting elsewhere, if they will offer a response or if you are to just assume, after a set period of time, that they are not interested.
As rejection letters come rolling in, don’t see this as a setback, but purely an opportunity to either rework and hone your ms, or submit it elsewhere.
Re-submitting is dependent on the rejection letter. If the publisher indicates the work is good but doesn’t suit their list, perhaps consider resubmitting elsewhere immediately. If the publisher indicates the book may need some reworking (or makes no comment at all), either begin reworking your text – or even better – let it ‘simmer’ for a month or more, before tackling your edits.
Number 2 – Research your target publisher
I do feel people completely underestimate the importance of this step, as it will truly cut years of wasted time and effort – both for yourself and for publishers.
What genre have you written in? Who is your target audience? What ages? What style is the book? Which publisher is producing similarly-structured titles? Get to know the book list of publishers – both mainstream and independent. Do this online, in bookstores, at libraries. Be thorough. Does your book suit a mainstream trade publisher of commercial titles? Or is it quirky with a more narrowly defined market?
Get to know the work of publishers and who your book will best fit with – and make a list of all that apply. Write up the list in order of preference, and add them to your submissions spreadsheet.
Number 3 – Discover the publisher’s submission requirements
When you’ve decided on the publisher you want to target first, it’s vital you check their website for current submissions guidelines. These guidelines change all the time, so be sure to check back regularly. Don’t be discouraged if submissions are closed – bide your time (don’t be tempted to send in a submission anyway – the last thing a chronically overloaded publishing team needs is more ‘unwanted’ submissions).
In a nutshell, read very carefully then follow the publisher’s guidelines to the letter. Does this publisher accept electronic submissions? Do they ask for a CV? Will they send you a notice of receipt? Is a synopsis or market analysis required?
If a publisher website offers few specific guidelines, then follow these general submission rules. All ms submissions should be printed in a simple font (such as Arial or Times Roman, 10pt or 11pt) on one side of the page, double spaced with 3cm margins all round. Add a footer or header to the document containing the ms title, your name and a page number.
On the cover letter and the first page of the ms proper, be sure to add all your contact details – name, address, telephones, email, website. Also list what you are attaching to the cover letter. Generally, your submission should include:
· Short and succinct cover letter with full contact details
· An author bio or short, relevant CV
· A book outline or synopsis
· A short target market analysis and perhaps an outline of your ability to promote the book
· First three chapters, or the full ms, if a picture book (picture books usually do not exceed 500 – 600 words)
The publisher’s submission guidelines should also tell you when you can expect some kind of response. Mark it on your spreadsheet.
Number 5 – Research your market
Publishers want to publish great books, sure – but they also want to make money so they can continue to publish even more great books. It’s a tough industry that’s recently taken a beating, so researching your market is highly attractive for most publishers.
Is your book something that will stand out in your target market? Are there already too many books on that topic/style of book? What would make yours stand out? List titles that compete with your work and provide examples of why it’s different. Be sure the publisher can see that you understand your market.
Also indicate to the publisher (if appropriate to do so – remember, follow their guidelines) how you will go about marketing and promoting your work. What talents and resources do you have in place to help make this book a success? Will you be one of these authors who expects the publisher to do all the work or will you really throw yourself into things?
Number 5 – Be succinct
Keep things really simple – don’t rant and rave, no matter how tempted. Just give a neat and tidy outline of both your book and your work, and let the ms do the talking. If you rant and ramble, no one will read it anyway – and the submission with be cumbersome to wade through.
Number 6 – Don’t get fancy
Don’t pack your envelope with glitter. Don’t send chocolates. Don’t have it delivered with helium balloons or a tenor with a chilled bottle of bubbles. Don’t add elaborate fonts and swirling diagrams and paragraphs in rainbow colours. It won’t help – and could potentially hinder. What WILL attract attention is great writing.
Number 7 – Exclusivity
Many publishers require exclusive submission, some require the knowledge you’ve submitted elsewhere and some are fine with your submitting to multiple publishers. Check the website and if no information is given, you can probably assume you can submit to multiple publishers – most particularly if you’re just starting out (established authors tend to be more loyal to their existing publishers).
If you want to really do the right thing, mention in your cover letter that you have submitted elsewhere. It will not hinder your chances of having your ms reviewed. Just be sure to let each publisher know immediately if the work has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
Don’t pester publishers for a response. Wait. If an appropriate amount of time has passed (this should be indicated on their website), a short, polite inquiry email is ok.
Number 8 – Network and have online presence
Get involved in your writing community, whether it be your local writers’ centre, literary conferences, the Children’s Book Council of Australia, publishing associations, or online forums. Get to know other authors, frequent review and literature sites and publisher blogs, and really get your teeth into the market you are looking to publish in.
This will not only help get your name ‘out there’ and make it more recognisable, it will keep you up-to-date with current happenings and teach you an enormous amount about the industry, making the submissions process a whole lot easier.
Whatever you do, don’t haunt people, self-promote to the point of excluding yourself or suck people dry. Develop genuine relationships with people you resonate with. The friends and colleagues I have made by networking both in person and online have not only been invaluable for learning about the industry and approaching publishers, they have been enormously rewarding on a very personal level.
Do you have an online presence? If not, make it happen. A blog, a simple website, facebook, twitter. The power of this online presence cannot be underestimated.
Number 9 – Do not obsess, dissect, analyse
It can take as long as nine months for a publisher to get back to an author with a response. Many authors feel that the longer their ms is with a publisher, the more positive the outcome may be. Some feel a ‘not right for our list’ means the work is crap. The truth is – there is no simple answer to a rejection – many, many elements come into play – and a book not being right for a publisher’s list hardly means it’s not good enough (Harry Potter rejected 12 times; ahem).
On top of that, the timing of a response has little to do with anything other than perhaps a current work overload for the publishing team.
Analysing and obsessing, therefore, is an utter waste of time. I suggest sending off a submission, plotting it on your submissions spreadsheet and then getting on with things – readying the next ms for submission or revising past work or reading a good book.
Number 10 – Subscribe
Subscribe to industry newsletters like Buzz Words and Pass It On for up-to-date news and information on publisher submissions processes. You will also find information on competitions, grants and awards you can submit your work to.
I hope these guidelines help you navigate the somewhat bumpy submissions process with some clarity. Now that I’m done, I’ve just got two words to say to you: Tenacity. Patience.
For more, see www.taniamccartney.com and www.fordstreetpublishing.com.
Tania McCartney, illustrations by Kieron Pratt
Ford Street Publishing, A$22.95, hardcover
Riley has discovered a wombat in his nanny’s garden. But why is this furry creature so grumpy? Join Riley and his friends from books one, two and three, as they zoom around the stunning sights of Melbourne in search of a wombat that simply needs a place to call home.
Featuring gorgeous black and white photos of Melbourne and surrounds, Riley and the Grumpy Wombat combines photos, illustrations, adorable characters, humour and an adventuresome storyline in a travelogue-style book that showcases Melbourne at its very best.
Short Author Bio
Tania McCartney is an author, editor, publisher and founder of well-respected children’s literature site, Kids Book Review. She is an experienced speaker, magazine and web writer, photographer and marshmallow gobbler. She is the author of the popular Riley the Little Aviator series of travelogue picture books, and is both published and self-published in children’s fiction and adult non-fiction. Tania lives in Canberra with a husband, two kidlets and a mountain of books.
I'm happy I came by your blog, Sally. That's excellent advice, and please pass my thanks to Tania for posting.
Thanks, gals! SO important to share!
Very good tips. Thanks Tania and thank you Sally for introducing Tania to us.
Great post Tania, thank you xx
Rebecca – this made me laugh out loud. May your keyboard remain glitterless.
Thanks, Tania and Sally. Excellent, excellent advice.
(I've opened envelopes of unexpected glitter and I can tell you it gets into everything. You really don't want a publisher still thinking of you through gritted teeth three months later while they shake more glitter out of the keyboard … )
Thank you for hosting me, gorgeous Sally! I hope these tips help someone secure a longed-for win. x