More thoughts on submission

July 19, 2009 by Cressida Downing (Editorial Consultant)
Filed under: Getting Published 

It’s crucial to get your submission as good as it can be before you send it off, and your comments on my previous post, Top five tips for submitting your manuscript, have sparked a few more thoughts – thank you for the feedback! Perhaps I should add these further thoughts to the original post – renaming it ‘Top eight and a half tips…’.

Calling an agency to confirm name and address details is always ok. Although if you have a new edition of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook – you’ll find details there too.

It is possible to get a very long book published, but it’s less likely. Printing costs are always a consideration for a publisher and a long book is going to cost them more per copy. They have to be confident that they will recoup this cost.

Editing standards do vary, but an agency will not reject a submission solely because it doesn’t confirm to house standards. All an editor or reader asks is that you have checked your work for spelling mistakes, and have avoided major grammatical errors.

Paying for a professional opinion on your work can be very helpful – although not essential. This is a service I offer, but there are many others out there – just google ‘literary consultancy’ or, better still, use the Advanced search on this site and you will find a plethora of options. It’s rather like finding an agent: you should compare the consultancies’ styles, see who offers what you are after, and give it a go with one you feel comfortable with.

Good luck with the writing!

Cressida

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Comments

6 Comments on More thoughts on submission

  1. lawrenceez on Jul 19, 2009 at 12:18pm

    2. Thanks for the article. I’ve recently sent my first novel off to a top editor. It cost a bit, but I feel it’s an opportunity I can’t afford to miss.

  2. Shah Alam Khan on Jul 20, 2009 at 21:25pm

    3. I am about to finish my book. Publishers ask for a synopsis and as far as my book goes, its a mixture of being fiction and non fiction. What should I write in my synopsis? If the concept of fiction and non fiction is not clear, does this mean that the author is confused (in eyes of the publisher)? Shah

  3. Sixbells on Jul 31, 2009 at 23:10pm

    4. I have written a solid synopsis and want to get it in front of a couple of agents that specialize in dramatic fiction in the genre of technically detailed military story lines made popular by authors like Tom Clancey.

    I presented a high level summary to a television production company and it has generated a lot of activity and I am developing episodic ideas for 26 shows currently.

    Does anyone have a particular agent or literary agency that would be willing to review my synopsis?

    Your feedback is of course greatly appreciated!

    Thanks,
    D. Meredith

  4. jumpinjack on Aug 4, 2009 at 10:17am

    5. Hello everyone, I’m new to this site, and am in the process of looking for a publisher, for my first novel. So far, all I can say is that thank God I didn’t find out before I wrote the book what a “please sir can I have some more” position I would put myself in. My first tentative stab – a carefully and much thought out letter, not too smart, not too pleading, and only lightly peppered with relevant facts. A not over the top middle ground, delicately colored lure. Inspired an immediate computer generated reply. Do you think they might have talent spotting software? Does this count as my first rejection letter? Great site thanks for all the information, seems as though my education has only just begun.

  5. Cressida Downing (editorial consultant) on Aug 4, 2009 at 22:04pm

    6. Shah Alam Khan – I will be writing another blog post specifically aimed at non-fiction submissions, and will cover mixed genres there – keep an eye out for it!

    Sixbells – see if the agency who have commissioned the television series have an agency they work with – or have a look through the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and search for agents who specialise in exciting thrillers. And well done!

    jumpinjack – make sure you’re sending your work to publishers or agents who have expressed a willingness to read unsolicited submissions, or you will just earn yourself instant rejections. Good luck!

  6. J.P.Prada on Aug 14, 2009 at 20:06pm

    7. This is truly a phenomenal site to visit…I am unpublished author who is on a relentIess mission to dazzle the world with fiction. I recently sent out a slew of ‘Query’ letters and am expecting nothing but positive feedback.

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