I Want To Write But
Don't where to start
Bonus Page - 1
Following Submission Guidelines
A couple of years ago I was involved in an Australia-wide writing competition. One of my jobs was to sort through all the entries and check that the authors had adhered to the competition requirements. The requested layout, similar to standard publisher guidelines, was clearly described and available on the entry form and on the writing centre’s website. It asked that the work be typed, double-spaced and be between 1000 and 3000 words. Also, a cover sheet, stating all manuscript details, needed to be securely attached to the entry. Nothing difficult or unusual in any of the requests, yet by the end of the sorting I’d been forced to disqualify almost half of the entries for not following the basic guidelines. Out of 310 submitted pieces of prose and poetry I had to discard 146!
I found the task of sorting heartbreaking. The rejected manuscripts might have been good enough to win the competition, but we will never know and more importantly neither will the writers, because sadly, despite them spending many hours crafting their words, they had sabotaged their chances either by not reading, or just not following the guidelines. With any form of submission, the first test is to provide what is requested. Fail that one and your chances of being accepted or winning are already drastically reduced.
The presentation of your work is the only hint a publisher has to the kind of person you are. From that he has to gauge how professional, capable, informed and reliable you are. He needs to know that you and your work are worth his time. This is definitely one of those cases where a good first impression is vital. Your attitude is everything.
Guidelines are primarily designed to make the job of reading and editing large quantities of work easier. They also enable an editor, or in the above case, judge to find relevant information quickly. Whilst becoming familiar with the requirements and necessary computer settings may take you time, it’s something that every serious writer needs to do. Each beginner as he or she becomes more experienced with submitting work will find slight variations in the style of one presented manuscript to another, but only in layout, rarely in content. Most of these variations are due to the editor’s or publisher’s personal choice.
Writers’ guidelines can be found in a variety of ways, via Internet, published work, direct contact and reference books.
Internet
If a publisher has a website they will usually display their submission guidelines and list their publications. This enables potential writers to have immediate access, not only to editorial preferences, but also to previously published articles or books. Website addresses can be found either by contacting the company, by doing a web search online, by looking in a recent publication or by using a website linked to numerous publishers.
If they don’t display their guidelines on the website, send an email asking for them to forward the information to you.
Direct Contact
If the publisher doesn’t have a website, and emailing is not an option, contact the publisher by phone or mail. Most publishing houses have a pre-printed information sheet, which they are more than happy to send out. On some occasions, magazine publishers will also send, free of charge, a back-dated copy of their publication. Book publishers are always happy to send out a copy of their catalogue. Whilst this may seem an overly generous action on their part, editors do benefit from you having knowledge of their work because there is more chance you'll submit work to them that is in keeping with their style.
Whilst on the phone to these business’ save yourself a phone call at a later date, and confirm the publisher’s name and spelling.
Printed Material
Some magazine publishers print brief guidelines in each issue of their periodical. This information can usually be found on the page containing their list of staff. The advantage of a writer researching details here is that all the information is current so there is little need to confirm such things as the address and the editor’s name.
Alternatively, libraries are often a good source of back-dated magazines, suitable for researching free of charge. But if you choose this path, be sure to confirm the current editor’s name and address by phoning the company.
Reference
Another invaluable source of publishers and their requirements are reference book printed annually and written specifically for this purpose, most also create an online subscription database option. ‘The Australian Writer’s Marketplace,’ covers the Australian market. ‘Writers Market’ covers the American Market and the English market is covered by the ‘Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.’
However, the recommended retail price of these might be sufficient to make many aspiring writers consider this too big an expense, despite the wealth of information it contains. Thankfully, many public libraries hold copies of these books and whilst they may not be entirely up to date they do hold a lot of valuable information that has not changed from one year to the next.
Should you choose to use ‘The Australian Writer’s Marketplace,’ or a book like it, I would advise confirming all details with the publisher concerned before submitting work. Whilst all details would have been correct when the book was printed anything could have altered since then, the address, the contact, even their genre. So be professional and check.
I found the task of sorting heartbreaking. The rejected manuscripts might have been good enough to win the competition, but we will never know and more importantly neither will the writers, because sadly, despite them spending many hours crafting their words, they had sabotaged their chances either by not reading, or just not following the guidelines. With any form of submission, the first test is to provide what is requested. Fail that one and your chances of being accepted or winning are already drastically reduced.
The presentation of your work is the only hint a publisher has to the kind of person you are. From that he has to gauge how professional, capable, informed and reliable you are. He needs to know that you and your work are worth his time. This is definitely one of those cases where a good first impression is vital. Your attitude is everything.
Guidelines are primarily designed to make the job of reading and editing large quantities of work easier. They also enable an editor, or in the above case, judge to find relevant information quickly. Whilst becoming familiar with the requirements and necessary computer settings may take you time, it’s something that every serious writer needs to do. Each beginner as he or she becomes more experienced with submitting work will find slight variations in the style of one presented manuscript to another, but only in layout, rarely in content. Most of these variations are due to the editor’s or publisher’s personal choice.
Writers’ guidelines can be found in a variety of ways, via Internet, published work, direct contact and reference books.
Internet
If a publisher has a website they will usually display their submission guidelines and list their publications. This enables potential writers to have immediate access, not only to editorial preferences, but also to previously published articles or books. Website addresses can be found either by contacting the company, by doing a web search online, by looking in a recent publication or by using a website linked to numerous publishers.
If they don’t display their guidelines on the website, send an email asking for them to forward the information to you.
Direct Contact
If the publisher doesn’t have a website, and emailing is not an option, contact the publisher by phone or mail. Most publishing houses have a pre-printed information sheet, which they are more than happy to send out. On some occasions, magazine publishers will also send, free of charge, a back-dated copy of their publication. Book publishers are always happy to send out a copy of their catalogue. Whilst this may seem an overly generous action on their part, editors do benefit from you having knowledge of their work because there is more chance you'll submit work to them that is in keeping with their style.
Whilst on the phone to these business’ save yourself a phone call at a later date, and confirm the publisher’s name and spelling.
Printed Material
Some magazine publishers print brief guidelines in each issue of their periodical. This information can usually be found on the page containing their list of staff. The advantage of a writer researching details here is that all the information is current so there is little need to confirm such things as the address and the editor’s name.
Alternatively, libraries are often a good source of back-dated magazines, suitable for researching free of charge. But if you choose this path, be sure to confirm the current editor’s name and address by phoning the company.
Reference
Another invaluable source of publishers and their requirements are reference book printed annually and written specifically for this purpose, most also create an online subscription database option. ‘The Australian Writer’s Marketplace,’ covers the Australian market. ‘Writers Market’ covers the American Market and the English market is covered by the ‘Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.’
However, the recommended retail price of these might be sufficient to make many aspiring writers consider this too big an expense, despite the wealth of information it contains. Thankfully, many public libraries hold copies of these books and whilst they may not be entirely up to date they do hold a lot of valuable information that has not changed from one year to the next.
Should you choose to use ‘The Australian Writer’s Marketplace,’ or a book like it, I would advise confirming all details with the publisher concerned before submitting work. Whilst all details would have been correct when the book was printed anything could have altered since then, the address, the contact, even their genre. So be professional and check.
