Some hopeful authors are still paying little attention to publishers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Submission Guidelines. They mail out their manuscripts to the first mailing or email address they find. They send off their marvelous book proposals, complete with artwork, sample chapters, a list of potential bulk buyers, etc. And then they wonder why they get \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no respect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from publishers. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wrong with this approach?<\/p>\n
Publishing is a highly competitive world. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re producing at least twice as many books today as we did 15 years ago. And polls show that readership is down. Not only are there 30 million people in the U.S. who can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read, a Jenkins Group Survey reports that 58 percent of high school graduates and 42 percent of college grads claim they never read another book after graduating. <\/p>\n
Competition for published books is enormous and competition for the author who dreams of being published is huge. <\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m preparing my talk for gigs in Atlanta and Nashville this month ( http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/activities.htm<\/a> for my calendar of events) and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to tell authors, that it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily the most well-written manuscript that captures a publisher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention. It isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily a solid platform and a well-thought out promotions plan\u00e2\u20ac\u201dalthough, of course, this is all highly important. What matters in many cases is that you follow publisher protocol.<\/p>\n If Publisher A wants a query letter only, send a well-written query letter designed to hook his interest, succinctly describe your project and introduce yourself, your qualifications for writing this particular book and your platform. If, in his Submission Guidelines (which you have read thoroughly), he asks for anything else, provide it. Give him exactly what he asks for nothing less and nothing more.<\/p>\n Publisher B might request a complete book proposal including synopsis, table of contents for the book, chapter summary, market analysis, about the author, your promotions plan and two sample chapters. This is exactly what you should send along with a cover letter.<\/p>\n Most publishers of fiction and nonfiction and, in some cases, children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s books and books of poetry, want to see a book proposal at some point. Different publishers might request different parts of the proposal\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsimply your synopsis and marketing plan, for example. Send him what he wants. Just make sure that these pieces include the information pertinent to your project\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe fact that you have permission to use original art from the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc50s to illustrate your book of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc50s nostalgia, for example, or that you are the great granddaughter of the subject of your book.<\/p>\n If writing a book proposal or even a query letter is so intimidating that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re considering giving up your dream of authorship, let me help. I coach clients in writing query letters and book proposals. I also provide an online book proposal course: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/course_bookproposal.htm<\/a> And I am available to provide that final edit on your manuscript.<\/p>\n Locating Submission Guidelines can be a bit tricky, but I strongly suggest that you go to the trouble. Find the Guidelines for each publisher you are considering. Print them out and file them prominently for easy access. <\/p>\n