The Cuckleburr Times » how to get published

How an Agent or Publisher Evaluates a Manuscript

Robert L. Bacon — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:47:34 +0000

I contacted Kay Elizabeth recently about several issues, one of which was my desire to provide an article with exclusive content for The Cuckleburr Times, and another was to make a formal offer to her readers via my editorial service, The Perfect Write®, of a free first-chapter (up to 5000 words) manuscript critique, along with a line edit of the first three pages (if applicable). Should this interest anyone, I’ll explain where to send your material at the end of this article.

I asked Kay for suggestions on a topic. She mentioned that–once authors submit material–the ensuing wait during the evaluation process can often be almost too much to bear, and writers might appreciate learning what agents and publishers consider when making a determination whether or not to accept a manuscript. I thought this was a great subject to write about, and I hope the information that follows will be of some benefit.

While there are Many Vagaries in the Publishing Industry, Certain Writing Elements are Scrutinized in Similar Ways

We all are aware of the standard disclaimer that accompanies any rejection. It states that this was the agent or publisher’s opinion and should be regarded as highly subjective. And while this is 100% true, there are certain areas that are not speculative, and these encompass the physical appearance of the text, proper grammar, prudent use of punctuation, fluency of the prose, and the perceived viability of the project from a marketing perspective. Here is an explanation of each element in the order I listed, but the chronology should not be construed as indicative of the level of importance of each.

Appearance

Yes, this counts. And in a big way. Every agent or publisher or editor I know demands double-spaced material. Most also prefer two spaces after a period (and colon). In addition to being easier on the eyes, double line-spacing enables room for annotations, while also providing the needed area to make revisions. On a peripheral subject, I prefer reading text on the printed page, and I also initially edit a manuscript by manually making changes to the hard copy. This means that I routinely print out the drafts that are E-mailed to me, and I can assure everyone that I’m not alone with respect to how I work.

Now a word about the double space after a period, which seems to confuse many people. The reason for this is the same as the double line-space, since it enables more white space to facilitate a revision should this involve punctuation or moving a clause from one location to another. What seems to make the double space at the end of a period hard for many to accept is because of the way finished material is printed. Final copy is not treated in the same manner as submission material. A book always has justified margins, for example, yet no one should ever submit a draft laid out this way, since added spaces after words indicate a typing error.

There are numerous other issues regarding manuscript submission appearance, and you can click this link if you’d like to read a detailed article I wrote on effective manuscript formatting. The final issue I want to cover in this subsection involves page numbering. It’s a must! Yet I cannot tell you how many drafts I receive that are unnumbered. If anyone should ignore everything I’ve written in this article about how a text should appear, or what I cover in the full article on manuscript formatting, please pay attention to the way to lay out a template in the top-left corner of a manuscript.

Grammar

Someone asked me recently how much material I need to read to determine if a person can write. Believe it or not, sometimes it only requires a sentence or two. I read this line recently: The arm was tortuously bent and in great pain. First, the writer meant to use the word torturously, since a meaning for tortuously is bent, and the tautology of bent “bent” is certainly not what the author had intended. Second, an arm itself cannot be in great pain. It’s the person who is in pain. But even if I’m nitpicking and an arm can in fact be torturously bent, this was followed by telling me again in the same short sentence that the arm was in great pain. A short while ago I had a writer thank me for expediently getting to his material. He meant expeditiously, as in quickly, or at least I hope he did, since expediently means to reach an end result by whatever means necessary.

In taking a look at a draft, every agent, publisher or editor knows that no matter how careful a writer might be, mistakes occur. So I’m not ragging on a typo, which everyone makes, and we all get so close to our work that even the most obvious rudimentary error can often elude us. Yet all of these issues become mute when it comes to the use of the wrong words, improperly modified antecedents, dangling or misplaced participles, sentence fragments, repetition, and choppy prose. And these are just some of the bugbears that can cause a manuscript to be rejected.

Punctuation

Readability should be job number one for any writer. And nothing can inhibit fluent prose more acutely than the overuse of various punctuation elements. For me, in fiction writing there are three basic troublemakers: the exclamation point, the parentheses, and the semi-colon.

Exclamation points should be used sparingly, very sparingly. Click this link for an article I wrote on exclamation points. And click this link for an article I wrote on why a parentheses should never be used in fiction. Semi-colons are a wonderful tool, but for mainstream fiction they too should be kept to a minimum. They tend to slow the pace, since the reader inherently has to consider the reason the semi-colon was inserted in the text. What I just wrote may make no sense, but read a sentence with a semi-colon and then ask yourself if it didn’t stop you to consider why it was utilized.

Simply stated, if an agent or publisher notices an abundance of exclamation points, semi-colons, or the use of a parentheses, this can signal a draft’s early grave.

Fluency of the Prose

I facilitate writer’s workshops sponsored by the local library system in the county in South Florida where I reside. And in my series overview I state that the purpose of my programs is to provide an understanding of what is required to write fluent prose at a level which would be appealing to a major royalty publisher.

The smoothness of a narrative is paramount if an agent or publisher is going to accept material. Should a draft read rough, it’s going to be put down, and the odds of it being resurrected are comparable with the numbers for getting hit by a meteorite.

The timeworn adage of reading material out loud is still the best way I know to determine the fluency of what we write. And to take this one step further, if a writer can get someone else to read a draft out loud the first time that person has seen the material, this is a fantastic way to get a true feeling for the fluency of the text. When the reader stumbles (and he or she will), make note of the problem areas–and revise them!

Viability of the Project

Here is perhaps the most difficult pill for any writer to swallow. A friend of mine who was published by a major imprint some years ago had a recent manuscript rejected because it was felt that it would be just another midlist work. Every publisher wants one thing: the next big book. For an author with an established readership that guarantees bankable numbers, this is not an issue, but for a previously unpublished writer, or someone like my friend who had been out of the mainstream for a while, this thinking presents serious problems.

Many other issues can affect a publisher’s decision, among them that one author’s plot might be too close to something recently published by the same house. Or the genre is not quite right. You can click this link for an article of mine that provides a detailed explanation on how important genre is to publishing decisions. In another critical area of contention, the publisher could feel that a book is just not a good platform, which means there might not be enough of a perceived market for a specific plot line. I can think of nothing more frustrating than writing a perfectly good story and having it rejected for any of the reasons I just cited, but these are factual examples of why some very fine manuscripts never make it into print.

There are Other Issues

This article is by no means inclusive of everything agents, publishers, and editors look at when evaluating a manuscript. All of the issues would result in a tome. And there are scores of books in print that discuss in much greater detail the various aspects of what I’ve truly just touched on. Two elements I didn’t cover in this piece were dialogue and dialogue punctuation. It would’ve made this article twice the size of what it is now.

But let me just mention that some publishers go right to the dialogue before reading the first line of exposition. If it’s good, they read on; if not, the draft is put down. And I get a lot of material with improperly punctuated dialogue. For a general overview of dialogue, a very good treatment can be found in the dialogue section of SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS, by Browne and King (I strongly suggest reading the “Easy Beats” subsection twice). And even though it’s a load in more ways than its sheer bulk, THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE is in my opinion the quintessential resource as a medium for illustrating how to punctuate dialogue.

Free Opening Chapter Critique and Three-Page Line Edit

As I stated in the opening, The Perfect Write® is expanding its service to authors by providing a free critique of a manuscript’s opening chapter (up to 5000 words) and, if applicable, a free line-edit of the first three pages. The material should be double spaced, with the pages numbered, and everything must be pasted to the body of an E-mail (no attachments will be opened) and sent to theperfectwrite@aol.com.

I’ll let each of you know about lead time when I see how much material I receive and where your material fits in the queue. I do all the work myself and I thankfully have a backlog of paying clients, so I ask that everyone be a little patient. I will get to you.

Also, if anyone would like to receive my free Newsletter from The Perfect Write® that focuses on writing prose at a publishable level, it is sent every-other-Tuesday, and you can subscribe by clicking this link, which will take you to the home page of my web site at theperfectwrite.com. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the simple two-step sign-up form. You will be sent an opt-in link, and when you click it, or paste it to your address bar and click enter, this completes the process.

Article by Robert L. Bacon.

Get Your Novel Published – The Submission Campaign

Evan Marshall — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:27:20 +0000

Your novel is completed and all of your auxiliary materials-literary query letter, novel synopsis, short synopsis, cover letter-are ready. Now what do you do?

You don’t start sending things out helter-skelter, hoping something will hit the target. You take a thoughtful, intelligent, businesslike approach to submission. You plan a campaign.

A Multitiered Approach.

I always recommend a multitiered approach: querying literary agents, querying editors, meeting agents, and meeting editors. If you’ve ever submitted anything before, you know why I recommend this approach. Most agents and editors take a long time to reply to writers’ queries, not because they’re mean or don’t care, but because in the grand scheme of things, material from people you don’t already represent or publish is not as important as material from people you do. A wait of several months up to a year is not uncommon. If you queried one agent at a time, one editor at a time, you could be in your dotage by the time you got an answer. Agent know how slow editors can be. That’s why we often make simultaneous submissions.

To start your submission campaign, make a table with the following headings across the top:

NUMBER

AGENT/EDITOR ADDRESS & PHONE

MATERIAL SENT

DATE SENT

RESPONSE

DATE OF RESPONSE

FOLLOW-UP?

GO TO NUMBER

This is your submission log. Now, based on your research, write down the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and, if they’re listed, the email addresses of the agents and editors you think will have an interest in your novel.

Immediately query all of these agents and editors. On your submission log, keep a record of exactly what you send to whom and when you send it. In the leftmost column, number the entries. If positive responses come in, record those, too: Requested synopsis and first three chapters, or Requested complete manuscript, or whatever the case may be. Then, in the extreme right column, write the number of the next blank row of your log. There you’ll fill in the agent or editor’s address and contact information again, and record what you’re sending this time.

Negative responses, of course, end there, though you should make a note about the response: Not accepting new clients, or Not enthusiastic, or maybe just Printed rejection slip. Or you might simply want to write See letter. Keep all correspondence in a file or folder with your log.

As you’re querying and acting on positive responses, keep your eye you for new names. You might read about an interesting deal in Publishers Weekly or online in Publishers Lunch. You might read a novel like yours and see an acknowledgment to an agent or editor not on your list. If so, jot down this person’s name, google his or her contact information, and query! In other words, always keep your material moving. Most importantly, do not allow negative responses to immobilize you.

Don’t Take It Personally

You’ve got to develop a Teflon rhinoceros hide in his business. Never forget that an agent’s or editor’s opinion is that that-his or her opinion-and nothing more. Also keep in mind that agents and editors seldom give reasons for turning material down; they don’t have time, and even if they did, they don’t want to get into a dialogue or critique-unless they see promise and want to encourage you. Therefore, you’ll often get those blasted one-size-fits-all rejection slips or letters that tell you nothing at all.

Sometimes the reasons behind these maddening pieces of paper actually have nothing to do with your material. An agent or editor may not be accepting unpublished writers but does not want to say so. He may not be accepting new clients at all unless they are exceptional, but does not want to say so because then submissions would drop off-a bad situation for an agent. He may already have a novel signed up that is similar to yours. The point is, it doesn’t matter why someone rejects you; make a note of it and move on, knowing that rejection is an inevitable part of the process of getting published.

Keep It Moving

While you’re querying, following up on positive responses, and watching constantly for new agent and editor names, keep an eye on directories, newsletters, and websites such as Shaw Guides (www.shawguides.com) for conferences you feel are worth attending. You may not be able to cross the country to attend a national convention in your target genre, but there’s really no excuse for not showing up at a local conference-even a general writers conference-especially if agents who handle your kind of writing will be attending.

When you meet an agent or editor at a conference or convention, be sure to ask that all-important question: “May I send you my manuscript?” If the answer is yes, record that agent’s or editor’s contact information on your log as soon as you get home, then get that material into the mail, making certain to record the details-what you’re sending and when you’re sending it.

And so it goes. Never hold back from submitting to a new name you’ve discovered; there’s no limit to the number of queries you can have out at the same time. If an agent or editor requests exclusivity, be sure to find out for what period of time (it varies according to the agent), then decide whether waiting that long without submitting to other agents is worth it to you. Obviously, if material is already on submission with other agents, an exclusive look won’t be possible. If you agree to an exclusive submission, a polite letter or phone call is perfectly acceptable if you’ve had no response by the end of the agreed-upon time period.

The key is to keep your material on submission, and to always be on the lookout for new names. Things change over time. Editors change jobs, or new ones appear. The same goes for agents. Publishing is such a merry-go-round that sometimes it seems its entire personnel profile can change over the course of a single year.

Oh, there’s one more thing you need to do while you’re keeping all the submission balls in the air: keep writing. Why? First and foremost, because you’re a writer, and that’s what writers do. On a more practical level, an agent or editor might decline your current project but ask to see something else. You’ll want to have that “something else” ready as soon as possible.

HELPFUL HINT: Very often agents are open to new clients but must be extremely selective because they already have full client lists. Try targeting newer agents at large agencies. You may read (for example, in the People section of Publishers Weekly, that an editor has become an agent, or that an assistant at a literary agency has been promoted to full agent. If you have any reason to believe this person might be right for your novel, query him or her immediately. Another trick is simply to call the switchboards of large agencies and ask if there are any new agents. Very often the receptionist will tell you their names and specialties.

Follow these guidelines and eventually you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of a string of positive responses from an agent or editor who understand and appreciate what you’re doing. He’s out there somewhere, and wants to meet you as badly as you want to meet him. Don’t give up. That person could be the next one on your list.

Evan Marshall, president of The Evan Marshall Agency, is a former book editor and packager. Recently he and coauthor Martha Jewett released The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software, based on his bestselling The Marshall Plan writers’ guides. Evan is also the author a number of popular mystery novels; recently released are Death is Disposable and Evil Justice. Visit http://www.writeanovelfast.com and download Evan’s 77-page Fiction Makeover Guide with tips and ideas on writing a great novel.

Get Published – Three Secrets of the New York Publishing World

Melinda Copp — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:48:14 +0000

Every writer dreams of attracting a lucrative contract from a major New York publishing company. And although not everyone achieves that dream, many writers do. But they have to rise above everyone else and prove they have what it takes to write and sell a profitable book.

If you want to improve your chances of winning that contract, consider the following secrets to getting editors’ and agents’ attention.

1. Write Your Best Book

Although this may seem obvious, you might be surprised at how many writers send off manuscripts that they themselves haven’t read and revised. But when agents and editors are swamped with manuscripts, you may only have one shot to make a professional impression. If you want to be taken seriously, then you need to do everything you can to make sure your book is the best it can absolutely be. What does that mean? DON’T send your first draft! Read your book from start to finish over and over again until you can’t find anything to improve. Then give it to someone else-someone you can trust to be honest and helpful-to read it as well.

2. Build a Platform

You can’t come from out of nowhere if you want a publisher to risk thousands of dollars buying your book. You need to establish a record of experience and expertise. If you write creative works, like memoir or fiction, publish in respected, widely read journals. And for business and how-to books, promote yourself and your ideas through speaking engagements, publishing articles, and publicity. Other ways to build a platform include selling 5,000 or more self-published books, building a list of clients and qualified prospects, and writing a blog that gets thousands of visitors. A platform lets editors and agents know that people like you and you’ll probably be able to sell a lot of books.

3. Make Connections

If you don’t live in the city, then making connections in New York can seem impossible. It’s not; and knowing someone in the business (or with connections in the business) can be the break you need to stand out and sell your book to a major publisher. What can you do to make connections? Attend writing conferences and literary events; network with other writers; and tell everyone you meet that you’re a writer. You never know when a friend of a friend will work in the publishing world.

Your Path to Commercial Publication

It takes work to sell your book to a major publisher. But even if your writing skills aren’t quite ready, you can start looking for opportunities that will better your work, build your platform, and establish connections that will help you on your path to publication. Everyone has to start somewhere!

Melinda Copp is a freelance editor, writer, and author of the e-book The WRITE Way to Author a Profitable Book, a resource for entrepreneurial writers who want to create a marketable informational product that sells. For more information about Melinda and her services, visit her online at MelindaWrites. If you have any questions about how Melinda can help you, send her an email at info@melindawrites.com.

Walk The Walk – Time For You To Get Published!

Rick Frishman — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:54:29 +0000

The rewards of getting your book published can be huge, but the costs can be steep. If you want to be a published writer, understand that you will probably have to adjust your thinking and walk the publisher’s walk.

Your dynamic keynote speech that received that long standing ovation may not translate into a salable book; your comic routine that makes them double up in their seats may not work when it’s put in writing. Your book that your children can’t have read to them too often might not cut it in the competitive world of kids’ books.

If you want to get your book published, you’ll have to relearn how to walk. You’ll have to learn how to walk the publishing walk, but when you do, you may be able to walk directly to the bank!

Believe in your idea; keep that fire burning in your heart and stay convinced that your book must be published.

Then feed agents, editors, and publishers exactly what they want. Play the game; walk the walk.

Walking the publishing walk is not always simple; it’s cluttered by so many rules. Plus every house, editor, agent, bookseller, and reader has their own requirements, preferences and biases on what and how you must deliver.

Fortunately, each and every one of them is different. They have different backgrounds, different reactions, and different likes and dislikes. Also they can be open, curious, willing to take a chance, or like, understand, or identify with you. So follow their rules, as hard as they may seem, because it could get you noticed and increase your chances of selling your book.

Adopting a positive attitude is the hallmark of a professional, and it will pay off in the long run. Everyone-especially agents, editors, and publishers-wants to work with professionals; they ultimately will be more accommodating and helpful to professionals. So, do yourself a big favor and make getting your book published easier by adjusting your outlook. Then, prepare to cash in.

Years ago, Robyn Spizman wrote a book called The Thank You Book, which has been revised, updated, and is still successfully in print and selling very well. That book embodied the spirit of my work as a writer. When I first shared the idea, I was told it was a magazine article, not a book. It would have been easy to quit right then and there, but I believed in the art of gratitude and knew this book was meant to be.

She put this book’s philosophy to work throughout her career. If an editor assisted her, a librarian guided her or anyone offered her help or advice, she made sure to send them a handwritten thank-you note. A key to success in any business is to express your appreciation to those individuals who make a difference in your career from the ground up! Keep in mind, an attitude of gratitude goes a long way!

Action Steps

Identify the items involved in getting your book published that you didn’t expect. Just list the things that you can think of at this time without exploring further in this book.

List the items you must complete to get your book published that you don’t feel comfortable with. What do you think your weaknesses will be? What haven’t you ever done or don’t do well?

List all of the possible benefits that getting your book published can bring. Think expansively. Don’t just include those that should occur, but also list the wildest possibilities.

Compare the effort you will be required to make with the benefits that you might get. Will it be worth it?

Write what you think being a professional writer means to agents, editors, and publishers.

Remember:

Aspiring writers are frequently not prepared for the obstacles they must overcome to get published. For example, they may receive many conflicting opinions that they don’t want to hear. Frequently, they don’t know how to deal with them and find them difficult and discouraging. Many get frustrated, disillusioned, and quit.

If you want to get your book published, believe in your ideas. Keep the fire burning in your heart, and remain dedicated and convinced that your book must be published. Give agents, editors, and publishers exactly what they want, even more than they ask. Play the game; walk the publishing walk. Develop a platform from which your voice can be clearly heard.

Rick Frishman, the founder of Planned Television Arts, has been one of the leading book publicists in America for over 30 years. Working with many of the top book editors, literary agents and publishers in America, including Simon and Schuster, Random House, Wiley, Harper Collins, Pocket Books, Penguin Putnam, and Hyperion Books, he has worked with best-selling authors including Mitch Albom, Caroline Kennedy, Howard Stern, President Jimmy Carter, Mark Victor Hansen, Nelson DeMille, John Grisham, Hugh Downs, Henry Kissinger, Jack Canfield, Alan Deshowitz, Arnold Palmer, and Harvey Mackay.

In addition to his work at “PTA” Rick has now taken on the new role as Publisher at Morgan James Publishing in New York. David Hancock founded Morgan James in 2003 and in 2007 “MJ” published over 130 books. Morgan James only publishes non fiction books and looks for authors with a platform who believe in giving back. Morgan James gives a portion of every book sold to Habitat for Humanity.

http://www.rickfrishman.com for the million $ rolodex