Submitting to agents and publishers

Are you submitting your manuscript to agents or publishers? You want to make your submission as strong as possible. Here’s some advice and how I can support you to get your submission package ready for submitting to agents and publishers.

Mindset is key. Set yourself goals and consider what it is you want out of publishing. Is the process of finding an agent or a publisher going to be right for you and your book? Are you better off self-publishing?

You may read a few success stories but it is worth bearing in mind that there is likely to be a lot of rejection ahead. Planning for and being mindful of this is key.

Is your writing ready?

If you want meaningful feedback, I offer a beta reading service that would be ideal for ensuring your manuscript is submission ready. Want to know more? Drop me a message!

Make a list of agents and publishers

Using a resource such as the Writers’ & Artists Yearbook, make a list of the publishers or agents you’d like to target. Think about genre and expectations and what sort of agent or publisher you’d like to work with.

Maybe you’ve seen some books that look fantastic and you’ve dreamt of having your book look like those ones. Maybe a particular publisher’s message or list resonates with your story.

• Look in the acknowledgement pages of books to see who represents an author you like. Maybe they’d represent you, too!
• Look at agents’ and publishers’ websites. Do their messages resonate with your story?
• Who is active on social media and doing a good job?
• Look through resources, such as the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook for lists of agents and publishers.
• Attend workshops, fairs, events, etc. whether in person or online. Writing groups may know good agents, for example, or you may see a publisher speak about submissions.
• Look out in writing magazines for calls for submissions.

Narrowing it down

Personalise your submission

Knowing what each submission needs is vital to ensuring that your submission doesn’t automatically end up in the reject pile. Getting names, the required documents and the lengths all right is key!

You might like to draw up a table to make sure you cover everything. Here’s an idea:

Publisher / Agent	Contact name	Cover letter	Synopsis	Sample chapters?	Other guidelines
Just Write Agency	Nick	One page	One page	Three	Double spaced, times new roman
Oxbridge	Cathy	One page	Three paragraphs	First 3,000 words	Submit only in October

What’s in your submission to agents and publishers?

A cover letter

Although typically an email, a cover letter is the first thing you should focus on writing and you should do your best to make it as engaging as possible for the reader. Remember, you need to stand out from the crowd.

• Make sure you address your letter to someone specific. This is why your research is key!
• A sentence or two about your book. Just a title and word count will all you need here.
• Why have you chosen to submit to this agent or publisher?
• The pitch. The key parts of your book not the full synopsis. Think “elevator pitch” or back of the book blurb. Limit yourself to one paragraph.
• A little bit about you, ensuring it is relevant to the book you are pitching.

Keep this as brief as possible. Nobody wants to read pages and pages (or scroll endlessly) through a cover letter.

Synopsis

This is, perhaps, even more difficult that writing your novel! Condensing your book into an appealing synopsis is a tricky job and something that everybody struggles with. Here’s some tips for writing a good synopsis, remembering again, you should keep within the guidelines you carefully researched!

• You don’t need to cover every plot and sub-plot. Stick with the main trust of the book.
• Don’t hide the key details: it’s okay to have spoilers!
• Keep it tight and within the word count. If there isn’t one, try to aim between 300 and 500 words. Generally, anything more than one page is too long.
• Keep it simple and to the point. Save the beautiful language for your novel and use direct, unemotional description in your synopsis.

Sample chapters

• Format your manuscript correctly, checking the guidelines. Typically, they’ll want a Word document, double spaced.
• Check carefully – and then again – for any typos. Do your own copyediting to the best of your ability.
• Edit your sample chapters so they are the best they can be. Read all the writing advice out there and review your sample chapters, taking it into account. Make sure you’ve given those chapters to someone to read.

Everything ready?

Review your table and make sure you have everything in place. Check again the guidelines and review your sample chapters. If you’ve submitted before and received feedback, have you taken that into account before submitting to a different agent or publisher?

Waiting

Waiting to hear from someone is the hardest thing! It takes time and you will need buckets of patience. Resist the urge to submit to multiple agents and publishers, take one at a time. When you do hear back, take on board feedback if it’s a negative, or celebrate in your own, unique way if it’s a success! Remember.

Keep going and know there is support out there for you if you need it!

Getting support

Want to make sure your submission package is as strong as it could possibly be? Don’t worry! I’m here to help!

A second set of eyes on these important documents can help you reach your publishing goals. Of course, it’s no guarantee, but you can be assured your words will have the impact you desire and there will be no distractions for agents or publishers.

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