"What Factors Make Publishers Say Yes To Signing An Author?" is the question all authors want to know the answer to when submitting their manuscript to a publisher.
You're sure you've written a great story. Is that enough though?
What if they have two equally awesome manuscripts. What makes them pick one over the other?
For today's post I asked some publishers to share the sorts of things that can make it or break it for an aspiring author. How do they decide who to sign?
Mediaaria Cdm
The submission material that we request per our guidelines is always a good way of assessing how professional the writer is. We then read the covering letter, followed by the submitted chapters using the synopsis as our base guide to assessing how well the story is or will be potentially structured. Should the story and characters grab us, we will then request the full manuscript. However, in the final analysis, as it takes a great deal of time and effort to turn a submitted manuscript to a final published book, the story must grab us, the characters must intrigue us and be memorable and, finally, we must care about the themes being examined in the story to take that step in publishing the work. After all, great characters make great stories, but without compelling themes that the reader can relate to and think about, there will be little cause for the reader to be also entertained.
Cedar Loft Publishing
www.clpublishing.net
We want to give all writers a chance at being published but I think we might reject a submission if:
1. There is a complete disregard to our submission guidelines.
2. The writer fails to respond to emails in a timely manner.
3. There is content that could result in a liability and the writer refuses to change.
Agents and editors will look at your work searching for reasons to reject you. Don’t give them any. Follow standard manuscript format with margins, double spacing, name and all. Your submission package gives the first impression of you and your work. Think of it as a resume for a high-paying job. The cover letter should be concise and to the point. A few sentences about marketing or what you feel is its appeal are acceptable, but don’t go rambling on about how great your work is.
It has to stand on its own.
If you are sending sample chapters and a synopsis, there are no commitments. There is nothing wrong with querying a number of agencies. Make each one feel as if they are the only ones receiving your work. Some people frown on this, but agencies and editors are notorious for losing manuscripts and dragging out response times. You don’t know frustration until you have submitted and waited and waited and waited, until you finally call, only to find out that your manuscript has been lost.
4RV Publishing
4RV Publishing wants a great story, of course, but we expect more than a great story, which is the foundation of any submission. We want a well-written manuscript, with few errors, if any. In fact, we write our “wants” on our website: http://4rvpublishing.com on our 4RV Style Info page, as well as specific information on the submission guideline pages. A “well-written” manuscript will win over an equally good story filled with problems such as grammar, spelling, or content errors.
A story must grab an editor’s attention and keep that attention throughout. Errors break the reader’s concentration and the flow of the story, resulting in a rejection by the publisher.
