Writing Business

Manuscript Format

If you're going to submit to publishers then you should know the way to format your work. Check the submission guidelines for your individual publisher or publication. Follow what it says. If it doesn't specify, basically you can't go far wrong with the following:

Use A4 or American letter sized paper (depending on where you are)

One inch margins

Put your surname / title / page number in the header

Print your name, address and contact details at the top of the first page

Include your word count

Put your title and 'by' line centred

For a short story leave a space and start your text on the same page as your name, address, title, by-line and wordcount

For a novel put the name, address, title, by-line and wordcount on the first page and start your text on the second page. Don't put the header on your title page. Start headers on the first page of your text.

Print on one side of the page only

Double space your lines

Use a 12 point monospaced serif font such as Courier. These days most markets also accept 12 point Times New Roman and some actively hate Courier, so check the publisher's guidelines to see if they have a preference. If not, either will be fine.

All words to be italicised should be underlined instead if italicising via your word processor unless the publisher's guidelines tell you otherwise. (I've come across a couple of publishers who want manuscripts with italics, but not many.)

Where you want a line of white space (i.e. between scenes) insert a blank line with a single centralised hash #

There's not one true manuscript format just as there's no one true way to write. Here are some other variations on a theme.

Writer Beware - Fings Ain't Always Wot They Seem to Be

Remember that money always flows TO the writer. Never pay a reading fee to an agent or a publisher. Never pay to have your book published (even a set-up charge or a cost-share on the print run). Beware of publishers who want to 'publish' your work in electronic format and/or print-on-demand and pay you a very small percentage royalty with nothing upfront. Some are good and will promote their catalogue, others are the equivalent of a vanity press. If in doubt ask around.

Check this page by the Science Fiction Writers of America. They list scams, name names and shame the perpetrators.

SFWA also list dodgy literary agents.

Also look at the Preditors and Editors website. It gives you guidelines on how to spot a publishing scam

How to Get Published

Write well and submit what you write. If you never let anyone see what you write you will never get it published. Don't be disheartened when a piece is rejected (it's the story that's rejected not you personally). Turn the piece round and send it to another publisher or publication immediately. Every editor is different and what one doesn't like may be meat and drink to another. I've had stories that sold on the first submission, and stories that eventually sold on their twentieth. Most likely your rejection will be a form rejection letter/email (most are), but if you receive a personal rejection or even a note asking you to submit something else, then it's a win! Do it.

Looking for a Literary Agent?

This is a good place to start: http://www.agentquery.com/

Writers and Artists' Yearbook (published annually in the UK in print form)

Writers' Digest Guide to literary agents (Blog: Writer's Digest)

Query Shark — how to write query letters that work

Markets

http://www.ralan.com/

The Submissions Grinder Like Duotrope, but still free (donations welcome). It also offers a submission tracking system.

http://duotrope.com/ Now requires a paid subscription, so you have to be subbing a LOT to make it worth the cost.

Submitting to the Black Hole — market response-time tracker.

Foreign Markets list