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4 Essential Steps for Submitting Your Manuscripts or Screenplays

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submit your manuscript
Copyright © 2013 Joan Y. Edwards

“4 Steps for Submitting Your Manuscripts or Screenplays” by Joan Y. Edwards

I am not an editor, publisher, or agent. I am an author and illustrator who wants to encourage you to submit your work so it can be published.
Below I have outlined four steps to follow to submit  a great article, poem, puzzle, devotion, illustration, short story, chapter book, middle grade novel, young adult novel, adult novel, song, stage play or screenplay.
You’ve got a great story. Follow these 4 steps and you’ll have the essentials for submitting your work. Go for it.

Step 1 

Get your article, poem, puzzle, devotion, illustration, short story, chapter book, middle grade novel, young adult novel, adult novel, play, song, stage play or screenplay critiqued, revised, printed, and proofed.

A. Software to help you edit your work.
B. Critique Group: Join a professional writer’s association. Many have writing critique groups available. Google critique groups near you.
C. Professional Editor – If you plan to Self-Publish your writing, I highly suggest you get it edited professionally.

Step 2

Choose the publisher, editor, agent, or contest for this writing project.

  1. Find the best publisher, agent, or contest to match the project you plan to submit this time. Make sure the guidelines say they accept unsolicited manuscripts.
  2. Check the publishers and/or agents of three of your favorite books. See if their guidelines say they accept unsolicited manuscripts.
  3. Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market 2022, Writer’s Digest Books. https://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Writers-Illustrators-Market-33rd/dp/0593332059/
  4. Christian Writers Market Guide – 2022 Edition: https://smile.amazon.com/Christian-Writers-Market-Guide-Comprehensive/dp/162184207X/ .
  5. Writer’s Market by Writer’s Digest Books https://smile.amazon.com/Writers-Market-100th-Trusted-Published/dp/0593332032/
  6. Writer’s Guide to Literary Agents – Writer’s Digest Books https://smile.amazon.com/Guide-Literary-Agents-30th-Published/dp/0593332091/
  7. Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market https://smile.amazon.com/Novel-Short-Story-Writers-Market/dp/0593332075/
  8. Joan Y. Edwards. “22 Literary Agents Who Are Looking for You:” https://www.joanyedwards.com/2013/09/06/22-literary-agents-who-are-looking-for-you/
  9. Joan Y. Edwards. “50 Publishers Who Accept Unsolicited Manuscripts:” https://www.joanyedwards.com/2013/04/07/50-publishers-who-accept-unsolicited-manuscripts/
  10. Writing Contests: (Scroll down for list of contests. http://writersviews.com/writing-contests.php
  11. Poets & Writers-Creative Writing Contests & Competitions http://www.pw.org/content/writing_contests_0?cmnt_all=1
  12. Print out the guidelines of the publisher to whom you chose to submit your writing project this time.

Step 3

Write the pitch, query letter, cover letter, resume, bio, and/or proposal as required by the guidelines of the editor, agent, or contest you chose for submission this time.

A. Write your pitch. A pitch is an eye-catching, heart-trapping summary of your book or article. It can also be called your “Hook.”
Both query letters and submission/cover letters need a short pitch of 25 words or less. Ask your critique group or partner to help you formulate a good pitch. Write it on a 3×5 card. If you can’t get it all written on the front side of the card, it’s too long.
B. Write a query letter.
    • To see how Query Shark revises query letters so they work, go to: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/. 
    • For a query sample, names of books and links to online articles about query letters, check out Charlotte Dillon’s website: http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html/. Awesome resource!
    • To see how to write a pitch (query) letter for an article you’ve written: https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Pitch-Letter
C. If you’re submitting a manuscript or article, write a submission/cover letter to accompany it.  A good submission/cover letter:
    • Leads off with the pitch for your manuscript.
    • Mentions one book published by the editor or represented by the agent that is similar to yours and how yours would hook readers and attract them to it.
    • Mentions if you’re a member of SCBWI or another national organization for writers.  SCBWI has a great reputation with publishers.
    • States Your Wish for Publication or Representation:
      I hope you will publish my book.
      or  I hope you will represent me as my agent.
    • Resources for cover letters:
      a. Ginny Wiehardt. “Cover Letter Advice.” Fiction Writing.com: http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/thebusinessofwriting/tp/coverslettershowto.htm
b. “My Perfect Cover Letter:” https://www.myperfectcoverletter.com/ 
c. John Floyd. “Cover Me – I’m Going In!” http://www.writing-world.com/queries/floyd.shtml
d. Moira Allen. “Cover Letters: When, How and Why to Use Them.” http://www.writing-world.com/queries/cover.shtml
D. Write your resume or bio. 
    • Include your snail mail address, phone number, email address, website, blog.
    • List all memberships in professional organizations.
    • Include all of your publishing credits. If you don’t have any publishing credits, list your blog, number of views and number of subscribers.
E. If you are submitting a non-fiction book, you may need to write a book proposal. https://www.janefriedman.com/start-here-how-to-write-a-book-proposal/

Step 4

Time to submit to publisher, agent, editor, or contest.

A. Proof all materials. Read them aloud or have someone read them to you. It is essential to do this last minute proofing of your manuscript, query letter,  submission/cover letter, resumé, bio, and/or proposal for correct formatting, grammar, and punctuation and to make sure you are following the submission guidelines of the publisher, agent, or contest. If necessary, reprint.
B.  Fix a draft of the email submission and send it to yourself.  Correct any errors.
C. Say a prayer. Have a winning attitude. Visualize the smiling person who receives this submission being pulled into accepting your work. Run a video in your mind that the publisher, agent, or judges in the contest talk excitedly to everyone about it. Visualize yourself receiving a “Yes.” Get excited. It’s really coming.  In the next six months you will receive a positive response.
  • Make sure you follow the guidelines of the publisher.
  • If email submission, copy and paste corrected copies into the email. Check to make sure it kept the formatting of your original document. Make sure if they allow attachments and in what format they allow them.  Make certain that the email address is correct. Now push the send button on the computer. Say a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
  • If snail mail submission, address 9 x 12” envelope properly with your name and return address. Make sure you write the correct name and address for the publisher, editor, or contest name. If the guidelines ask it, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). Take a trip to the post office. Put correct postage on the envelope containing the manuscript, proposal, and cover letter or the query letter by itself. Put the envelope in the mailbox. Say a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

Each time you submit, you get better and better.

Resources

A. Learn from reading the works of other authors:

  1. Best-Selling Authors for Children

2. Best-Selling Authors for Adults

3. Books on the craft of writing.

Please leave your questions and comments.
I revised this today, September 21, 2024 so that all the resources are in one place.
Keep writing. Keep submitting.
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Copyright © Joan Y. Edwards 2010-2024

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