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How to Submit a Manuscript

You wouldn't visit your publisher wearing dirty rags - so don't send them a manuscript that looks like it's just come out of your dog's rear end.

I'm in the rather odd position of being both a writer and a publisher: an internal clash that often threatens to set the two conflicting halves of my personality against one another.

As a writer, when I think I've finished a piece of work I desperately want to send it off straight away, to throw it into the arms of a waiting publisher as it is: naked, raw and screaming. As a publisher, though, I get pretty miffed at people who do just that - who submit their manuscript in an untidy bundle without giving any thought to presentation.

BOG ROLL

That may sound a little harsh, but I'm trying to be as honest as possible. I get anywhere between 20 and 50 submissions a week, from across the board. Most of these are beautifully submitted, but I've had entire novels sent to me unbound and falling all over the place (without the page numbers needed to stack them back in order); poems sent to me on scrap paper and, once, even toilet roll (not used); submissions (badly) handwritten complete with ink stains and margin notes, or so badly laid out on the page that I simply have no idea what's going on.

It's a real shame. These submissions may be masterpieces, but no publisher or editor will devote time to deciphering a poorly presented submission when they could be reading instead. Don't be tempted to experiment with clever presentation tricks in order to woo a publisher or an editor. (I once had half a novel submitted on greaseproof paper - the main character was a chef - the type kept rubbing off on my fingers eventually to the point where I couldn't continue reading.) Avoid annoying a publisher before they've even started reading by following some simple style tips.

KEEP IT CLEAN

Use good-quality A4 paper: it should be clean, white and fairly heavy if it's to survive being thumbed. Leave a large margin on the left hand side (I prefer 4 cm) and space on the other margins: it makes a page much easier and more pleasant to read. Only ever print on one side of the paper (try not to think of the trees). Keep your text clean and well spaced: stick to a size 12 font (black) and always set in double-spacing to avoid a publisher going cross-eyed (we often do when we've been reading submissions all day). Indent the first line of every new paragraph, don't leave extra lines between paragraphs, and always make sure your pages are numbered.

MARK YOUR TERRITORY

Make sure a publisher can see it's your work. On the title page, clearly write your name, address, telephone number, email address and date on the top right-hand side. Write the title of the piece (or a list of poem titles) in the middle of the page, and, at the bottom, write the number of pages submitted and (if prose) the number of words. It's also worth printing your name, telephone number and the title of the submission on the back of every page, so if they get separated from the title page (and believe me they often do) a publisher always knows how to contact you.

FLAT PACKED

Don't fold your manuscript over when sending, or stuff it into a tiny envelope. This is your work, if it doesn't seem like you're proud of it or care about it, then publishers will assume you're not that bothered. Fasten the pages together with a paper clip (or metal paper fasteners if it's a screenplay), not staples. Always include a brief covering letter with your manuscript (and at all costs avoid trying to explain or justify your work - credit publishers with the imagination to work that out by themselves) and a stamped addressed envelope. If a publisher sends the manuscript back and it's a little dog-eared or coffee stained, don't send it out to the next one: print off a new copy. And for God's sake remember to remove any rejection slips a previous publisher has attached before sending it on (it happens more than you'd think).


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