Fiction Scribe

In the current Australian Writer’s Market place, there are a total of 191 publishers.

Of the 191 publishers, 37 of them are children’s/young adult publishers.

Take out:
- Publishers who only accept manuscripts submitted by agents.
- Publishers who have specific age restrictions which don’t fit my novella.
and
- Publishing companies where “writers often contribute to production costs.

We are left with 22 publishing company options – without looking at the additional requirements noted on their websites.

As far as vocabulary is concerned, I’ve learned quite a bit. For the aspiring writer, there are some terms you should become familiar with not only in definition but in what market standards are.

What am I talking about? Do you know the difference between a query and a cover letter? Do you know the standard length for each chapter summaries?

My main resources over these weeks have been The Australian Writer’s Marketplace and Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript, mostly focusing on the novel submission.

According to Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript, the most asked for items are:

*Query Letter
*Synopsis
and
*Three Consecutive Sample Chapters

It’s common for a query to be requested on its own, which is referred to as a blind query or pre-proposal query. You are probing the waters a bit rather than diving in with all you have. You can submit everything you have, but only if the agent or publisher requests it.

Always follow the guidelines listed on the publisher’s or agent’s site! Nothing shows lack of preparation, research, and respect than showing them you haven’t read their guidelines by sending them the wrong things.

When you submit your query along with other pieces, then your query letter becomes your cover letter.

A synopsis should be about four to six paragraphs. You need to practice if you can’t yet do this. Try summarizing your book in a sentence. That’ll help you on your way.

If the publisher wants chapter summaries, they should be a few sentences each. I haven’t seen many sites which list chapter summaries, though. Most request sample chapters.

About your writer resumé: Keep it short and relevant. They don’t care about your job unless it relates to you being knowledgeable/having a unique perspective for your book or otherwise relates to your writing. Even then, use discretion. You may know your characters because you work at McDonald’s, but what is your agent going to wonder about you if you’re still working there at thirty?

Submitting the requested material and only the requested material shows you’ve done at least some of your research and gives you a toe up. Addressing your submission to the specific editor or agent you’re supposed to submit to gives you the second toe.

Think “professional”. Learn what a proper business letterhead looks like. The rest of the letter as well. Know what the publisher wants. Use professional language. (I’d like to see the author who tries to submit something while addressing the agent/editor as “dude”.) Don’t waste their time.

A big key is to keep things short and sweet. Make your pitch, all the while realizing how important the time of the person who is reading the submission is to him/her. Your submission is one of many. Be concise, be professional, and always follow guidelines.

writing, writers, fiction writing, submissions, query, cover letter, synopsis, agents, publishers, formatting and submitting your manuscript, the australian writer’s marketplace