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I
have been in publishing for over ten years, mostly as an editor.
I am the person who accepts or rejects your manuscript. Here is
how I make my decisions.
I
start at the top of the slush pile. I look at each envelope I am
opening as I work my way down the slush pile. Sloppy presentation
is not a good sign. Neat, clearly labelled give me hope. I haven't
even seen what's inside, and already I'm making judgements about
the author and, by extension, the work.
Out
come the manuscripts. I check each one for a self-addressed return
envelope with sufficient postage attached or with enough international
postal reply coupons (if it comes from overseas). Is the SASE big
enough to hold the whole MS? Or is there a letter-size SASE for
my reply? Good. I keep this submission on my desk. No SASE? I put
the MS to one side. Maybe I'll read it. Probably I won't. I've had
writers who've said: "You won't find an SASE here because you
won't be rejecting this novel," Yes, I will. He just won't
be seeing his MS again, because I won't be paying to mail it back.
I say goodbye to submissions without return addresses and submissions
from overseas with their local postage attached. If the writer makes
it too difficult or costly for me to contact him, believe me, I
won't.
The
submissions with proper SASEs are sorted again. Most rejections
happen right then and, yes, I still haven't read a word of the text.
Why do I reject them?
First,
because the genre was not right. I've received children's picture
books when I was working for a publisher of true crime. Didn't the
writer check out our product? I've worked for a feminist press and
received MSS from men. What did they expect? I've had science fiction
when I was publishing poetry, poetry when I was editing short stories.
What a waste of time, paper and postage. Specialist publishers do
not publish outside their speciality. You won't be the exception.
Second,
the submission was not in publishable form. I have received one
poem. What's that about? Did the poet expect me to do, write back
saying "Gosh, such was the brilliance of this single poem that
I ask, no, I beg, you to send me anything else you may have,"
That doesn't happen. I laugh and put aside. It's not even a rejection.
I have received MSS written in white ink on black paper. I have
received photocopied MSS so faint I could hardly read the words.
I didn't try. Do these writers think that their genius removes them
from having to follow submission guidelines? That I'll be charmed
by their funky individuality? Sorry, I'm a busy editor. My eyesight
is precious to me. Writers who don't make it very, very easy for
me to understand what they're offering are begging to be rejected.
What
makes it easy for me? First, a cover letter that tells me succinctly
what the author is sending me. Something like this would do: "Please
find enclosed my novel entitled BLOWING IN THE WIND. It follows
the struggles of a young actor to fight his cocaine addiction in
order to win the heart of the scriptwriter he loves. It is a romantic
comedy and will appeal to readers of "Postcards from the Edge."
It is 70,000 words." This pleases me. I know what I've got.
Why would I reject at this stage? Usually because the genre is wrong,
or we have too many of that kind of novel already. A pity, but that's
life.
Those
still on my desk get their cover letter read in full. There's still
time for an author to head towards the rejection pile when I turn
the page and look for a synopsis. None? I won't reject it—yet—but
it's probably going to be. Also bad is the overly-long synopsis.
I've been sent a fifty-page synopsis on a 200 page MS. It's a synopsis
for pity's sake. Two pages should be plenty. One page is even better.
Or the synopsis might try to excite me with a cliff-hanger: "Ricky
and Sandra are trapped in the car as it plummets in the ravine ...
and if you want to read the rest, you'll have to read the whole
book!" No, Mr Author, I'll have to reject you, mostly because
anyone who tries to pique my interest this crudely will write this
crudely. Goodbye.
I
also enjoy the breathy cover letter that explains the psychology
of the characters, the themes of the book, and the spiritual depths
of the author: "This is a sensitive, brilliant, yet deep-felt
novel exploring what it means to open yourself to the love that
flows through the universe. The author is a reincarnated Hopi wisewoman
and offers deep mystical insights as the heroine becomes wife, mother,
and shaman." Hey, who's the editor here? It's my job to decide
if the novel is sensitive and brilliant. The author proposes, the
editor disposes.
Now
I have a much reduced pile of not-yet-rejected MSS. The cover letters
on these are to the point, telling me what the submission is, what
it is about, how long it, what niche it fits into, and what its
rivals are. Now I want to see what else the writer has done. I want
to see a list of relevant other things he's written. I'm all too
familiar with the tricks writers use to disguise a thin portfolio,
but having even one professional sale is important. They have a
track record. It's not just my opinion against the world. I hate
being a pioneer. What happens if there is no track record? MS rejected?
Not if I've been impressed with the writer's professional submission,
but it does make me cautious.
My
good opinion can still be lost at this stage if the submission has
one or more of the following: (1) a letter from the writer's pastor
/ mother / best friend / teacher / parole officer telling me how
much they enjoyed the enclosed book and recommending it to me (2)
a photo of the author [when I want it, the publicity department
will ask for it] (3) a photo of the author's family, dog, pastor,
favourite car, vacation (4) anything cute that's supposed to catch
my eye and make me love the writer, such as felt animals stuck to
the cover letter, cookies, hand-made bookmarks, a prayer card, and
so on (5) the MS itself tied together with a pretty ribbon, bound
in any way [comb, spiral, glued into covers], decorated with bunnies
and flowers [unless those are the illustrations]. What kind of serious,
self-respecting author would include such stuff? You think Toni
Morrison sticks toy animals to her manuscripts? Please.
The
submissions that have passed through my first tests will include,
besides a good cover letter and a polished synopsis, a MS clearly
typed, double-spaced on one side only on standard white paper, with
one-inch margins, pages numbered and with a running header that
contains the author's name. The MS might be in a folder or a box
or, better still, be the first three chapters clipped at the top
left corner with a paper clip. I feel enmity towards any MS in a
plastic folder or binder: they slither and can't be stacked. Editors
hate these. If I have a nice pile of cleanly typed pages, I am happy.
It is at this point, and only at this point, that I start reading.
Scary,
isn't it?
What
do I read? Not cover to cover; I haven't the time. I read the first
five pages. Does it grab me? Do I have any desire to read further?
If so, I dip into the MS two or three places further in. Prose still
of the same quality? Story seem to be moving along? Is the text
clean, i.e. no typos or spelling mistakes, no clumsy re-typing?
I might even skip to the last five pages and read those. Does the
story seem to match the synopsis? Does it seem any good? Would our
customers want to read this book? Can I imagine it having market
out there?
I
can't? Too Bad. I reject it. If I'm not sure, I put it away to look
at in my spare time, with a three-month deadline. I suspect I'll
probably reject it then. I usually do. So no news is not always
good news for a writer.
But
hey, I've found one I love! I can't stop reading! I've read the
first five pages, then fifty. I'm excited. I'll bring it to the
editorial meeting, I'll fight for it, I might even get to publish
it, if my boss and the budget and forecast allow.
Your
job, as a writer who seriously wants to be published, is to make
a no-gimmick, no-hassle submission that gets me to that crucial
moment when I start reading. Why give me an excuse to say goodbye?
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