Manuscript Submission Guidelines: How To Write A Publishing Proposal For Your Book

It must be nearly twenty years, or so, since many of the major book publishing houses underwent a huge reshuffle. Secretaries suddenly found themselves elevated to the status of editors and, among certain authors, an aura of gloom and doom descended. Accompanying this sense of Last Times, was the advent of the (then un-named) hand-held digital devices which, it was said, were certain to spell The End for books.

TOO MANY BOOKS PUBLISHED?

Yet evidence shows that there are now more books published than ever before. Whether this is a Good Thing or not is debatable. Just as the internet has seen a proliferation in information and exchange of ideas, plus an accompanying increase in misinformation and drivel so, too, this has been reflected in an over-production of books, many of which fail to sell, and end up being pulped. In the real world, there has been a rise in celebrity books, both non-fiction and fiction, combined with Quit-your-day-job advances. I suspect I am not alone in thinking that this will not last, in today’s economic climate.

But one thing is certain: readers will always want stories – fact or fiction. Story-telling is probably as old as the human race. So by one means or another, writers will always be in demand. Whether they will make a living or not is another matter.

SUBMISSION PROPOSAL: TO PUBLISHING HOUSE OR AGENT?

Assuming that you have a manuscript which is ready to submit (and I hope you’ve checked it against my earlier post: Manuscript Formatting) what should you now do to bring it to the attention of a book publishing agent, or editor? First let me say that it is widely believed that no publisher will be interested in your book unless you first have an agent. Secondly, it is widely held, that it is more difficult to secure the services of an agent than those of a publisher.

Rubbish! Every one of my earliest books was published as a result of my approaching a publisher direct. What’s more, my Bestseller, which reached No. 4 in The Sunday Times, was the result of a major publisher approaching me and offering me a commission. And with this behind me, I was then taken on by Curtis Brown, the Regent Street agency who also represented Mary Wesley, whose first novel was published when she was seventy years of age.

I hope that will encourage you. So – back to business with the following book proposal guidelines . . .

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• It should not be necessary, I hope, to say that you should first study your market to ascertain which book publishing houses are likely to be interested in the sort of book you have written. See my article, Writing & Publishing A Book: Ten Tips Before You Begin. For the English speaking world, The Writers And Artists’ Yearbook , The Writers Handbook, or The Writers’ Market are essential.
• Neither, I’m sure, do you need to be told that your letter of proposal should be typed on good quality 100g paper (A4 in UK; 8.5 ins x 11 ins in USA) and that you should keep at least one hard copy.
• Try to find out the name of the Agent or Editor you are writing to. A personal letter will carry far more weight than a Dear Sir or Madam . . .
• Carry out an online search for the Agent’s / Publishers’ website if that information is not available in print. Either way, ensure that you are au fait with the submissions procedures for that particular company. They do vary.
• That said, at some point – either to accompany your proposal letter or to follow it if invited to do so – you will need to produce a synopsis. We’ll deal with this next time.
• For now, your letter should be short – no more than a page – and informative. It should contain the following details:

CHECKLIST:

1. Genre – Biography, Historical Novel, Self-help book on debt etc.
2. Title.
3. Word count.
4. Brief (two/three lines) account of the story through the eyes of the main character.
5. Theme.
6. Market.
7. Your current situation
8. Your past publications, if any.
9. A request to send the manuscript.
10. A stamped, self-addressed envelope.

HOW TO SUBMIT A NOVEL

Thus:

Dear Mr Malaprop,

I have just completed a 105,000 word novel, titled A Painful Post Mortem, and believe, from your website, that this is the sort of book in which you may be interested. Inspired by my own experience, it is the story of Claire, and her search for the truth when she learns that her once wayward daughter, Kat, has died suddenly, in suspicious circumstances. Unable to convince the authorities of her doubts, she is forced to overcome her feelings of deep distrust following her divorce from Kat’s father years earlier, and enlist his help. As the two begin to unravel the mystery surrounding their daughter’s death, they embark on a painful post mortem of their marriage during Kat’s adolesence.

My book, which comes into the category of Inspirational Fiction, includes a poem which I wrote, titled Death is but a Door. This has already created a good deal of interest on my website, and I think my novel would appeal to all parents who have lost children to drugs, as well as to those who are bereaved.

For the past ten years I have been working for a music publishing company but, prior to that, I had a number of books published, one of which reached No. 4 in The Sunday Times Bestseller list. I can send a curriculum vitae detailing radio and TV appearances if you are interested.

May I send you a synopsis of the novel, together with either the first three chapters, or the entire manuscript? I am enclosing a stamped addressed envelope, and would be delighted to hear from you as soon as you are able to respond.

Yours sincerely,

Mel Menzies

Finally, you may well have to wait six to ten weeks for a reply. It is now permissible to ring the publishing company after a couple of months to ask if your letter arrived safely. And it is, also, now permissible to make multiple submissions to publishing houses, providing this does not contravene the submissions policy of any one company.

What are you waiting for? Good luck! And don’t forget to let me know how you got on – or if I’ve forgotten anything.

Next Time: We'll look at How to compose a Synopsis

Author of a number of books, one a Sunday Times No. 4 Bestseller, Mel Menzies is also an experienced Speaker at live events, as well as on Radio and TV.

All proceeds from Mel's latest novel, A Painful Post Mortem, are for charities benefiting children worldwide. Buy a copy here and help raise cash for children like Rachel who, at 13 is mother to 6 kids orphaned by AIDS; or this project, drug-proofing teenagers in the UK.

Photograph courtesty of: zombie boogie photo at photobucket