Chapter 2 - getting published

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4 Things To Do To Make Sure Your Manuscript Gets Accepted
Author: Shery Ma Belle Arrieta
Published on: September 16, 2001

You've done it. Finally. You've finished your first novel. Now all you have to do is find a publisher to publish it.So you rush to print your novel, write an introduction letter and FedEx the whole thing, right? Hang on a minute there. Hold your horses. Not so fast. Yes, you're getting the idea...I want you to stop and think first before you send out that manuscript.We have to make sure you have the optimum chances of getting your manuscript accepted and published. So here are four things you need to do:

1. Proofread your manuscript. Never let any potential publisher or editor see how sloppy your manuscript is. You've already done away with the creative part of writing, it's now time for you to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Never rely on your word processing program's spell and grammar checker. Read your manuscript backwards or randomly (e.g. all odd pages first, then even pages; chapter 10 first, then chapter 3 and so on). You'll catch spelling or grammatical errors that way. Let another person read your manuscript and proofread for you. If you're a member of a writer's group or list, ask if someone will be willing to go over your manuscript. If you can afford it, hire a professional editor and proofreader. Treat your manuscript as an investment. You've worked hard for it so make sure when a potential publisher sees it, your manuscript is at its best.


	~ ~ 4 Things To Do To Make Sure Your Manuscript Gets Accepted Author: Shery Ma Belle Arrieta Published on: September 16, 2001 You've done it. Finally. You've finished your first novel. Now all you have to do is find a publisher to publish it.So you rush to print your novel, write an introduction letter and FedEx the whole thing, right? Hang on a minute there. Hold your horses. Not so fast. Yes, you're getting the idea...I want you to stop and think first before you send out that manuscript.We have to make sure you have the optimum chances of getting your manuscript accepted and published. So here are four things you need to do: 1. Proofread your manuscript. Never let any potential publisher or editor see how sloppy your manuscript is. You've already done away with the creative part of writing, it's now time for you to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Never rely on your word processing program's spell and grammar checker. Read your manuscript backwards or randomly (e.g. all odd pages first, then even pages; chapter 10 first, then chapter 3 and so on). You'll catch spelling or grammatical errors that way. Let another person read your manuscript and proofread for you. If you're a member of a writer's group or list, ask if someone will be willing to go over your manuscript. If you can afford it, hire a professional editor and proofreader. Treat your manuscript as an investment. You've worked hard for it so make sure when a potential publisher sees it, your manuscript is at its best. 3	~ ~ 2. Write a professional cover letter or query. The first thing publishers and editors will read is your cover or query letter. It's your chance to impress a publisher or editor. Write a sloppy cover or query letter and you've just made the publisher or editor lose interest in reading your manuscript. Take the time to create a professional and well-written cover letter. 3. Follow submission guidelines. Publishers and editors put up submission guidelines to give writers a better chance of getting their manuscripts accepted. Different publishers and editors have different preferences -- they have rules on the format of your manuscript, margins, font size; they have rules whether they want you to send the complete manuscript or just the first three chapters. Take the time to read and submit according to a particular publication's submission guidelines. 4. Make sure your novel has a dynamite plot. Your plot should be clearly defined right away. Take time to develop your characters too. It's always a good idea to ask a group of writers to critique your manuscript first before you send it to a publisher. They can give you some suggestions on how to make one scene better, or how to make your dialogues more realistic, or how to make your characters more believable. Taken from Suite101 Canadian Publishing Associations - A link to all of Canada's publishers. next page 4