In my last blog, My First Children’s book submission, I covered what I had learned about various types of publishers and how I decided which type of publisher might be most likely to accept my work, if any at all. IN my blog, My First Online Submission, I outlined, among other things, what I had learned about cover letters and submitting work to any type of publisher. Some of this blog may be somewhat redundant, however, I thought it would be nice to have a list of formats and examples of what I’ve learned thus far about the different types of submission documentation I’ve learned along my journey in one place.
Each publisher has their own submission requirements. It’s important to note and address all submission requirements a publication, Agent, or Publisher lists. Not adhering to these requirements will likely result in my submission being trashed. Since all of my work that is currently ready for submission is poetry and fiction, and specifically fictional picture children’s books, I will be focusing on requirements I’ve learned in those genres. Non-fiction proposals can some time have different requirements within the same documents.
First there is the cover letter which I covered in the blog mentioned above, but I will give its requirements brief mention here.
In the first paragraph I will Introduce myself explain why I chose this person at the agency I sent my work to for consideration. In the Second Paragraph I will include my book blurb. This is the content that you would normally find on the back of a book cover that outlines the story and why the reader wants to buy this book. Within this blurb I need to list 3 books that are similar that my book would sit next to on the shelf and how my book differs. In this case I am sending 3 love poems for publication so instead of a book blurb I explain they are love poems. The last paragraph is information about me and specifically why I should be the one to have may name on the publication. One would think being the holder of the copyright would be enough. I’m told, however, it is not. In this paragraph I need to explain what special credentials, previous education, marketing skills, social media followers I bring to the table to help sell this book. My word count should also be included. Below is a cover letter I used for my children’s picture book All That I Needed.
Month Day, Year Word Count: 500
Proper Name Not Pen Name
Email: you@youremail.com
Phone: xxx-xxx-xxx
Website: rvicway.com
Note: The personal information above on the letter header should be singled spaced.
Dear Editor, (Or the recipients name if you have it.
I am submitting the enclosed children’s 12 and under picture book manuscript All That I Needed by R. Vic Way. I believe this submission fits well with other books you have published such as Princess Podockee and the Land of Ting, Joseph Louis, the King, and The Perfect Princess.
Sometimes the demands of this world can cause us to lose track of what is truly important in our lives. “All That I Needed” teaches children to consider what is truly important in their lives before it gets lost. It is a fun, thought provoking limerick about a man with big dreams of ruling his world. In the end he finds his dream was so big he lost focus on what was truly important in his life. Love.
I have a Bachelor of science in Business administration and have studied early child hood education as well as theatre and film acting. I have radio voice over commercial experience which will aid in author narrated audio books. I have written 1 other children’s picture book and a collection of poetry dating back to 1986. I currently write a weekly blog posted at rvicway.com and promoted on both Facebook and Twitter.
Sincerely yours,
In addition to the cover letter the publisher may require a synopsis. The synopsis should be about the protagonist in my story. The protagonist is the character in my story that drives my story forward. As the name suggests, a synopsis outlines my story and tells the publisher what my story is about, where the conflicts are, and how the conflicts are resolved. Each publisher may have different tastes in how much of the story and ending you should reveal. These tastes can be dictated by genre. For example in a romance novel your story needs to have a happy ending or it will not be accepted. The publisher looking at a romance novel synopsis wants to know if your story fits the genre requirements. If not, the publisher will not continue reading and your manuscript will end up in the trash pile. Your synopsis should be between 500 and 1,000 words. Below is an example of the synopsis I included in all that I needed.
Joe Blow
Proper Name Not pen name
All That I Needed
A Synopsis
As time went by, no matter how he would try, he could not rid his mind of this love that was blind, for his princess he dreamed was his bride.
-R. Vic Way
The man from Dallas is not content with his life. He dreams of a world he can rule from his castle complete with subjects he will show no ill will towards. In this historical children’s picture book limerick, the man from Dallas’s dream is missing something. That something he decides is a princess that can bring him joy and a sense of accomplishment. In his dream, he finds the one that can make his dream complete and soon after she sets out her own dream. Without his princess the man from Dallas soon realizes the rest of his dream was hollow. His bliss now rests in his dream for his princess.
In addition to these requirements the publisher may want you to submit the first 10- 30 pages of your manuscript. Since my manuscript is small I will submit it in its entirety.
There is still one more form of initial letter that can be submitted to a would be agent or publisher, and that is the query letter. A query letters purpose is to market your work to an agent or publisher when a manuscript has not been requested. The query letters job is to get the attention of the agent or publisher so that they will request the manuscript. So, why even send the query? My research revealed a large number of writers, mostly journalist, that believe sending your manuscript for review to more than one publisher at a time is not acceptable and can result in the writer being black listed. The query letter therefore can speed up the process by sending to multiple publishers simultaneously to see who is interested in receiving the manuscript. A writer otherwise may be looking at a 3 to 4 month wait per publisher for a response. That said, The query letter is a lot like a cover letter. In the opening I want to mention why you are submitting this work to this particular person. If you were referred to this person or met this person at a conference mention it right up front. Next the title of my book is mentioned along with the word count and genre of the book. I should draw a comparison between my book and other published books. If you can, include books this agent or publisher has published in your comparisons. In the next paragraph describe my story. Who is the story about, what conflict are they going through, what choices must be made, what do they want, why can’t they get what they want. Lastly a little about me should be included. Previous books, degrees if applicable, acting, voice over work, your blog, how large is your following? Anything that can show you are serious and have the ability to sale this book.
This sounds like a lot of work. Believe me it is. Especially when I’m just starting out and learning as I go. Add in the additional pressure of putting your best foot forward and submitting not just my work in the best light possible, but getting all the above types of communication correct and as perfect as they can be.
That said I have to admit I found a mistake in my submission letter listed above to my first publisher. I noticed when I pasted it as an example for this blog the first sentence read, I am like submitting the enclosed…etc. I’m not sure where the valley girl in me came from but it went unchecked to the publisher. The funniest part is I noticed the error prior to sending it and instead of correcting it on the spot, I saved it for my wife to see and share in a laugh. Unfortunately our mutual laugh did not take place before the publisher saw it as well.
I’m glad you’re here following my journey to become published. Hopefully I will hear something back this week from a magazine or publisher that’s not a rejection letter. However, from what I’ve heard from others who have submitted work to publishers, they have received more rejection letters than acceptance letters. Whichever I receive I will be sure to share here in my weekly blog.
Now, It’s time to write.