Do you dream of getting published? What writer doesn’t?
But in their excitement and exuberance of completing a manuscript writers often make these 3 crippling mistakes when submitting their manuscripts to publishers.
The No. 1 Mistake
They don’t include a book proposal.
The book proposal is the most important tool in the publishing industry where acquisition is concerned. So important, in fact, that whole books have been written on how to do it and do it well.
This information varies from publisher to publisher. Read the submission guidelines to know what that particular publisher wants in a proposal.
At the very least your proposal should include:
- Your contact info, bio, and credits
- Book basics such as book title, genre, target audience, word count
- Synopsis of book
- Market analysis of competition
- Proposed marketing plan and your platform
- Sample chapters
Having no book proposal can mean the difference between being read and not being read.
2 More Crippling Mistakes
Not including a proper cover letter.
In this day of electronic communication, the email serves as the cover letter. Editors’ inboxes are stuffed and their file of proposals to review are overflowing.
Don’t just say “Dear Editor, attached is my book proposal for your consideration.”
Hook the editor with information about your book and pertinent facts about yourself. Make them want to open up that proposal and find out more.
Not including contact info on their proposal/manuscript.
The age of digital communication may be responsible for this mistake—the editor has my email.
Well, guess what?
I don’t want to save your email. (Have I said before editors’ inboxes are stuffed?) I save your proposal assuming that all the contact info I’ll need is included.
Contact info on your manuscript is even more vital when you are submitting a story for an anthology because you won’t be submitting a proposal, only your story.
Think of your manuscript submission like you would a job interview. (Tweet this)
Your proposal is the equivalent of your résumé. Learn how to write a strong one that gives an editor the information he/she needs.
Present yourself as a professional, and an editor won’t know whether you are submitting a proposal for the very first time or your hundredth.