Different Guidelines

It really is odd that so many different publishers have such wide differences in their submission guidelines. Some are adamant in their refusal to take equeries, some are just as adamant in their refusal to take hard copy queries, and some want only a query, yet others want a partial with the query, and others want the query with a partial and a synopsis, and others want just the synopsis, and some even want the full manuscript right off the top.

But I've got everything ready. Email really makes it all so much easier, you just cut and paste your ready-to-go query, (which is the cover letter for hard copy only submissions. I've got the first three chapters in a separate file, and a synopsis, too.

It's the hard copy people that make it more of an effort. You've got to print everything out. Synopses and partials are not so much of a hassle, but when they want the full manuscript with the first submission, that's the most trouble. Not just because of time and effort, but because you use up your ink cartridge and you run out of paper so much faster.

However, I actually like to submit my full manuscript, because I believe that gives the editors the best opportunity to appreciate my book. Otherwise, it's like seeing only a movie trailer or beginning a story that gets cut off, and maybe your best parts are still to come, and they make a decision based on the part that isn't what makes your book great.

They'll say it's a sample of your writing is all they are looking for at that point, and sure, you understand. I'd rather an editor make a decision on the whole instead of just the part. But who has time for that? They always say that they are swamped with submissions. It really makes me shake my head to realize just how many people are trying to write books. It's got to be the computer age. I know it's why I've done it. I've said it before, if it weren't for these computers, and the word doc programs, I wouldn't have written any books. But I have, and so have a lot of other people.