FAQs for Beginning Writers
A: First of all, back up and do some reading first. It has been suggested that before you submit a manuscript (ms) to any publisher, you read at least 1,000 books in your genre. What?? 1,000 books? It sounds like a lot, but truly, reading is an important step that is often overlooked. What makes a picture book work? Why is it that a YA novel so terrific? You can’t figure it out without seeing how it’s been done before. Reading in your specialty helps you learn the basics of style, tone, length, pacing, character development, plot development, and a whole host of other things. So, read, read, read! Next, join a writing critique group and share your work with other writers. Then revise and keep revising until you’re sure it’s the very best you can do.
Before sending out your very best work, consider this piece of advice. Some have suggested for picture book writers that it’s better to have three to six solid, publishable manuscripts ready before sending out your first one. Why? Sometimes editors will respond positively that your manuscript has promise, that it’s charming, that he/she likes the style, etc., but that for some reason it’s just not right for their house. So, they might invite you to submit something else that’s similar. If you have those three to six really strong manuscripts, you are ready to send off the next one while the contact you’ve made is still fresh.
Before sending anything out, however, study market guides, writers’ guidelines, websites, and go to conferences to find appropriate places for your work. Send for sample issues when submitting to the magazine market. Is your work similar to what they publish? The same length? Targeting the same age group? Don’t brush by this step in the submitting process. Research, research, research, or you end up just wasting your stamp, your paper, your time and your energy in sending to a publisher which is inappropriate for your work. Instead, carefully research the market to try to match your manuscript up with the publisher that is most likely to publish it. This only helps you in the end. Choose several publishers that are appropriate for your manuscript, and be ready to send to the next one right away. Create a folder for every manuscript you submit. Make a chart that shows where you’ve sent it, what the comments were (if any) as well as any contact names you may have found.
Q: How do I find an illustrator?
A: You don’t. That’s the job of editors, art directors and designers. They visualize your manuscript without illustrations and then pair it with the work of an artist. Publishers have many artists with whom they regularly work, and will select one whose style best fits your text and their budget. Your manuscript should be strong enough to stand alone on its own merit, without illustrations. The editor’s job is to find an illustrator. Your job is to create a story that is so lively, fresh, and evocative that it will provide plenty of openings for art.
Q: Do authors and illustrators collaborate on picture books?
A: Generally, the answer is no. Authors who do not illustrate their own books simply write their text keeping in mind the fact that every picture book needs 14 lively and different 2-page scenes. On rare occasion, writers and illustrators may collaborate, but it is most often true that many authors have never even met the artist who has illustrated their work. The picture book is a blend of art and words, mediated by an editor who works with both author and illustrator, fine-tuning both art and words, separately, to serve the story.
Q: What should the cover letter include? And if I send my manuscript on neon orange paper, will that help get my foot in the door?
A: Keep your cover letter simple. A very brief sentence or two describing your work is appropriate along with your publishing background. State that you are an SCBWI member if you are. Most definitely mention that you met the editor at a conference if you did. That shows the editor that you’re serious enough about your writing to try to improve by going to conferences. Take a look at Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market (by year) to see examples of good and bad cover letters.
I’ve heard many editors say that you do not need to send you manuscript in a pizza box, a bright pink envelope, on scented paper, etc. Let your words be your very best work. That is what gets you noticed.
Q: Is it okay to send my manuscript out to more than one place at a time?
A: Simultaneous submissions are usually fine, simply because it’s so often the case that editors take a minimum of 4-6 months to respond to a manuscript. However, you must be careful to note whether or not this is acceptable for the publisher or magazine you are submitting to. Check the guidelines carefully. Also, make sure you inform the editor that you are simultaneously submitting in your cover letter. Don’t send it to more than one or two other places.
On another note, never send more than one of your manuscripts to a publisher at a time. Let each manuscript be considered on its own. And don’t send to more than one editor within a house at a time (for example, don’t send two manuscripts to two different editors at Dial). You are not only seeking to have your manuscript published; you are also trying to build a relationship with an editor who loves your writing. Meanwhile, in the time you are waiting, start another project!
Q: I wish I didn’t have to deal with all of this submitting. Isn’t there an easier way?
It’s actually a good thing for writers to be well-acquainted with the process of submitting because it helps you to understand that much of publishing is about “match-making.” That is, matching up the right manuscript with the right editor. You don’t want an editor who just barely likes your story. You want an editor to fall in love with it. The editor will be going to bat for the manuscript in front of editorial committees, marketing directors, and the publisher that they answer to.
Q: When I don’t hear back from an editor right away, what should I do?
A: Wait. Expect an editor to take up to six months to get to your manuscript. You can send a self-addressed stamped postcard along with your manuscript, and request that it be sent to you upon receipt of the envelope. This may be helpful, although some writers have stated that they have never gotten their postcards back. After six months, it’s okay to send a follow-up note. Do not phone and do not email the editor.
Q: How should I look at feedback from editors?
A: I try to look at any comment from an editor as helpful in some way. I sort their comments into five categories. The first is the absolutely best kind of feedback from an editor: “I want to buy your manuscript—just the way it is!” (This is extremely rare, as in it never happens.)
The second type of response is pretty great too: “I want to offer you a contract, but could you please make some changes?” (This is also very rare.)
The third type can also be helpful: “Although I can’t offer you a contract at this time, I would like to request the following revisions….” This is actually very good. If an editor takes the time to give you tips on revising, that means they see great potential in your work. The tricky side to this type of response is that you may revise until you’re blue in the face, and the manuscript still may never sell. (This is somewhat more common.)
A fourth type of response is also a step in the right direction. This is a personal letter addressed to you by name, and signed by an actual editor. With this type of letter, the editor may let you know that they like your work, but that for some reason, this manuscript wasn’t right for them. They may even invite you to submit again. This is why you have your solid three to six manuscripts ready to go. When you get a letter like this, shoot the next one off right away. (This is also somewhat common.)
The fifth type of response is unfortunately something we all have seen: the dreaded form letter, rejecting the manuscript. Every writer has multiple form letters in their file cabinets. There are several reasons for getting form letters. Maybe the editor wasn’t the right match for the project. Maybe they are so backlogged with oodles of submissions that they just had to return a bunch. Your manuscript may still have great potential. You need to submit it again. But a writer who is continually getting rejection form letters back needs to listen to the inherent but sad truth in this type of feedback: maybe your piece just isn’t ready yet. It doesn’t mean it’s crap. It doesn’t mean you need to throw it in the garbage. It just means you might need to take it back to your critique group and consider revisions. That’s hard advice to take, but is an important lesson to learn.
Q: Do I need an agent?
A: The truth is that it’s often harder to get an agent than to sell a manuscript, especially if you are a picture book writer. If you’re a relatively new writer (which means you’ve only completed a couple of manuscripts), you should spend your time concentrating on improving the quality of your writing and learning as much as you can about writing. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. You could enroll in a course in children’s writing. You can read books on writing. Most importantly, write, write, write. Write every day, and write what you know. Also commit to regularly attending a writing critique group and attending conferences and retreats that the SCBWI hosts. In other words, by working on your writing in critique groups and manuscript critiques at conferences and retreats, you figure out how to edit your own work better. It’s also extremely important to read in your specialty. If you write YA novels, read lots of YA novels. Look at the structure of the books in your specialty. Look at the pacing, the vocabulary, the length, the structure. So many factors go into preparing a successful manuscript, and by reading widely in your specialty, you’ll begin to get a sense of that.
If you are prolific and have a number of well-critiqued manuscripts that you are getting good feedback on from editors, you could consider the possibility of seeking a literary agent’s services so that your time can be freed up to write more. The best way to find an agent is through word of mouth, and through contacts at conferences. Others recommend actually selling one or two manuscripts before contacting an agent.
A warning and reminder: money always flows to the author from the agent, and never the other way around. This means that you should not be paying any agent for reading fees, etc.
Q: How are literary agents helpful to writers?
A: Agents basically do three things for their clients. They submit manuscripts to editors, usually preferring the bigger publishing houses. Some agents also edit their clients’ manuscripts. They suggest revisions that will help the manuscript be easier to sell and more marketable as well as being of good quality. Agents also negotiate contracts, which is helpful if you’re not a lawyer! They know what’s typical in a contract, what’s expected, and where there might be “wiggle room.” They also receive and disburse your advances and royalties. Which means that all you have to do is cash your check!
Happy writing!
