How to Submit Your Manuscript Part 1
SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT – PART ONE
Congratulations! Your manuscript if finally finished. You did it. Yay! After months or even years of endless blood, sweat, toil and tears, you’ve at long last finished your masterwork. It’s time to get it ready – to finalize it for publishing.
But if you’re like most, you’re NOT ready. Not yet, anyway. I cannot stress enough, that most of us are ill-equipped to act as our own proofreaders or editors. While we may THINK we’re the next Stephen King or George R.R. Martin, chances are, such a generous assertion is a long way from reality. A fresh set of eyes are therefore what’s needed. A set of intelligent, literate eyes. Neutral, objective eyes, able to discern little things we have overlooked.
Just remember, it’s our responsibility to do the hard work necessary to produce a quality product. Don’t just pour out a bunch of poorly articulated crap and expect your editor to do YOUR work for you. It is incumbent upon you – the creator of your work – to write in a manner worthy of your name. At the risk of drawing down the ire and opprobrium of the PC Police, if you don’t yet know HOW to write, now is not the time to submit a manuscript for publishing.
EDITING YOUR MANUSCRIPT: Most editors will assist you in providing feedback, organizing your work in a consistent, logical manner, and ensuring your thoughts come through in a clear and coherent manner. While YOU may easily understand what you’re trying to convey in your writing, often the reader will find certain passages or sentences incomprehensible. Editors should also check for factual inconsistencies in your work, and ensure your narrative is clearly written and the dialogue realistic.
PEER REVIEW: Always share your manuscript with several trusted individuals to get honest feedback. If it’s a non-fiction work designed to teach, instruct, counsel, or advise, find some fellow experts in the field to to fact-check or provide valuable feedback. Always ask questions of your reviewers.
Here are a few examples of the questions you might ask:
1) If you could change one thing about my book, what would it be?
2) Were there any passages that came across as confusing due to imprecise writing?
3) Did the ending leave you satisfied and or emotionally fulfilled?
4) Were the characters realistically portrayed? If not, which ones? And how so?
5) Would you spend YOUR money to buy this book?
