Avoid looking like an amateur

Always, always, always we’re looking for great stories and good writing. We may from time to time look beyond typos, lack of control and an obvious ignorance of the publishing world if the story is excellent and the writing superb. Alas, the latter is very rare and often due to talent. There is also a business side to publishing and we need to know that every writer, even the talented ones, can engage with that. Just think: you have made your script the best it can possibly be and we ask you to change it. There is no way we’ll believe you capable of doing that if you can’t follow a few simple guidelines and adhere to a few general rules.

Give us what we ask for

If we ask for three chapters and a synopsis, give us that. We don’t need four chapters just because your chapters are short. If you can’t crystallize your story into a 500 word synopsis you’re probably not sure what you’re doing anyway and that will show in the text.  

Format your work to industry standard

Unless otherwise stated, double space your work. Indent all but the first paragraph of a section. Do not put an extra line space in front of a paragraph. Use a standard font – Times New Roman 12 point or Arial 10 point are favoured. You might use the automatic paragraph set up in Word to do this. However, beware that you may need to change this to something more manual for some publishers at a later date. Format left, ragged right, please.

Other presentation etiquette

Create a title page. The top left had corner should include full contact details – name, address, telephone numbers and email. The title, your name and the type of book should go in the middle, centred, and the rounded number of words in the bottom righthand corner. Note, if you use a pseudonym use that in the middle of the page and your real name in the contact details.

It’s good practice and useful for you to include your name and the title of the book, perhaps shortened, in a header and the page number and number of pages in the footer.  Again, you can set this up automatically in Word.

However, if you’re entering a competition there is often a requirement that your name doesn’t appear anywhere on the script. In this case, if you include it they’ll just put your script in the bin. You will have wasted the entry fee.

Never staple or bind your work. Hold it together with a paper clip or if it’s a hefty script, sandwich it between two pieces of thin card and hold it together with a large elastic band.  

Business-like cover letter

Make your cover letter informative and to the point. Give us a two line summary of your text. Tell us the three or so facts from your CV that are the most relevant for this work. Tell us what to do with your script when we’ve finished – bin it or post it back.  If the latter, remember to include return postage. (Of course, these days, many publishers accept electronic submissions.) Don’t give us the impression that you have a one-size-fits-all query letter.  

Avoid being quirky here and in any synopsis unless you can do it extremely well and convincingly. Most of the time it just irritates us.  

Near-perfect script

Make your script as mistake-free as possible. The odd typo, punctuation mistake or clumsily structured sentence may be forgivable but a host of them is not and actually prevents us from seeing your work clearly. Be particularly careful about how you set out dialogue. This is incredibly easy to get right but it is amazing how many people make serious errors in this area. Read you work out loud and get someone else to check it before you send it out. It may even be worth paying someone.       

It’s all about the business of writing. Take yourself seriously and we might too.     

Are email submissions actually more complex than the old-fashioned one side of A4 double-spaced etc.?

It used to be relatively simple. You sent the first three chapters of your novel, a synopsis and a query letter, plus return postage. You probably took it to the post office to get it weighed. It was at least half a day’s work. Then you sat back and waited. Or hopefully, you carried on writing.

The publisher accumulated a slush pile at least as tall as herself and an office junior delighted in reducing that pile by sending it back to hopeful authors with a standard rejection slip.

A disappointed writer heard the loud thump as the rejected manuscript landed on the doormat.

Electronic submissions common sense?

You would think so. Yet so much can go wrong. The submission may never arrive. The process of sending it electronically may screw up the text or the formatting. The publisher loses control over their slush pile because they can no longer see it three dimensionally.

Yet there are advantages for the publisher and the writer. The publisher receives a text that is already partly type-set. The writer can probably get out three submissions in the time it used to take her to get out one.  

Complex guide-lines

Many publishers do now accept submissions electronically. The variety of ways they ask for material can be confusing for the writer, however.  Some want the submission via an on-line form, some want it in the body of the email and some want it as an attachment. There seems also to be much variety in what should be contained in whichever method is chosen: the first 5000 words, the first three chapters, the first ten pages, a one page synopsis, a fifty word synopsis, a two-line description. Then there is a variation of where these items go-  in the body of the email, as an attachment or even all just in one  document  Many publishers ask for an a author bio as well. One or two want a full CV. Many are interested the writer’s social networking habits. A sound presence on Twitter, Facebook and in the Blogsphere is welcome.

The standard manuscript is still there somewhere

Double-spacing and 12 point Time new Roma remain popular, but different publishers require different additional formatting details: the size of the margins, whether one uses Word headings, how indents are generated,  and whether footers, headers or page numbers are permitted or desired. Much of this depends on what is a particular publisher’s design process after editorial. The publisher does not want to be fighting the writer’s text as they prepare the digital file.

As ever, the writer must read these guidelines carefully. Two sets can be amazingly similar but nevertheless include critical differences.

Electronic editing

This is really coming into favour now. Even when a hard-copy has been accepted at submission stage, editor and writer will often work on the script electronically. Many publishers use a combination of Track Changes and added comments. These can make scripts seem messy but it doesn’t take too long to get used to. It’s useful to the publisher also to see where the writer has made changes in various versions of the script. Version-naming etiquette is essential and what that is will also vary from publisher to publisher.

Editing for house-style

Authors will often have to edit their text to bring it in line with a certain house-style.  This will include such features as single or double quotes, how thoughts are portrayed (often in italics), and how section breaks and headings are handled.  

Confusing? Indeed it is. But worth getting right. Busy publishers haven’t got time to look at something that is not properly presented. Although some of these rules may seem complex it’s usually relatively easy to set up your document to obey them. What may look like a list of demands is actually more like a step-by-step guide.  

And still you can get submissions out more quickly than you could using the old-fashioned way. Publishers can also respond more rapidly.       

            

                     

Getting the synopsis right

A good synopsis can be a major selling point when you submit work to a publisher. True, we probably won’t even read it if the writing’s no good. There is a slight irony in that; it’s always easier to fix bad writing than it is to mend that a story that isn’t working. Editors tend, anyway, to know more about editing than story-telling even if they can recognise a good story when they see one. So it may seem that under-par writing could be improved. Yes, most likely, but we just haven’t got the time to do it. The writing must go somewhere else to get fixed. So, it’s not even worth looking at the synopsis just yet.

Sadly, much writing passes muster and then is rejected because it seems from the synopsis that the writer just has no story to tell. Even more sadly it’s highly likely that they do have a good story but have failed to crystalize it well in the synopsis.

We ask a lot, we know. We usually want no more than 500 words and frequently less. It takes quite a lot of skill for the writer to represent their novel effectively in that space. And it is reassuring to us that the writers we decide to publish do have that skill.

So what should writers do?

Here a few things to avoid:

Writing the synopsis like a blurb

We do need to know the whole story and it needs to be told in a business-like manner. One or two rhetorical questions might be all right – particularly if they’re actually from the point of view of the protagonist – but if you don’t feel confident with this, don’t do it.

Writing in a quirky way

You might be writing a book that is quirky in style and you may wish to represent that style in your synopsis. It is great if you can pull it off. Most people don’t manage to and then it just becomes extremely irritating.

Creating a list

Avoid:” this happens and then this happens, then this happens and then that”. The commissioning editor needs to get a feel for where all of the drama and the tension is in the plot. Don’t overwhelm her with details.   

Getting the balance wrong

Don’t have too much of any of the following though you probably need some of each of these:

·         Backstory

·         Character description

·         Setting description

·         Action

·         Exposition

·         Justification (Yu actually shouldn’t need any of this in a well-written synopsis.)  

Writing in the past tense

Normally a synopsis should be written in the present tense. After all, the book remains the same each time it is read.  

Avoid overwriting

Keep your sentences succinct and to the point. Allow that word count work for you. Make sure your style is a tight as can be. You are using a completely different writing muscle here from the one you need to write your novel. No “The reason he is here is because….”

So, what should you do? Try this:

Recipe for a synopsis

1.      Define the novel in two or three lines. What type of novel is it? Which sub-genre? What happens to the main character?

2.      Say a little about the main characters and the setting, weaving in any backstory only if it is really important.

3.      Identify the main actions – usually no more than three or four - until you reach that all important crisis point.

4.      Describe the crisis point, perhaps giving it a paragraph all of its own.

5.      Define what happens in the car-chase moment – that gap between the crisis point and the resolution.

6.      Describe the new point of stasis that your protagonist has reached. Here you may hint at a follow-up story if appropriate.

And a hot tip. Read Nicola Morgan’s excellent book about writing synopses.     

The Economics of Author Events

Publishers take a financial risk when they organise an author event or attend one an author has organised, especially if a sale or return agreement has been made with a local bookshop. Sometimes when books are returned they are no longer sellable.

Here are some case studies:

Case 1

Three writers were show-cased at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, a tastefully converted mill in Manchester, just behind the Oxford Road station. I went along because I knew two of the writers – a poet who is a colleague and a novelist with whom I used to work.

It was a delightful evening. The third writer was interesting as well. I bought two of the books – I already had one of them. I think the publisher sold five of each title. This wouldn’t have even covered her traveling costs let alone the hire of the venue – which was packed, actually.

Case 2

I attended a launch of a collection of poems and short writings by someone I know. I was also interested in the publisher because he is young and produces the best covers I’ve ever seen. 

Again, the venue was packed. The writer clearly had a lot of friends and fans. The publisher sold twenty-five copies of the author’s book and a few other titles. I don’t know if they paid anything for the hire of the room – it was in a pub so sometimes this can be free as it’s a given that people will spend at the bar. Certainly the publisher would have covered his costs. But he’d hardly be paid for his time.

Case 3

The winner of one of our novel competitions was a young girl aged sixteen. She later confessed to having written the book when she was just fourteen. We had to make a fuss of this one. We paid for the hire of the venue - a quirky, independent café. We paid in effect the salaries of the waitresses. The girl’s parents bought cupcakes and a drink for all of the guests.

We sold all fifty books I’d brought along and some of the author copies the family had bought. We more than covered the cost of the room but our profit would certainly not have paid for drinks etc. Let alone the cost of my travel and overnight accommodation. The book has since covered those but my time remains unpaid for.

Case 4

An imprint of one of the big five launched a book by a mid-list author in a regional branch of a high street book store, but in a town not too far from London. The charismatic editor-in-chief, after whom the imprint is named, attended – he was rather fond of the author. Many people came to the shop – and about thirty of us even went out to dinner afterwards.

The book is still in print but it never did become a best-seller.

No doubt the editor covered his immediate costs that evening but sales probably didn’t pay for his time.      

Case 5

All of the delegates from a writers’ conference attended a book launch in a High Street bookshop. We were offered wine and snacks – not sure who paid. Few people bought books because it was just too crowded.

Case 6

The first book we published was a collection of short stories mainly by authors published for the first-time. Several authors held their own events and sold over 100 copies a time.

We held a get-together in London and charged the people who attended enough to cover the cost of a buffet-lunch, a drink and the hire of the room. The book sales on the day and the slight profit on the event covered my travel expenses.

Although the book was only out for six weeks before the end of the year, each author got about £25.00 royalties – quite unusual in a collection of unknown authors.

As we’ve moved on and those writers have come back to us, now with more experience and no longer able to sell to friends and family, and as we’ve attracted more established writers also, we’ve not been able to repeat that pattern.

Case 7

We launched a book at prestigious literary festival. We got some pretty decent high-profile media coverage. It is our bestselling book. All copies ordered by the festival’s bookshop sold and they ordered a few more than normal.

In fact, not all sold at the festival but the bookshop owner decided to keep the rest and even gave us a donation for the charity the book supports.

However, there were quite a few entertainment expenses.

Nevertheless the book continues to trickle out.

Book events aren’t just about selling books on the day

Book events are, in fact, a type of PR. It is fine for them to be loss-leaders. Frankly, my favourite type of entertainment is a book event. I’m probably pretty typical of all of those who work in the book industry. I love the whole process. I relish being around books and all those in the involved in the process of making them. What else would I do with my time? We have to make money and we have to be paid for what we do, but other than that … Even those involved with the big five would get far more return on their effort if they invested their business acumen in any other industry apart from farming. Theatre is probably on a par and possibly the other arts.

We feel, though, immensely privileged that we spend our time doing what we love.