I am uber stoker to be able to dig into the wild and crazy brain of someone who is out there doing this crazy publishing stuff professionally. When you read this, you’re gonna want to slap yourself silly, because this is hearing it right from someone who does this for a living. For the next few weeks, we will be delving into the slush pile with Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Here we go…

The Writer’s Toolbox: Give ’Em What They Want! Why Formatting Is Important By Danielle Ackley-McPhail

(Originally published in Allegory Magazine ©2011)

—————————————————————–

Last week, we discussed that nothing will help your manuscript if the editor in question is not even willing to read it.

This week, we’re going to dig through “the basics” to get your foot in the door, even if you don’t have their requirements right in front of you.

The Basics #1

Contact information. No matter who you are sending your work to or how many times you have sent them work before, you always—let me repeat that—ALWAYS include your full contact information in the upper left hand of the page. (The editor could be your brother, and you should still follow this rule, if nothing else but because it is common courtesy and shows you respect the relationship between hopeful author and potential publisher.)

If you aren’t sure what is considered full contact information, here it goes: legal name, mailing address, email address, and optionally, phone number. I can’t tell you how many times I have received manuscripts without this information. Usually from an author I’ve worked with before, but not always. See, we fall into a trap of informality thanks to the internet. With so many manuscripts being submitted electronically we don’t always consider that the email might become disassociated with the manuscript file, thus leaving the publisher no way to contact the author. Bad enough when what is forthcoming is a rejection. An absolute tragedy when they want to send you an acceptance. Face it…they have to know where to send the contract…or the check!

Next week we’ll talk about the basics #2:  IDENTIFIERS

Be there or be square, or, ummm… rejected?

Related articles

• Why Was My Mnauscript Rejected? (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)
• Guest Post: How to Avoid the Rejection Blues by Heather Topham Wood + Giveaway (thesolitarybookworm.com)
• Rejection: Greatest Hits (pikeknight.wordpress.com)
• How I got my agent and what it means (victoria-writes.com)
• Don’t Shrink from Synopses! (writersinthestorm.wordpress.com)
• Editor Interview with Mari Farthing (luciesmoker.wordpress.com)
• Partnership Publishing: the author’s and publisher’s stand-point (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)