A sloppy manuscript pretty well defines the work as not publishable. My job was to find publishable manuscripts. Notice that my title was acquisitions editor. On the other hand, if an acquisitions editor, such as I, despite the daily scramble to get through the pile, ran across and nicely done manuscript and found it to be that jewel I was looking for, then it was a great pleasure and feather in my cap to request authorization for purchase. The manuscript submission guidelines have to do with making the job of the readers and editors on up the line easier because we had and they have an incredible amount of reading to do and, if the author doesn’t wish to help out in the process, so be it. And, unfortunately, should the author not enclose a SASE, the mail crew would leave it for the shredding guy, who would pick it up after the editorial staff left for the day and drop it into the shredding bin. As soon as a first reader or I saw a manuscript that didn’t follow the “rules,” I would clip a rejection notice onto the front page of the manuscript, slip it back into the envelope if the first reader hadn’t already done so (then called a SASE–a self-addressed, stamped envelope) for the mail crew to pick up out of my out box and return to the author. You’ll hate this: first readers and acquisitions editors look for any reason not to have to read an entire manuscript. Those guidelines have now hardened into virtual rules within the industry. Unfortunately, you’ll be an unpublished artist as long as you ignore manuscript guidelines for manuscript submissions. Jack, I used to be a acquisitions editor for a west coast publishing company. If you have something to add or corrections to offer, please leave your comments below. You might enjoy this article: Farhad Manjoo: Space Invaders: Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period. Remember, before you submit a manuscript to an agent or publisher, be sure to review their specific requirements. I’ve assembled this information based on recommendations from multiple references, discussions with experts, and personal experience. Print your manuscript on a good quality printer, preferably a laser printer.Use high-quality paper, 20 or 24 pound, with a brightness score in the high 90s.However, if you need to submit a paper version, be sure to: These days, agents and publishers will request manuscripts to be submitted electronically. Don’t forget to do one last spell check before printing.Don’t restart page numbers with each new chapter.Don’t place extra lines between your paragraphs.Justifying creates uneven spacing between the words that makes it harder to read. Use the format paragraph feature of your word processor. How To Indent First Line (MS-Word) Mistakes to Avoidīe sure your manuscript doesn’t contain any of these common pitfalls:
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