Today, I thought I must speak about the absolute must-do things before you even consider submitting your manuscript to an agent or publisher. And the reason I cite to do so as an editor is: during my long editing career, I have rarely come across a complete and presentable manuscript. Mostly I see the half-baked, hurriedly written collection of words spread across pages. Most writers don’t even pay a second glance at what they have written before they start approaching publishers. Perhaps, this must be their rush to see their books on stands or another: They might be thinking, aren’t agents/publishers going to be editing my manuscript, anyway? I have done my job, the herculean task of writing. Well, yes, to an extent. But more often disastrous.
Both agents and editors will go through rounds of Editing before committing a manuscript to be formatted for print or eBook. However, you must not forget, Editing is a cost, both in time and money. An agent with limited time will always prefer a polished manuscript over a piece (YOURS) that needs significant work before it can even be presented to a publisher. A publisher will weigh the expense of a substantial edit against future earnings potential, a factor that costs an acceptance/rejection decision.
Now you are ready for your biggest shock. In all probability, your manuscript pitched to a traditional publisher, or an agent has already landed up in a trash can while you are waiting; fingers crossed.
Let’s get to the basics. If you have completed your manuscript.
Manuscript submission checklist:
ü Title page
ü Dedication
ü Epigraph
ü Table of contents
ü List of illustrations
ü List of tables
ü Preface
ü Acknowledgements
ü Any other front matter
ü All text matter, including the introduction and part titles
ü Notes
ü Appendixes
ü Glossary
ü Bibliography or reference list
ü Any other back matter
ü All illustrations and all tables
ü Illustration Captions
ü A list of special characters used in the manuscript
ü Abstract(s) and keywords
ü All permissions, in writing
Once you have all these (You may not necessarily need all of the above depending on you book) in place, I strongly recommend closing your manuscript. Set it aside, and don’t even think about it for at least a week. Now all the anxiety, anxiousness and excitement would have settled, and the clutter cleared. Pick up your manuscript and start the clean-up process, cover to cover, word by word. Weed out everything from typos to grammar errors, unwanted pieces or paras. Repeat the process until you are satisfied that you have done all you can to the best of your ability.
Well, now you have in your hands a completed manuscript ready for a professional editor. This task is essential to let the editor focus peacefully on his Editing instead of spending his precious time and your precious money cleaning the manuscript.
As to whether or not you need one, well, you do, always. You shouldn’t consider a professional edit to be a luxury any longer. At a time when over a million new titles a year are being added to Amazon each year, your book will be in brutal competition against so many other works. You must do everything possible to ensure your manuscript rises above the fray. Whether you’re submitting to an agent or a publishing house (self or traditional), a professional edit is crucial to ensuring your book gets a fair shot.
Don’t take the risk. Get the manuscript edited!
However, I can’t promise that doing these things will get your book published traditionally. But we can promise that doing them will help your manuscript stand out from the slush pile.
Bobby George
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