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�er you’ve completed a solid, polished novel, you’ll need to cre-ate an equally polished �ction proposal to present to an agent or editor. �e following guidelines are industry standard—most editors and agents approve of them, and I’ve received numerous comments on the professional quality of my submissions when I’ve used them. �at said, if a publisher or agent has a uniquely speci�ed list of for-matting guidelines, then always follow it to the letter.A standard proposal consists of:
• Query letter
• Synopsis (if requested in guidelines)
• �e �rst three chapters or �rst 50 pages (commonly called a partial) of the manuscript (if requested in guidelines)
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Most publishers and agents accept unsolicited query letters that include a very brief summary of the story within the body of the letter. If they’ll accept an unsolicited manuscript submission, or if you’ve already made contact at a conference or in response to a previous query, you’ll also include a partial.
• Use white paper. I recommend 24-pound paper, since it’s not see-through. For an editor who spends all day looking at manuscripts, submissions prepared on 24-pound paper are much easier to read.
• Font or typeface, size 12. Times New Roman is the most commonly requested font, even over the once-popular Courier. Use the same font consistently. Authors frequently make the mistake of not print-ing their query letter, synopsis and partial in the same font. If your query letter is in Times New Roman, then make sure both the synop-sis and partial are also in Times New Roman.
PREPARING A NOVEL QUERY AND
SUBMISSION PACKAGE
A�er you have a polished and �nal dra�, these steps will help you submit your work
to publishers or agents.
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• One-inch margins all around, no page number on the �rst page. Make sure your query letter, synopsis and partial match in all of these regards.
Ensure consistency throughout each part of your proposal package.
• Black ink only. Editors aren’t impressed by fancy submissions. �ey’re impressed by professional-ism. While a di�erent color ink could be used in the heading of professional, personalized letter-head, it’s not recommended for any other part of your submission.
• Block style setup for the query and synopsis. In other words, single-spaced, no indents, and each paragraph is followed by a blank line. Your par-tial, of course, will be in standard manuscript format of double-spaced, indented paragraphs.
Let’s discuss the format of your query letter, starting from the top of the page.
• Contact information. �is consists of your name, address, e-mail address, phone and website.
Double space a�er your contact information.
• Le�-align your query. Except for your contact in-formation, don’t center- or right-align any parts of the query, not even the date and your signature.
• Use the name of the editor or agent you’re que-rying. Never submit blindly—your submission may go unread. Check and double-check that you’ve spelled the name correctly. Follow the name with the name of their imprint, agency or company, and then the address.
• Skip a line and insert the date. Skip another line following this to include your greeting. “Dear Ms./Mr. [Last Name]:” is always safe.
• Never use a �rst name unless (1) you know the editor very well—as in, you’ve met him at a conference and/or have had lengthy discus-sions with him in the past; or (2) the editor has a unisex name and you don’t know whether to call him (or her) Mr. or Ms. In the case of a name such as Terry Meadows, you would put
“Dear Terry Meadows:” instead of “Dear Ms./
Mr. Meadows:” Better yet, �gure out if the per-son is male or female!
• �e greeting is followed by another blank line. If you’ve met this editor before, or if he requested the material you’re sending, refresh his memory in a succinct sentence or two in the �rst line of your query. Something like: “I enjoyed discuss-ing �e Story of My Heart with you at the Pikes Peak Writer’s Conference in April. Per your re-quest, a proposal of this novel is enclosed.”
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�e next portion of your query letter is crucial. Many people lead their queries with something like “Please considering reviewing my book for publication.” Any editor would assume that getting him to review your material is the point of your submission, so stating the fact is redundant, and the editor will already be bored.
A much better way to begin a query letter is with a high-concept blurb that’s about 100–200 words. You want to hook the editor into your story immediately.
�e basic structure of a high-concept blurb is: A char-acter (who) wants a goal (what) because he’s motivated (why), but he faces con�ict (why not). Fill in the blanks for your story: If you �nd it more appropriate, you can also use your beginning story spark to begin your letter.
In one to two paragraphs (no more than that, even if you’re including a synopsis), sum up the most compelling elements of your story, including what makes your char-acters so interesting and what their con�icts, goals, and motivations are. �e paragraph that follows will include the most basic information about your story, including:
• Title
• Length (approximate length in number of words is preferred; i.e., 65,000 words, not 64,231 words)
• Genre (be speci�c, even if your story straddles more than one category)
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Following your hook, include a brief bio. An unpub-lished author would include anything that makes him intriguing to an editor, such as:
• Any publishing credits (article or short story credits count, even if you’re not published in book-length �ction)
• Organizations of which you’re a member (and that are relevant to the submission and to writ-ing in general)
• Any information that makes you an expert on the subject the book deals with, or any special research done in the area the book deals with
• Your day job, but only if it’s intriguing or in some way parallels the submission. (Include only in-formation that is pertinent to your submission, or that in some way puts you or your body of work in a promising, impressive light.)
In the �nal paragraph of your query letter, tell the edi-tor what you’re enclosing in this package, if anything, and con�rm that the manuscript is complete, polished, and ready for review. (Never query for a project in prog-ress.) Most writers end the query with words similar to:
“I’d be happy to send you the entire manuscript at your request. I look forward to hearing from you.” �ese facts are obvious, but their expression is brief, and they do an acceptable job of closing your letter.
Finish o� your query letter with something simple, not gushy, such as “Sincerely,” or “Respectfully,” fol-lowed by three to four blank lines. Type your name below where your signature will go.
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Let’s talk about how to make your partial so fascinat-ing, editors absolutely won’t be able to wait to see the full manuscript.
Always include a cover page on top of your partial. �e cover page text should be centered, beginning with the working title (which can be bold and in a larger font), then word count, followed by your contact informa-tion, including name, address, phone number and e-mail address. No header should appear on the cover page.
Each page of the rest of your partial should have a header including the title of your book, le�-aligned.
Your name and the page number should be aligned on the right in the header on every page of the partial.
On the �rst page of your partial following the cover page, space down eight lines and center your title (again, all capitals, bold, and a larger font are �ne).
A�er another space or two, include your name. Double space and begin to the le�. It’s acceptable to put the �rst two or three words in all capitals. Your next paragraph should be indented �ve spaces.
When you begin a new chapter a�er this point, make a hard page break, then start just as you did before, with the chapter number bolded and centered eight spaces down from the top of the page.
Scene breaks can be indicated by a blank line, with the �rst one or two words following the blank line le�-aligned. You can also use symbols to indicate a new scene is beginning—three asterisks with a blank line above and below them are the most common device for this. In order to be consistent with what you’ve done previously, if you’ve used all capitals for the �rst few words of the chapter, start at the le� in all capitals for a new scene.
A partial is either the �rst three chapters (includ-ing a prologue), or the �rst 50 pages of the manuscript.
Don’t choose 50 pages from the middle of your book-that would be cheating, and it’s frowned on by nearly all editors and agents. Send the �rst 50 pages unless the recipient speci�cally requests otherwise.
�e partial doesn’t have to be exactly 50 pages long.
Remember that you want your partial to end on an exciting note. If the end of your scene on page 50 or thereabouts is tantalizing, great. If it’s not, �nd a more suspenseful place to end your partial. Whatever you do, make the editor drool to read more.
�e basic structure of a high-concept blurb is: A character
(who) wants a goal (what) because he’s motivated (why),
but faces con�ict (why not).
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If editors don’t see cohesive characters, settings, and plots, they won’t request to see more of your manu-script. Also remember that these elements need to be developed almost as well (though much more suc-cinctly) in the synopsis as in your book.
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Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with your query letter, along with the partial and syn-opsis if directed. If you’re sending a partial, put a sturdy cardboard backing under the pile, and use extra-large rubber bands to secure the pile both vertically and hor-izontally. �is will keep it looking neat.
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Let’s go over the most common problems with partials and how to avoid them.
����������������������������������������What’s the most important part of a novel? Hands down, char-acters. You can have the greatest plot on the face of the earth, but if you don’t have even more exciting charac-ters, you’ll never pull it o�. Creating amazing characters that reach out of your query, synopsis, and partial and grab an editor by the heart should be your paramount task when you’re putting together a proposal. Nothing else you do will be even remotely as important. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if you completely �ub your proposal format, but your story characterization is out-standing, no editor will care about your faux pas. Great characters can right a thousand wrongs.
�������������������������������A story must be made up of cohesive elements. Characters, settings, and plot must �t together organically. All story threads—
from the main ones to the minor ones—must have a unity that leads to steady development and satisfac-tory resolution. Give editors and agent something to look forward to with pacing that heightens the intrigue.
When an editor or agent sees a lack of cohesion in your proposal, it’s a clear indication that you haven’t spent enough time thinking your story through and begin-ning with a solid foundation.
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some-thing intriguing. Within the �rst 10 pages, you need to have the editor or agent hooked.
������������������. I’m sure most of you have heard more about this than you care to, but if you submit a proposal rife with passive writing, not only will the edi-tor not want to see more of your manuscript, he won’t be interested in future submissions from you, either. Learn how to write in an active voice, show don’t tell, and give your prose impact and a natural, intriguing �ow.
��� �������������� A huge percentage of editors and agents won’t accept head-hopping because trying to �gure out who’s in viewpoint from one minute to the next grows frustrating. Only one POV character per scene—make that a rule from this point forward and don’t step over that line, because following this rule really will make your stories radically better.
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Send out your very best material. �is may mean prepar-ing your submission and lettprepar-ing it sit on a shelf for a week or two, possibly longer, before going back to view it with fresh eyes. Only then can you be con�dent in sending it to an editor or agent. Most editors and agents remember their
�rst impression of an author for years to come. Make sure their �rst impression of you is that you’re a professional who’s spent a considerable amout of time preparing a per-fect proposal with this speci�c editor/agent in mind.
Finally, don’t feel like everything I’ve said here is written in stone. As long as everything in your submis-sion is consistent, editors aren’t likely to be o�ended by a slightly di�erent setup. Just make sure you provide every editor you submit to the most professional, con-sistent, and intriguing proposal possible.
�e contents of your query letter, synopsis, and partial—
not to mention how you package them—will play a part in how the editor or agent you submit to responds to your story. Armed with a clean, professional setup and a story that you’ve made utterly irresistible in each por-tion of your proposal, you can have editors and agents begging for your manuscript.
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To help you successfully complete your book in 30 days, this issue includes nine worksheets to help you keep track of plot, scenes, characters and revisions. All worksheets included in this issue are described below. You can down-load PDF versions of all worksheets by visiting http://www.writersdigest.com/article/novel-in-30-days-2011.
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PAGES 102–104 See: “How You Can Write a Book in a Month,” pages 4–8These worksheets help you outline before you start writing, and/or keep track of your story’s progression as you go.
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PAGES 105–106 See: “Your 7-Day Jumpstart,” pages 33–39This worksheet is especially critical for writers who will be working without any kind of outline. During the first few days of your 30-day e�ort, you should complete this worksheet.
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PAGE 107See: “Your 7-Day Jumpstart,” pages 33–39; “To Outline or Not to Outline,” pages 23–30
Scene cards can be used as an outlining tool before you begin your 30-day e�ort, or as a daily writing and brainstorming technique. Scene cards can also play a critical role in revision. Index cards can be used instead of the worksheet if preferred.
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PAGES 108�112 See: “Your 7-Day Jumpstart,” pages 33–39The At-A-Glance Outline o�ers a quick way to fill in the blanks of your story. It guides you to answer the right ques-tions for each area of your story, the quesques-tions that will come up fast when writing.
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PAGES 113�114 See “Your 7-Day Jumpstart,” pages 33–39Keep track of the qualities of each major character using these sketches. As you become more experienced as a writer, you may want to create your own character profile worksheets.
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PAGE 115See: “Your 7-Day Jumpstart,” pages 33–39
This more advanced outlining worksheet helps you identify where and how you will reveal important aspects of each major character.
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PAGE 116See: “The Art of Closing Well,” pages 77–84
This worksheet helps you consider your novel’s climax, the point where the protagonist faces the conflict directly, with his goal on the line.
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PAGE 117See: “The Art of Closing Well,” pages 77–84
Questions on this worksheet analyze the novel’s post-climax scenes with an eye toward tying up unresolved arcs and the novel as a whole.
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PAGE 118See: “The Art of Closing Well,” pages 77–84
Plan ahead for characters’ changes of heart, new situations, unexpected betrayals and more.