8 Tips on Submitting Writing!

Through the eyes of a editor.

Editors are the verso of the writing coin. Where a writer wishes to elaborate, an editor wants to eliminate. If a writer is stuck inside a character too long and it spills into a narrator, an editor will want the speakers to be separated at the hip. Syntax, grammar, tense, and so on and so forth. A writer’s end goal is to feel that the manuscript is perfect.

However, I don’t believe anything can ever be perfect. Writing, and subsequently publishing, should be seen as a team effort. Not a sport, but not a class final. Something in the middle, where both writer and editor can agree when the best version is ready to print.

Ok, there’s your prelude, now onto the eight, juicy tips. You will see what editors (me, duh) are looking for in a manuscript. These tips can be used immediately and can result in building credibility as a potential client moving forward.

1. Address the cover letter to a person on the masthead. Sir/Madam is obsolete. It takes a few seconds to copy/paste a name from the masthead. Speaking from personal experience, there are rare occasions in which I see another press or editor’s name in the cover letter. It is inauthentic and leads to hasty rejections.

   1. Subpoint! Try to follow any and all formatting rules, word counts, etc. If the editor went out of their way to list them, you should be able to follow them. Use your best judgment regarding how much the editor is asking for.