Meg Chittenden Waves
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To Market, To Market

Talk to booksellers. Tell them what kind of book you've written; they may be able to direct you to the publishers who publish similar books. Look at books on bookstore shelves to see who is publishing what. Check books at the library with the same purpose in mind. It's a good idea to do this as you're writing your novel. Many authors have a publisher in mind in advance, one whose books they perhaps admire or enjoy reading. Write to publishers for their catalogues, which contain descriptions of the books they publish.

At the reference department of the library, you will find books that list the various publishers--Literary Market Place, for instance. Some also describe the kind of books they publish and how to make submissions--as in the annual The Writer's Handbook.

Once you've decided which publishers are most likely to be interested in publishing your book, make a list of them and then write a query letter or book proposal, depending on their submission requirements. I have never approached more than one publisher at a time with a query or book proposal, but this has become an increasingly acceptable approach. Note: Do not send an entire manuscript to a publishing house unless you are asked to do so. It will come winging back to you. And never submit an entire manuscript to more than one publisher.

Usually a query letter gets a fairly rapid response. What should be included in a query letter? The title of your novel. The approximate length. Any publishing credits you already have. The fact that the novel is completed. A brief description of the novel. The kind of novel it is: mystery, science fiction, western, romance--whatever. Ask if you may submit a synopsis and sample chapters.

What should never be included in a query letter? Jocular remarks about suicide or starvation or bills piling up. Affidavits stating that friends or relatives tell you you're a great writer. A query letter is a letter from one professional to another.

Always address query letters or proposals to a particular editor by name, which you'll find in the Literary Market Place. Or you can make a quick call to the publishing house and ask which editor you should write to about your particular kind of novel. Many publishers will send you guidelines on request; always include a stamped self-addressed envelope (SASE).

When you send a proposal, (a synopsis and three sample chapters), wrap it securely and enclose a self-addressed label with enough postage for its return clipped to it. I use first class mail or priority mail for proposals or complete manuscripts. I used the cheaper manuscript rate until I discovered one of my proposals took five weeks to reach New York and looked as if it had been run over by a truck when it got there. Remember, the way you treat a manuscript says a lot about how important it is to you.

When you mail an entire book manuscript, use a strong cardboard box, such as the kind a ream of typing paper comes in, and enclose label and return postage. I have also wrapped my manuscript in the sturdy white paper that comes off reams of laser printer paper, then put the package in a padded envelope with label and return postage.

Be prepared for rejection. Even if an editor gives you a professional "go-ahead" on your query and asks to see the whole manuscript he or she may still turn it down.

There are several degrees of rejection. Most common is the printed rejection slip attached to the manuscript. It basically says thanks but no thanks. Busy editors do not have time to write down the reasons for turning down a manuscript, unless they think it can be revised to make it acceptable. Nor do they have time to enter into lengthy correspondence with writers they have turned down. Your manuscript might not be right for a particular publishing house. The publisher may have bought a similar novel the week, month, year before, or it just won't fit their list. The first reader may not like it, or thinks it's poorly written. There are probably as many reasons for rejection as there are manuscripts hurtling toward New York.

Don't take rejection personally. In my opinion, the only way to handle rejection is to meet it head on and leap over it. We should never interpret rejection as meaning we're no good; we should look upon it as a challenge. (I'm going to show them!) Nobody's rejecting you. If you receive a rejection, it means only that your manuscript did not fit the needs of that particular editor at this particular time. Look at your proposal again, all the same, see if you can improve it before sending it out again.

The second degree of rejection shows up when an editor writes a comment on the rejection slip. This is usually a good thing to have happen. The editor might not care for this novel but is interested in seeing something from you in the future. Or the comment might say something about the quality of your writing. Even a simple "Sorry!" is encouraging, because it means there was something there the editor liked. Remember that editor for future projects.

I've only had one experience of a comment on a rejection slip that was negative. I had written a mystery story with what I thought was a really good twist ending and I sent it off to a mystery magazine. I became very excited when I saw a written message on the rejection slip. Until I read it. "Were we supposed to be surprised?" it asked. I was crushed.

The third degree of rejection arrives in the form of a letter telling you why the manuscript is being turned down. Or it might suggest changes you can make and ask you to resubmit. Do it. But don't count on a definite sale until you get a definite offer.

Let's think positive now. Say an editor asks to see your proposal, likes it and likes the completed manuscript and you get a phone call telling you the editor wants to publish it. (It seems to be an axiom in the publishing business that good news comes by telephone, bad news by mail.) Your next order of business will be the publishing contract.

Don't sign it without reading it carefully. If you don't understand parts--and you probably won't--ask whoever gave you the good news to explain it to you. If you don't have an agent, or know a lawyer with experience of literary contracts, ask an established writer to look at the contract, or try to get an agent on the strength of the contract.

Once the contract is signed, you will be assigned an editor who will no doubt request some changes in the manuscript. When that editor is satisfied with the plot and characters and so on, a copy editor will go through the manuscript and make necessary, (and sometimes unnecessary,) grammatical and semantic changes. The novel will be scheduled for publication on a certain date. There may or may not be any publicity on the part of the publisher, depending on the customs of that particular house, their budget for advertising, and the position of your novel on their list for that particular month. You can do a certain amount of publicity yourself by sending out flyers well ahead of publication date to bookstores and anyone else whose address you can get hold of. Self-promotion is another book in itself and your best bet is to wait until you have a contract and then ask other writers in your field what they do.

Now let's talk about editors. I used to think that writers lived on Mount Olympus with all the other gods. An editor, on the other hand, was Caesar presiding over the sports arena--a thumb up for life for this gladiator, thumbs down for death for that one.

I have learned that editors are usually quite kindly human beings. I've worked with many, and most have become my friends. But when one of my editors calls me on the telephone and tells me how wonderful my new proposal is and then adds the word I've been waiting for, and dreading--"but..."--we are both immediately professional. We know that we both want to produce the best book we can. So my feelings aren't hurt and I don't take the criticism personally.

After I hang up the phone, I examine my work judiciously and objectively. I might then say, "Nah, what do editors know?" but then I look again and sigh, because I can see that as usual the editor was right: This part of the plot is too thin. On the other hand, when something is changed that I feel strongly about, I fight for it. I've always received a hearing and usually have been allowed to change it back.

Most editors are actively looking for good manuscripts. If you have writing talent and are willing to work hard and accurately, if you have enough imagination to be original, if you believe that your writing is worth all the talent and skill and care that you can bring to it, then you will find an editor.