A few years ago, I wrote an article that was syndicated over a lot of writer sites regarding the importance of following publisher guidelines. I think the actual method of submitting a work to a publisher is just as important, if not more important, than the submission itself. You can have the greatest story in the world, but if the editor never opens the e-mail, you will never get published.
So I thought that since we just announced our new submission guidelines on our site, it might be a good idea to remind people about some of the biggest reasons articles and stories get rejected before they are even read.
1. Completely wrong market. No matter how good your erotic thriller might be, it will do you no good to send it to me. I will not read it. I don't publish erotic thrillers. I publish speculative fiction. Don't know the difference? I suggest you learn it. Magazines, ezines, and publishers generally have very clear guidelines for what they will and will not consider. Their readerships expect certain types of stories, and the publisher is not going to surprise them with something out of left field that the readers have no interest in. So before you send off your young adult love story to a publisher who publishes mysteries and crime dramas, realize you are deliberately wasting the time of an editor. And editors remember people who deliberately waste their time...they remember to not work with them.
2. Gimmick Subject Lines. Most anti-virus/anti-spam programs are specifically designed to reject certain flagged subject lines. And smart users, which you should assume your potential editor is one of, will add additional flags to further block spam. So don't write subject lines that read like spam. I've had people get furious with me for not responding to their queries, only to find out their queries were deleted by my spam software for subject lines like "Check this out" "For your consideration" "You need this!" "Please Open Now!" or the notorious "hi." Do you want to make friends quickly? Communication in your subject line what you are doing. If you are requesting writer's guidelines, say "request for writer's guidelines." "If you are submitting a poem, write "poetry submission for anthology" or whatever.
3. Multi-media submissions. Technology is a beautiful thing. It is also very annoying. Particularly when I open an e-mail submission that has background music. Or something that attempts to load a video clip. No, I don't need a personal voice message from you. No, it doesn't not make me like you more. No, I probably deleted your e-mail before the video loaded, as I would have assumed it was a virus or porn.
4. Rainbow submissions. I can't believe I still have to talk about this. All submissions should be in one color. That color is black. Not fuschia. Not yellow. Not green. Black. Good, old fashion black on a white background. Do you know why? Because black on white provides the highest, clearest contrast. And good contrast is important when you are reading submissions. Just because you have the ability to write e-mails in multiple colors, does not mean you should do so when submitting a story.
5. Incoherent or longwinded queries. Your query letter is your first, and maybe only, chance to get an editor to take you seriously. Just today, I received the following query (indentifying information removed):
dead editors. my name is (deleted). i wrote a rely cool story :) i think u will like it a lot. i am hoping u will publsh my story (title deleted) in ur magazine. (editor note: we don't publish a magazine!) i have always wanted to be a riter and my friends all say i right rely well. i have lots of ideas for more stories so if u buy this one i will send u but if you don't i might not send NE more so if you want to see more stories by me plz let me know.
There is no excuse for this. I don't even know how someone writes like that. As I was retyping it I had to WILL MYSELF not to correct it. I don't care if you are in a hurry. Wait until you can think coherently before sending the e-mail. I don't care if you are on a Blackberry or some other device (I actually got this excuse once!). Wait until you get to a real computer and type something I can read. I don't care if your brother's friend's mother's cousin's neighbor's daughter thinks your story is good. I don't care if you have wanted to be a writer for the last twenty years. I don't care if you dream about being the next Stephen King. All I care about, all an editor cares about, is if you can write. Can you tell a story? Great. You can tell me your life story later if I need background information for marketing.
The above will get your story rejected before it is even read. Editors are busy people. They don't have time to sift through your gimmicks, quirks, and hurried messes to find your story. The quickest way to endear yourself to an editor is to present your work so that it is clean, neat, and easy to read. Do that, and if you have a sellable story you have a great chance of success.
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Comments: 34
You may miss a "Gem" of a worker? Or you may hold everyone to a certain standard and the first test of the job interview is "Can you dress yourself and be prepared?" We only accept online applications because everyone uses a computer at work and that's the first test- if you can't use a computer, you can't apply, and then we automatically weed out those people who are even remotely qualified.
Jeff, I'm not talking about typos of spelling errors. They happen, and a good editor fixes them. You don't expect the submission to be error free. But you DO expect the writer to demonstrate that he or she cares enough to attempt to put forward a professional face. Not knowing is not an excuse in the internet age. There are hundreds of websites and books tha provide information on how to write query letters, how to submit work, etc. Not knowing is not an excuse. You are right that everyone deserves a chance, but I would qualify that by saying everyone WHO DOES THE WORK deserves a chance.
As Victoria pointed out, you wouldn't show up for a job interview in crumbled, dirty clothes. Nor would you hand a prospective employer a resume covered in coffee stains and torn. A writer should make an effort to demonstrate that they respect and care about the craft enough to present a professional face. Not assume an editor is obligated to read their work just because they want them to.
I'm kidding, of course.
Thank you for giving us guidelines for the real world of publishing. Even when we think we know all the rules, it is good to be reminded once again.
This is a profession, not a "job". If you want to be treated like a professional, you must always present yourself as one.
I once submitted a poem to a contest and got the kindest note back telling me how much she (the writer of the letter) appreciated the poem but there was a typo which counted against me. She even told me she was not allowed to ask me to re-submit. I could almost hear this woman defending my poem. It turned out I still won second place but probably lost out on a first place win because of an error. It was hard to swallow but now I try even harder to proof my work.
Some lessons are hard to learn. I am blessed that there was one woman who saw my "gem" even with the error.
and learned quite a lot from this article.
Every conference, about 5% have to face the stare of the agent or editor who explains that had this arrived at their office, it would be rejected unread.
I hope a lot of new writers bookmark this article.
Even professional writers sometimes fall into the trap of letting our excitement over a prospective story lead us to sending off hurried queries. We know better, but every now and again, we still hit the 'send' button prematurely. For this reason alone, editors must be forgiven for being occasionally curt, ever-frazzled, and habitually slow to pass out compliments. All they want is high-quality content they can use!
I love it when my work gets a small private comment. Believe it or not those encourage me. My favorite rejection slip is badly typed (many typos) on a postcard. It told me that I had a great idea going and had lost it. The writer told me exactly where I lost it. He was right. He said if I found the story's true ending to send it to him and he would publish it. It was signed "Isaac Asimov". I treasure that to this day.