How long should my story be? Who should I send it to? What do I
put in the cover letter?I don't have any credits, what now? Do
these questions go through your mind as you sit down to write a
story? If so, then read on. As the former Grand Poobah of the
Science Fiction Forum at Inkspot, I dealt with many new, and not
so new, writers. The questions they asked have revealed a common
thread among them, fear. If you're one of these writers, let me
give you a word of advice. Relax!
First of all, don't concern yourself about submission
guidelines, story length, chapter length, precise genre typing
of your story and all the other technical stuff. Especially if
you haven't even started writing your story. Until your story is
finished, these questions, and other related topics, are
basically irrelevant. Just write your story. Stories take on a
life of their own and create their own length and flow.
After writing, edit without mercy. Make each word count. Be sure
your scenes and characters are clear, alive and interesting.
Include at least one conflict, and have that conflict resolved
by the end of the story.
When your story is done, that's when you research markets and
follow their guidelines. Even guidelines have some flexibility.
Word count can be a "little" above or below what they say. If
your word count is well above what they state, query the
publication to see if they ever serialize stories. After your
research is done, mail off your manuscript and forget about it.
Focus on the new story your working on. You're working on a new
story aren't you?
If your story is rejected, just file the rejection letter, or
throw it away, and submit the manuscript to the next publication
on your list. Don't take the rejection personally, because it's
not. There are more reasons for rejection than I can count. The
publication is full, a story like yours was just published or
will soon be published, for some personal reason the publisher
didn't like it, your name is similar to the name of someone the
publisher doesn't like, he read a story like yours a year ago
and didn't like it and so on. But don't let this discourage you.
If your story is good, and you know it is, it will be published.
Your job as a writer is not to sweat the details, but to write
and get published. Stay focused on the story, and don't confuse
writing with the research you must do to be published.
So focus on the joy of writing, do the job of submitting and
have fun.
Following are some common questions, and their answers.
Q: What font should I use? A: Use Times New Roman set at 12
point.
Q: How long should a manuscript be? A: This varies according to
each publisher, but here is a pretty accurate guideline. Short
story - up to 7,000 words Novelette or Novella - 7,000 to 15,000
words Novel - over 15,000 words Graphic novel - 40 or more pages
Book outline - 5 to 15 double spaced pages
Q: What is a publications response time? A: You can find this in
each publication's, or publisher's, guidelines. I usually add a
month before sending them a follow-up letter.
Q: What should I have in a follow-up letter? A: Keep it simple.
I just say this, "On (date) I sent a (manuscript or article) to
you titled (title). Would you please update me as to the status
of my (manuscript or article)? Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, (your name)
Q: How do I simultaneously submit a story? A: If you are sending
a manuscript to more than one publisher at a time, simply write
a cover letter as normal, but toward the bottom include, "Be
advised that this proposal (or article) is being reviewed by
other publishers (or publications).
Q: What is standard manuscript format? A: First, be sure to read
each publication's guidelines. Proofread the entire manuscript,
and be sure to use spell check. On the first page in the top
left corner put your name, address, phone number and social
security number. On the top right corner put the word count. On
the following pages put your last name, manuscript title and
page number in the top right corner. Print your manuscript on
white, 20 pound, 8 1/2 x 11 paper and do not use a dot matrix
printer. Use only one side of the paper and have a 1 1/2 inch
margin on all sides. Double-space the entire manuscript. When
done, make a copy of the manuscript, and send out the copy. Keep
the original for yourself. And ALWAYS include a SASE.
Q: How do I write a cover letter? A: Keep it simple. A cover
letter simply says, "Hi. Here's my story. Here's where I've been
published (if you have been). Thanks." My cover letters follow
this format:
My name and address
Date
Their name and address
Dear Mr. X,
"One Per Customer" is the story of a futuristic murder mystery,
where we find the murderer is ourselves, in a very abstract way.
My writing has appeared in numerous publications, including:
"Aphelion," "Twilight Times," "My Sister's Secret Place,"
"Erotic Fiction by Rose," "EWG Presents," "Planet Magazine,"
"Hadrosaur Tales," "Realm Of The Vampire," "Realm Of Darkness,"
"Cutter Magazine," "Newsbits Weekly," "Forty-Niner Newspaper,"
"Western Photographer Magazine," "National Management
Association Bulletin" and "Art Direction and Design of Orange
County Newsletter."
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Jeff Colburn
About Author :
Jeff Colburn is a freelance business writer. He can be reached
at his site, The Creative Cauldron (www.CreativeCauldron.com),
or at JeffColburn@CreativeCauldron.com
