So, You Want to Get Published?
blindly submitted proposals to several dozen randomly-chosen publishers that I found on the Internet. After all, one is just as good as the other (or so I thought). Surely, someone in this group would see that I was offering them the chance of a lifetime. Naturally, they would share my vision and offer me a generous contract.
Does this sound familiar? With the arrival of each successive letter, I became more and more discouraged. Now where do I turn? I wanted to get published, but…how? Is it good enough? Where should I go for advice? As it happened, there was a large bookstore near my home. So I went in and asked if there was anyone on their staff who could take at look at my manuscript and offer a professional evaluation. The owner pointed me to one of the department managers. He was a retired editor from one of the major publishing houses and worked for the store part-time. Maybe he could help. following day, if he could give his professional opinion of my writing skills. He agreed. Over pancakes and coffee, he told me all about the ins and outs of the publishing industry. After 30 years in the business, he should know. My writing style was good, he said, and my grammar was better than average. He was encouraging, yet gently admonished me that I had a lot to learn. And then he handed me the business card of a professional critique service, where they could evaluate my manuscript and offer helpful hints to make it even better. Their service wasn't cheap, and it took two weeks to complete. But after a lifetime dreaming of a career as a writer, that was the best money I ever spent. At last, after years of sitting at the feet of professional editors, agents, and experienced writers (and finally getting published!), it’s time to strike out on my own. The City Boy Editorial Service is now officially open for business. We offer you four services: Proofreading, copy editing, critique, and collaboration. 1) Proofreading Our simplest service. We will correct your spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Your word processor might have a wonderful spell checker, but you need much more than that. For example, perhaps you intended to say "through," but instead you omitted one letter and it came out as "though." The spell-check won't flag it, because "though" is a real word. For submissions of any length, our fee is $1.00 per page. 2) Copy Editing Beginning with a thorough proofreading, copy editing gets into the nuts and bolts of your writing, to make your message clear and consistent. We might suggest adding text here or deleting a section there, or the use of different words, to enhance the flow and clarity. Copy editing gives your work that polished look, the mark of a professional. For submissions of any length, our fee is $1.95 per page. 3) Critique A critique is an overall analysis of a manuscript that looks at your grammar, spelling, style, and general structure. As we read, we will ask: What are your strengths and weaknesses? Is your message coming through? Will your target audience feel that you have helped them? Do your arguments support your thesis? Are you spending too much time on each point, or not enough? Do you have an engaging personal style? Does the story contain a natural flow, which will retain your reader’s attention? So what did I learn from my critique? I needed to organize my thoughts into a more cohesive format; be sensitive to market trends; don't be too dogmatic when expounding my opinions. My readers should come away from the experience challenged, perhaps, but not offended. All of these elements would be taken into account by any editor who reads my manuscript. If you're writing a book we suggest that you send three chapters, up to 100 pages. Send the chapters that best represent the theme of the book, probably including the Introduction (if you have one) or Chapter 1. (This is typically what a publisher would expect, when you submit a proposal.) The fee for this service is $95. If you have a manuscript that's longer or shorter, ask for a quote. For articles or short stories you may send the entire manuscript, up to 50 pages. The fee for this service is $20 - 40. 4) Collaboration Maybe you need something more than help with a completed manuscript. Maybe you simply have a story to tell, and don't know where to start. We can help you create an outline and a few chapters. Whatever it is that you need, we can work with you to jump-start your manuscript. Every project and every client is different. Email us for a quote. Special situations If you have a need that is not covered here, just tell us about it and we can work out a deal for you. Bonus! In addition, for any service (except proofreading), we will attach a letter that summarizes our overall impressions of your work, with helpful hints on how to take your writing to the next level. In most cases, your manuscript will then be on its way back to you within 1-2 weeks. What’s your passion?
writing sci-fi, or fantasy? Or perhaps you feel moved to write the Great American Novel. We have assembled a team of editors, each of whom specializes in a particular genre and can help make your writing the best it can be. I'm already a good writer. Why do I need this kind of service? No matter how good your writing is, we all have a blind spot when evaluating our own work. An editor can examine your manuscript with fresh eyes and a detached perspective, to catch mistakes and suggest improvements. You're better off to learn these lessons now, than to offer your work to a publisher who might turn you down and never explain why. (Frankly, they almost never do.) As kind and sympathetic as they might be, they simply don't have the time to coach every writer who comes along. And besides, it's not their job to teach you how to write. Tens of thousands of manuscripts are submitted to publishers each year, and only a small percentage end up on bookstore shelves. Think of it as applying for a job: The personnel director may only scan your résumé for about ten seconds before moving on to the next one in the pile, so you've got to make those precious moments count. Writing a story is one skill; marketing yourself is another. It's a buyer's market out there, and first impressions are important. in. But won't my publisher have people on staff to do this kind of thing? Yes, indeed, publishers do have copy editors and proofreaders on their payroll. And they will almost certainly make quite a few changes to your manuscript before they're done. But this is not an excuse for you to not put your best foot forward. Let’s get started! Submit your manuscript on 8 ½ x 11” white paper, double-spaced, with margins of one inch on all sides. Use a simple font such as Courier or Times New Roman. Again, this is the format that publishers will expect from you. If you submit your work by snail-mail, you might wish to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope so that we can return it to you. Otherwise, we will add $5 - 10 to your fee for return postage and packaging. If you choose to submit by e-mail attachment (MS Word or plain text only, please), we ask that you scan the file for viruses, spyware, etc. before sending. We will then mark our comments with color-coded highlights, and return the manuscript to you by e-mail. If you'd like to have us print it out and return to you by snail-mail, we will add $10 - 15 to your fee for printing, postage, and packaging. Important! Please, never send your only copy of anything, to anyone, including us. You’ve worked hard to prepare your manuscript, and you don’t want to go down with the ship if it gets lost or damaged in the mail. Also, please see our warnings in Legal Stuff, under "Editorial Services." Payment: You can pay by check, payable to City Boy Enterprises, and send it along with your manuscript. If you submit your work by e-mail, we will wait until receiving your check before we proceed. Otherwise, we can accept payment by credit card (Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express). Just tell us you've chosen this option and we will send you an invoice by e-mail, which will enable you to make your remittance by Pay Pal. We will never know your credit card number. ready?
and choose from several ways to get in touch with us. We'd love to hear from you. |
Dear Author,
Thank you for submitting your manuscript for our review. After careful
consideration, we have determined that it does not fit into our current program.
Please understand, this decision is in no way a judgment upon the quality of your
writing. We receive thousands of submissions each year, and can only accept a
select few. We wish you success in finding the right home for your book.
Sincerely yours,
The Editors
Thank you for submitting your manuscript for our review. After careful
consideration, we have determined that it does not fit into our current program.
Please understand, this decision is in no way a judgment upon the quality of your
writing. We receive thousands of submissions each year, and can only accept a
select few. We wish you success in finding the right home for your book.
Sincerely yours,
The Editors
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| © 2006-07 City Boy Enterprises, Palmdale, CA All rights reserved. |
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