Submitting Requested Material
If we request your writing, please follow these guidelines which elaborate on the information in our request letter.
We do accept this material by email, and you will receive instructions about how to send it from us when we solicit your writing from you.
Please send the manuscript, requested pages, or proposal along with…
We do accept this material by email, and you will receive instructions about how to send it from us when we solicit your writing from you.
Please send the manuscript, requested pages, or proposal along with…
- Cover letter This should be a brief letter stating that we requested your work and what is enclosed in your package. Please keep it short and factual.
- Bio Please include previous writing credentials including articles, reviews, stories, and books already published; classes attended or taught; writers’ colonies attended; grants and awards received; and any other experience or pertinent information relevant to your book project and writing career. If your book relates to a topic, particularly for non-fiction books, then author credentials in that area are also important.
- If submitting fiction A synopsis. Please try to restrict the synopsis to one page.
- If submitting non-fiction A table of contents or outline. It’s fine for this to be several pages as the outline is probably a major portion of the book proposal. Descriptions of what will be covered in each chapter are helpful. Remember, part of the purpose of a book proposal is to whet the reader’s appetite. An agent or editor should finish reading the proposal with two thoughts in mind: the subject is fascinating and it warrants a book-length treatment (not a shorter length such as a magazine article).
- Market statement A marketing statement contains information about who will buy and read the book, how the book can be sold by the publisher, and how you as an author will work to promote the book. The statement should answer the following questions about who will buy the book: Who is the target audience for this book? Why is it timely, important, newsworthy, etc.? Why did you write the book? It's also helpful if you include an answer to the end of the following sentence: “My book is the first ever to….” If there are any relevant statistics or figures, these are helpful too particularly for books, both fiction and non-fiction, that focus on a theme or topic. We don't need to know which publishers you think would want to publish the project, that's our job. We want to know who will read it and how you as an author plan to support the book once it's on bookshelves so that it becomes a successful title.
- SASE Self-addressed, pre-stamped envelope large enough for however much you sent that you want returned. If you want us to recycle your manuscript should we pass up representation, please say so in your cover letter and enclose an envelope for a letter response only. If you want all of your materials returned, please send a jiffy padded mailer, box, or other appropriate package. Please do not send cash or checks to cover the cost of postage and shipping materials or loose stamps. We only accept self-addressed, pre-stamped envelopes. We do not accept International Postal Coupons. We frequently respond by email, and if you have sent all of your material by email, there is, of course, no need for a SASE.
