Hey. Sorry I didn’t post yesterday ( not that anyone is even reading this!) But I”ll explain real quick what a submission pack is. I think I’ll add photos later. For most aspiring authors, there are a few basic ways to get publishe based on my semi-extensive research.
(a) You have a parent who is published and by default are “in” with a publisher. If you have ANY talent, you can get a book published. How successful you are, well that’s a different story!
(b) You know an agent. This person liasons between publishers and can tell you how to find a home for your book.
(c) You send your four hundred page manuscript to an editor, someone mysteriously looks on the massive document, ignores all other pending assignments and decides to read it and then suddenly you are showered with million dollar offers, accolades and dirty invitations from models.
(d) You submit stuff using a tried and true method. With packs, which I shall explain below!
Since most publishers (if not all) do not accept unsolicited material (i.e 400 page document wrapped with twine). So, you use a Literary agent. This is a person who has slept in and frequently warms the beds of publishers. They know where your book will fit, and require a fee for their services (around 15-20%) These agents are EXTREMELY busy, especially those that have clients in the double digits, so you need to woo them with something called a QUERY letter, which sums up your 400 page monster in basically a paragraph. If it grabs their attention, they MIGHT contact you and ask you for more information. This could be :
– a 1-5 page synopsis of your book (more summarizing here)
– the entire manuscript (this means they really love you)
– or a not interested letter (some call this rejection letter)
You need a large envelope, to put your query in and also your SAE (Self Addressed Envelope). This is very important, they dont’ warm the beds of publishers to pay .39 cents to send you a response… especially if they aren’t interested. So its the Large page-sized envelope, a stamped letter with YOUR address on it (or else it goes back to the publisher, duh) and then whatever they ask for goes in the big envelope (e.g query letter).
I’ll put an example of a query letter soon. Now I must go and start revising my list of agents! peace!