5 ways to make your submission shine
5 ways to make your submission shine
You’ve finished the manuscript. You’ve read it and reread until your eyes are sick of the sight of it and now all you want to do is get it published. Which means you need an agent. But you don’t have a clue how to approach one. We’ve all been there. But while it’s tempting to rush the next stage, preparing your agent submission is one of the most important parts of the publishing process. Literary agents can get up to 10,000 submissions a year. You want your letter to stand out from the slush pile for all the right reasons:
1. Do your research – sending your manuscript to an agent who doesn’t represent your genre is the most easily avoidable mistake out there, but you’d be surprised by how many writers do it. Your chosen agent’s website should have a list of the genres they represent as well as information about whether or not they’re accepting submissions (another fatal mistake). If you’re not sure how to find an agent, the best place to start looking is the back of all your favourite books. Most writers will thank their agents in their acknowledgements – make a list of the names that keep coming up in books similar to yours. Author websites like Jericho Writers also have Agent Match tools which help match you to an agent suitable for you. There’s lots of resources out there, so make sure you do your research.
2. Be specific - this means no ‘To whom it may concern’ blanket emails. When constructing a submission letter, be specific about why you’ve chosen to submit to that agent in particular (referencing books they’ve represented or things they look for will show you’ve done your homework). It’s also a good idea to include why you’ve chosen to write the story you’ve had. My debut novel, My Best Friend’s Murder, was borne out of a toxic friendship I had as a teenager. Including this in my letter showed why I was qualified to write about it.
3. Check it for typos – this will definitely be the first (and possibly only) thing of yours that the agent will read. Do yourself a favour and make sure you’ve checked it thoroughly for any typos or grammatical errors. It’s worth getting a second pair of eyes on it too – you’d be amazed at what the eye can swim past.
4. Keep track of your submissions – a simple Excel spreadsheet (all my Excel spreadsheets are simple by necessity) tracking who you’ve submitted to, what response you’ve received and what date you sent/received is a godsend when you’re waiting for news. While it can be tempting to pester an agent, most will take between 10-12 weeks to reply so check your spreadsheet for dates before you start pestering.
5. Be confident but realistic – while you need to be your novel’s greatest champion, making grandiose comparisons to literary greats, like JK Rowling or Lee Child, are only going to irritate agents. On that note, if you’re unfortunate enough to receive a rejection, don’t attempt to engage in a dialogue. Just lick your wounds and keep submitting – if you keep working at it, there will be an agent out there for you.
Good luck!