Claire Wingfield Editorial and Literary Consultancy

 The Ultimate Guide to Submitting Your Manuscript to Publishers and Agents

For authors, submitting a manuscript to publishers and agents is a rite of passage. It can feel quite a daunting process and something of an emotional rollercoaster. We are often emotionally attached to our words and our books can feel part of us – especially if the writing process has stretched over several years. The stakes are high and the journey can be unfamiliar. 

Here's how to plan a submissions campaign to give your manuscript query the best chance of success.

Prepare a list of target publishers and agents

In the UK, the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook is an excellent resource containing an extensive (though not exhaustive) list of agents and publishers.

Start with the agents and cross-check all companies that interest you online. Check their websites and social media feeds, even online reviews, to see that they would be a good fit for your work and you would be happy with the literary agency or agent representing you. If you would like to submit your work to a particular agent or agency, check for any submission requirements and the contact details for submissions.

Note, companies in The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook are not vetted, so practice due diligence when undertaking your research. There are some businesses in the listings that may offer publication for a fee. As you were not looking for publishing services but rather publishers and agents for a traditional publishing arrangement, steer clear of these. If in doubt, a quick search online with terms such as ‘complaint’ or ‘review’ plus the company name is always wise.  

Once you have some legitimate agencies or publishers to submit to, create a spreadsheet, listing each company with their submission requirements and contact details, plus any notes (e.g. you might notice they have published a popular title in the same genre you are writing in, which you could mention in your submissions cover letter). Include a column for date of submission and another for the response.

I recommend submitting to all the agents you are interested in before moving on to any publishers taking direct submissions. This is because if a literary agent were to be interested in representing your work, you would be in a better position if they had the possibility of submitting to all publishers on your behalf, rather than you having already submitted to some. As it can take a good amount of time for literary agencies to work through submissions, it may be 3 or 4 months later that you turn your attention to publishers, should you not have found a literary agent or agency to partner with.

Ensure all your submissions targets are a good match, and you can see evidence or a statement that they represent or publish books in the same genre as yours. (A lot of time is wasted in the publishing industry when manuscripts that don’t fit a company’s list are submitted. E.g. Submitting poetry to a company that does not publish or represent poets and their work.)

Whilst you may decide to submit in batches of e.g. 5 or 10 submissions at a time, if you are serious about your submissions strategy, it is ideal to aim for an exhaustive list by checking all those listed in the directory for likely matches. This is to avoid potentially spending several years following a scattergun submissions approach. (This is on the assumption that the manuscript is as strong as you can make it. You might consider a manuscript assessment service or professional edit prior to be sure of this. In my work as an editor and literary consultant, I will always let a writer know whether their work requires another round of submissions or is ‘submissions ready’.)

Bonus Points  

This submissions research phase is a fantastic time to increase your author social media presence. As you are looking at agent and publisher websites and social media, you could be sharing any interesting articles or posts, increasing your engagement and potentially your audience. 

Where else can I find literary agents or publishers to submit to?

The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (there is an edition for children’s authors and illustrators also) is an excellent starting point, but you might also look in the acknowledgements of recently published books in your genre or look out for literary events to attend. I enjoy visiting the Edinburgh Book Festival and always take time in the festival bookshop to collect some publisher catalogues, which gives a good overview of what different companies are currently publishing. An industry magazine such as The Bookseller can also help to show new trends and potential opportunities.

Your research should keep your motivation levels set to high for compiling and polishing your submissions package. As it can be a fairly time-consuming task, consider giving yourself a set time per day to work on this, to keep your enthusiasm high, rather than expecting to finish in one session or day.

Prepare submissions material

Unless otherwise specified by a particular agent or publisher, your submissions package for a work of fiction will consist of:

Submissions cover letter

Cover letter

First 3 chapters or 50 double-spaced pages of your manuscript

For non-fiction, you will likely find agent / publisher websites invite a more detailed ‘proposal’, including detailed chapter outlines and a comparison of your intended book to others on the market. This is because unfinished manuscripts are more acceptable in non-fiction submissions than in fiction, due to the concept / idea being so key. You will likely find more detailed submissions requirements on the websites for literary agents and publishers dealing with non-fiction submissions and should follow these.

Submissions cover letter

I’ve viewed a lot of overly complex submissions cover letters. No need to tie yourself in knots. The submissions reader wants to know:

What is being submitted: genre, word count, title, that it’s a complete manuscript (fiction) or what the date of completion is expected to be (non-fiction). I am writing to submit my [crime] novel, [title], complete at [70,000] words.

The hook. Think of a book cover and how quickly it communicates the concept of a book and draws the reader in. You need to do this for your book, in an appealing and memorable way. (Memorable because if the submissions readers likes your submission, they will likely need to discuss it with others in the company. You need to make it easy for them to explain or repeat the hook.)

Where on the shelf does the book sit? Comparative texts are super helpful in the book industry. Think about how Netflix offers more content based on what you’ve already viewed. Show there is an appetite for your work by pointing to the success of books with similarities to yours. This also shows you have a sense of how to market your book and reach your ideal reader.

Who’s the author? A little about you is helpful, but don’t feel the need to write too much as the focus needs to remain on the book. No need to mention writing courses etc. or the process of or motivation for writing the book. If there are any links to your background that show authenticity in writing about a place or industry, this is always helpful – as is any snippet that may be media-friendly. E.g. a highly exciting job or background, or an unusual relationship of some kind that led to or influenced the writing of the book. 

A polite sign-off is then all that’s needed. Thank you for considering my submission. I would be pleased to send the full manuscript on request, or to discuss my work with you.

If you have any links to the publisher or agent, you might include this in your opening paragraph, but no need to worry if you don’t have this. I have read lots of cover letters that try really hard to conjure up a link but make this unnecessarily complicated. From your research, you might mention a book you’ve seen on their website, or something you’ve read that made you want to submit to them. You might mention if you’ve met the person or seen them speak at a publishing industry event. However, if you don’t do this, but simply submit the manuscript with confidence as detailed above, that’s fine too. In a job with so much reading to do, professionals in the publishing industry appreciate brevity.

Ideally no more than 2 double-spaced pages (though check publisher or agent published guidelines for variations to this), the synopsis of a novel outlines the main action of the plot in the order in which it occurs.

The submissions reader is looking to check the structure and plotline is robust and satisfying.

Avoid generalisations such as ‘Jim experiences some hardship’ – unlike the blurb on the back of a book, spoilers are required. The submissions reader wants to see whether the specific challenges Jim undergoes are dramatically satisfying.

Where writers experience difficulties in writing a synopsis, this often indicates an issue within the manuscript. Perhaps the satisfying synopsis the author wants to write isn’t evident in the manuscript itself. I have known authors faced with the challenge of writing their synopsis return to their manuscript to tackle an underlying issue. (I’ve sometimes supported authors with a short period of mentorship at this time.)

Sometimes a difficulty in writing a synopsis is simply a difficulty in condensing the plotline for this purpose. It can be worth practising on a favourite novel in your genre if this is the case. Sometimes I am commissioned to prepare a synopsis for an author as part of an editing job. In this case, I keep a note of the plot as it develops in each chapter whilst I edit, then spend time condensing this, sometimes removing a strand (or several) of the plotline in order to keep the synopsis precise, appealing, and to the required page count. (It is of course impossible to include all plot developments for most novels in a synopsis. Aim to include your central story in as complete and appealing a manner as possible.)

Remember, none of your documents are the final word about your book. If an agent or publisher is interested in working with you, they will want to start a conversation to find out more. The trick is to give just enough information to make them want to start that conversation with you.

Opening chapters / material

To get a sense of your writing voice and whether the manuscript delivers on the promise of your cover letter and synopsis, the submissions reader will turn to your opening chapters. (The submission should always be accompanied by your opening chapters. Authors sometimes ask me if they can send a sample from a later part of the book, a request which can indicate the author suspects something in the opening isn’t working as effectively as it should be. The answer is sometimes to return to work on the manuscript, if an author believes the opening chapters isn’t a strong enough sample of their work.)

It’s a good idea to consider the questions your opening chapters raise. Do you leave enough clues for a reader to want to read on to ‘solve’ your book, or so many that their curiosity is more than satisfied and the pull to read on is lost? Sometimes an opening can feel overloaded with information, where a lighter approach is a more comfortable and compelling read.

Don’t forget to double-space your manuscript, give page numbers and a clear title. E.g. Submission of [title] by [author]. Ideal to include a header including your contact details on each page.

Sending your publisher or agent submission

Unless otherwise requested, you will be sending your submission via email. Your cover letter can be pasted into the body of your email. Never cc submissions, but send to one recipient at a time. This habit helps to ensure you personalise submissions where possible and sometimes you may make a tweak to your submissions and test out a different approach. (Key submissions points to remember are to be confident, concise and to keep focus on the book in question.)

Make sure your email has a clear title in the header. Submissions are often dealt with in quiet periods or on set days, so the submission needs to be easily found again if needed. Including the word ‘submission’, the title and author in the email heading means the query can be searched for at the appropriate time if needed.

If you are sure you are submitting the strongest version of your book (perhaps you have had editorial feedback or a manuscript assessment indicating the manuscript is ‘submissions ready’) you can simply work through all the agent queries first, leave a gap for their responses (this may be of several months) before moving on to publishers accepting direct submissions. Your aim is to complete an exhaustive submissions campaign, so you feel you have left no stone unturned.

If you feel you are ‘testing the waters’ with your submission and you aren’t fully convinced it is ‘submissions ready’ but are e.g. unable to develop the manuscript further, you may want to submit in batches, so you can see if there is agent / publisher feedback you can learn from. (No feedback or personalised response is something to learn from in itself; consider seeking feedback from a professional editor or literary consultant in this instance.) With this approach, don’t pick the publishing partners you are most keen to work with in the first batch. There is a danger of spending too long on the submissions process if you only submit in dribs and drabs (I know authors who have been submitting the same manuscript over a period of several years) so you may want to discuss your strategy with a literary consultant if you feel you are not making progress.

What next?

If an agent or editor at a publishing house like what they read, they may request the full manuscript. They may also request a phone or in-person meeting, to get to know you as an author. If you may get nervous on the phone, consider preparing notes with your key points before any scheduled call.

If a publishing or literary representation contract is offered, take time to read and understand it carefully, of course. The Society of Authors offers contract advice to its members. You can make contact about taking out a membership and receive advice fairly swiftly.

Don’t forget that it’s fine to take a little time to ‘get your ducks in a row’ before signing any publisher or agent contract, whilst expressing enthusiasm for the offer. During that time, you can contact any other party you have submitted to but not heard back from, updating them that you have received an offer but stating that you would still be happy for them to consider the manuscript. Offering a short deadline for them to do so can be what’s needed to get eyes on your submission in a busy industry. This is why it’s important to keep your submissions spreadsheet up to date.

If you receive more than one offer, you’ll be in an excellent position to weigh up the different proposals and decide which is best for your book and your author career. Do this delicately of course as deals can fall through and you may later decide to submit a different manuscript to the other publisher. It goes without saying that all communication should be professional and as efficient as possible. (Overall goal is to demonstrate that as well as having written an excellent and marketable book, you would be pleasant to work with as an author.)

If 3 months pass with no response, consider sending a short follow-up email, re-attaching your submissions documents. Great if you have some positive writerly news to share in the meantime. E.g. you have been published in a magazine or journal, or you have amassed an impressive social media following including an audience for your book.

There are many reasons a publisher or agent may not take a good submission further. They may have committed to publishing something similar; their lists may be full; they may simply be too busy with existing work to give due attention to their submissions. As an author, you have to decide whether you want to keep looking for submissions opportunities; whether you need to work further on the manuscript (either under your own stream or supported by a literary consultant, editor or writing mentor); whether you will move on to write something else in the hope that conditions for book 1 may be more favourable in the future; or whether you might independently publish your work, proving your audience and learning more about how your book is received by the reading public. All of these are valid options. The trick is to keep moving forwards in some way, rather than allowing a lack of response to your submissions to derail your plans as a writer.

Expert manuscript submissions tip

I once polled the traditionally published authors I work with, and a high proportion said a personal connection had in some way led to their publishing or agent contract. This could be as simple as meeting an agent or literary editor at a publishing event. Edinburgh holds a regular literary salon, for example; Glasgow has Weegie Wednesday where publishing professionals and authors can mingle. See what opportunities you can find. Don’t go with a manuscript in hand or monopolise an agent or editor with a long discussion of your book. Better to keep any interactions relatively short and follow up by email. Less pressure on you and demonstrates you will be an author who understands professional boundaries. Publishing professionals attend these events to socialise and keep up with others in the industry but also to promote their respective companies, so it’s fine simply to say you saw them speak at an event and are now getting in touch rather than to feel you need to pitch your work at the event itself.

You could also look out for schemes that help you to make industry connections. For example, Scottish Book Trust runs a popular New Writers’ Award which gives a number of authors mentoring opportunities (I have both mentored and been a mentee on this fantastic initiative) and also the chance to read from their work to an audience including publishers and agents. There are also schemes that aim to help authors from underrepresented groups get their work considered. In Scotland, the Literature Alliance have done some good work in signposting those opportunities and sometimes runs ‘away days’ for the literary sector, giving a chance to tune in to industry discussions and meet publishing industry professionals. Look out for similar opportunities wherever you are based.

Final word on submitting to publishers and agents

As anyone who’s received a rejection for their work knows, resilience is key. Over time, we improve our knowledge, improve our skills, improve our offering. It is not unheard of for an author to later work with a company that once rejected a manuscript of theirs (which is why it is important not to send a knee-jerk reaction to a rejection and never to give a defensive response or argue back! I’ve seen all of these over my career… If a response is needed, a simple Thank you for taking the time to consider my submission or thank you for your valuable feedback is ideal), so it is helpful to remember that a ‘no’ to your work now may not always be the same answer. If you’re in it for the long haul, any response to your submissions campaign is helpful information, even when it may not be the answer you were hoping for right now.

Best of luck with your submissions campaign. I wish you every success. You are welcome to drop me an email to let me know how it’s going.