This Side of the Submission Desk
August 27th, 2009 by (Michy)
I have a unique perspective as a writer and an editor – I get to see what it’s like on both sides of the submission desk.
In particular, today, I’m talking about Unsent Letters. As many of you know, this project is my baby. I currently do the acquisitions, but I’m working on setting it up so someone else can at least wade through the slush pile for me so that only the very best of submissions are getting to me.
I am AMAZED (read: appalled) at how many submissions don’t adhere to the submission guidelines. When I’m in a good mood, I might point that out, and make a slightly lower offer. When I’m in a bad mood, that person might just get a rejection for it.
Okay, so the submission guidelines are somewhat confusing, and unlike some projects, Unsent Letters is just for writers, so it’s tough to get laypeople to understand the way submissions work and I get all that, I do.
But I’ve received submissions where there is no punctuation at all, lower case letters on names and proper nouns, horrible spelling that obviously wasn’t spell checked.
And you know what makes it worse? When I try to email the person and explain why they were rejected, and they want to argue with me about it!
The one good thing about this is that having been on this side of the submission desk, when I’m sending in my work, I make extra special sure to follow the guidelines as best I can to make the editor’s (or agent’s) job as easy as possible. Yes, a lot of acquisitions is subjective, but a lot of it falls back on the head of the writer who doesn’t take the time to make my job easy(er).
If there is one thing I can impress upon you, it’s read the submission guidelines and follow them!
More on this was written here:
Submission Guideline Etiquette: Pros Vs. Players
Submission Guidelines – or – “Can’t You Read?”
If you haven’t sent in your Unsent Letter, why not? Read the blog here and comment on others letters, and read the submission guidelines here and send yours in!
Love and stuff,
Michy
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Posted in Writing | 6 Comments »
August 27th, 2009 at 6:49 PM
I can’t believe how many people are doing that! I’m not the best writer out there and I can make a mistake here and there with spelling and punctuation. But I try my darnedest to get the guidelines right because that’s what gets your foot in the door. You can’t expect to get paid if you produce poor work and that goes for any trade. It kind of makes you wonder how many writers miss guidelines for major publishers. I wonder if that may be the reason why some publishers will say that they will only respond to people they want to publish?
August 27th, 2009 at 8:45 PM
Okay Michy,
Now you have scared me! Why haven’t I heard back on my Unsent Letter submission? Maybe I did a big goof, geeze I thought I understood the guidelines, but maybe I didn’t. I spell checked, I am sure I did, didn’t I? Sorry, just my panic for the day.
Seriously, I imagine you must wade through a lot of junk to give us the good stuff to read! Would love to help you out if there is anything I can do. I used to have to read submissions for a magazine I worked for, and I know sometimes all you can think is, “Are you serious?” when you read some of the awful stuff people send you and think it is publishable.
August 27th, 2009 at 8:54 PM
Donna, I’m not a stickler – I really just want it ‘close’ to the guidelines so it’s easy for me, but man… some of them are just.. I wonder, “What guidelines did you read?” Many come to me in the body of an email… that’s the worst way to send it to me.
Anyway… I’m not super picky about it, because if the writing is good, that’s most important, but sometimes I wonder why people don’t give themselves the absolute best leg up when vying for publication.
I’m honored to be able to publish some fantastic writers though!
As for Unsent Letters, I’m WAY behind on reviewing submissions. Check out the submission status page today though:
http://ourunsentletters.com/blog/?page_id=41
I’m working through them as fast as I can!
August 27th, 2009 at 8:58 PM
It truly irks me that people who can’t be bothered to correct a word that auto-spell-check has underlined seriously think of themselves as writers. By the time this comment gets posted, it will have been proof-read five times, re-written twice, and proofed again just before I give it a final proof-reading… then, maybe, post it.
I don’t think of myself as a writer.
Ned
August 27th, 2009 at 9:07 PM
so, uhm, Ned… does that mean you don’t want me to edit your comment? (giggles)
In a way, I know what you’re saying… it makes it tough on a professional freelancer to say, “I’m a writer.” when there are 20 million other folks who say the same thing – some are excellent and some suck, and yet, they are all ‘writers’.
One bad apple…
August 27th, 2009 at 9:46 PM
Writers, from newbies to seasoned pros, need to remember that (s)he who writes the check makes the call. It’s as simple as that.
Beth