Making submissions

If you are submitting your work to an agent or directly to a publishing house, check through the following guidelines to give it its best chance:

• Is whatever material you are sending cleanly typed and legible? Never send handwritten material or anything in a typeface or size which would make it difficult for the recipient to read it. 
• For most work, submit it in a standard form, which is double-spaced and printed on one side of the paper only, ideally in 12 point Times New Roman.
• Scrutinise any submission rules on the agent or publisher's website and follow them exactly.
• Most publishers no longer accept unsolicited submissions. 
•  Send it to an agent or publisher as an email attachment when specifically asked to do so.  Times have changed and it is now far more acceptable to submit online.
• Don't send your work in hard copy if email submission is specified.
• It may sound obvious, but don’t send anything which looks tired or tatty – print it out or get it photocopied again to present it at its best, so it doesn't look as if it's already done the rounds. For more advice on preparing typescripts and our Manuscript typing service. 
• In the first instance, send a letter, an outline and two or three chapters, not the whole manuscript. Any interested publisher or agent will ask you to send the whole manuscript anyway. 
• If you're not sure whether you've got your submission package in good shape, our Submission Critique Service can help with this. 
• Our page Your submission package shows you how to put yours together. 
• Read through what you are sending carefully and try to make it as literate as possible, or get it copy-edited (see our Copy-editing service). Some successful authors can’t spell, but it’s very off-putting to try to read an illiterate manuscript and you need to be successful before you can get away with turning in something which is sub-standard.
• Always try to send your submission to a named editor or agent (check our UK and US agent listings), rather than just to the publishing house or agency.
• If you are sending your manuscript in printed form, always send return postage, preferably in the form of a stamped, addressed envelope or jiffy bag, or an international money order, if you want your material back.
• Remember that the person on the other end is probably an assistant with a giant pile of manuscripts to get through. They will be short of time, but genuinely pleased to discover something worthwhile in the slush-pile. Try to write an attention-grabbing (but not too long) submission letter and present yourself and your material as well as you can.

Finding an Agent

See Michael Legat’s Factsheet 5: Submissions and How to avoid rejection for more background on submissions.

Check the Submission Critique Service.