Writer's Relief's video: Welcome to our Writer s Relief Caf Live Q A Event: How To Ace The Submissions Process

Here at Writer’s Relief (WritersRelief.com), we’ve been helping authors make targeted, effective submissions to literary journals and literary agents for over 25 years. We know the best things to do to get results…and just as important, we know what you SHOULDN’T DO. And we’ve developed a very handy checklist that can help you ace the submissions process. Many writers jump into sending out submissions without bothering to learn how the publishing industry works. The Submissions Checklist Every Writer Should Use (JACK) First things first… • Identify your best manuscript/poems. • Solicit feedback. Writing group feedback. Consider market trends. Ultimately it’s up to you. • Prepare a cover letter or query letter. Don’t get this wrong! Cover letter is just a sentence introducing the title of the work (or poems), and a brief bio. Query letter has a concise, engaging book blurb. Don’t mix these up! Read: https://writersrelief.com/2008/03/05/checklist-for-creating-coverquery-letters/ • Use a proofreader. What you don’t do – send out work that hasn’t been proofread! A big no no! You might not catch everything! A grammar geek friend or member of your writing group can help make suggestions about commas and missing apostrophes. You may even want to hire a professional proofreader. Read: https://writersrelief.com/2008/03/09/perfecting-your-personal-proofreading/ • Create a submission tracking system. Detailed records will prevent you from making duplicate or overlapping submissions, and can also help you make stronger submission choices for future manuscripts. Be sure to track any personalized feedback you receive from agents and editors. Then we have the most important, make-or-break step of your submission process… • Identify target markets. Here’s another thing many writers get wrong. They send out work everywhere without doing research. You don’t want to send your romance to journals or agents in the horror genre. It shows you didn’t do your research and didn’t put the time in. Editors and agents HATE THAT. • The best writing submission in the world won’t succeed if it’s sent to the wrong person. Finding the right literary markets for your submissions takes time. A lot of time. To find a hundred markets that are viable for your submission, you’ll need to weed through thousands that aren’t. • Make your submissions. Be sure to follow the submission guidelines of the literary journal or literary agent. And remember to log all of your submissions in your tracking system. You can use an Excel sheet on your computer, or keep track on index cards you keep in a box on your desk. “Future you” will thank you! Read: https://writersrelief.com/2015/04/09/organize-search-for-literary-journals/ • REMEMBER Submission success is often a numbers game. We often tell clients it can take 100 submissions to get one editor or agent to say YES. Don’t give up! • Track editor responses. Not all rejection letters are created equal. Some editors will send a form letter with an occasional handwritten note. Others send “tiered” rejection letters. Learn to recognize the different tiers of standard rejection letters. If you’re interested in our services, you can learn more at our website WritersRelief.com. And submit to our Review Board. http://writersrelief.com/review_board/ Visit the Writer’s Relief website for many free writer resources. Writer’s Relief helps writers of short stories, poems, and personal essays submit to literary magazines. Writer’s Relief also helps novelists, memoirists, and other book authors submit to literary agencies for representation. We also help writers self-publish their books. Self-Publishing Relief can help guide you from completed manuscript to finished book. Self-Publishing Relief also offers marketing support for writers. Learn more here: http://selfpublishingrelief.com/ Call Writer's Relief today! (866) 405-3003 (toll-free) https://youtu.be/cvXRa9KZtis