Hello folks

Couple of questions for you all:

1. Any idea where I can go to get formatting guidelines for my MS - you know, whether it should be single/double spaced, what size margins, numbering, slugline etc etc. The guidelines I've been working from are American and probably all wrong for UK agents...

2. Reading through the WAAY, I see loads of publishers specifying that they want: "Full-length MSS".... ?!? I don't quite get this - I would hardly contact them with a half-finished MS...?! Or am I just being a thicko. What is this all about, does anyone know?

3. Again in the WAAY, a number of publishers state "No unsolicited MSS"... should I take this to mean that their books are closed, or just that I need to make an enquiry before submitting?

Any advice much appreciated!

Cheers
Claire

Claire, it's not nearly as strict as scriptwriting, mostly just common sense, and within the bounds of sensible plain-vanilla, they're not that bothered.

FWIW, this is what I do, and I've not had any complaints yet.
Margins - 1½" sides and 1" top and bottom; Times New Roman font (you get the most words per page) or something else with a serif (easier to read); 11pt (some specify 12pt as it's easier to read); number the pages in header or footer, to which you can but don't have to add some kind of identifier - I just have the filename, which is the title of the book, and my name.

This for general how-to-do-it:

http://need2bpublished.blogspot.com/2009/01/ok.html

'Full length MSS' is because lots of aspiring writers buy into the stories of agents taking on writers just on the basis of a few chapters and then selling them for vast sums, when in fact it's incredibly rare, as you know. Plus they're desperate to get their voices heard, and have no conception that the hard part of writing a novel is finishing it, and revising it a hundred times. Mind you, it's the usual way of selling non-fiction, and all too many guidelines don't distinguish between that and fiction.

This about 'no unsolicited MSS':

http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.com/2008/12/unsolicited-manuscripts.html

which basically means they'll take an enquiry or a synopsis-and-chapters, but not a whole great manuscript, whereas 'no unsolicited submissions' means don't send us anything. But that doesn't stop you sending a query to ask if you can submit...

Emma

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Actually, I do 11pt on one-and-a-half spacing: I find a double space with 11pt is too far-apart, as the eye gets lost while returning to start the next line. But for 12pt you need double-spacing.

But that's relatively unorthodox, I know.

1. Any idea where I can go to get formatting guidelines for my MS - you know, whether it should be single/double spaced, what size margins, numbering, slugline etc etc. The guidelines I've been working from are American and probably all wrong for UK agents...

First check each Agent's submission guidelines incase they state something different, if not then =

Do you use Word? As far as margins are concerned just use Word's default size.
Double space the manuscript.
Print on one side A4 only.
Single space the synopsis and covering letter.
Number the pages of the manucript - right hand side top, or right hand side bottom.
Put the title, your name and your phone number in the header of each page of the manuscript, and the synopsis page(s).

2. Reading through the WAAY, I see loads of publishers specifying that they want: "Full-length MSS".... ?!? I don't quite get this - I would hardly contact them with a half-finished MS...?! Or am I just being a thicko. What is this all about, does anyone know?

Full length mss is the complete manuscript. I don't know the context of the phrase so either they mean, as you say, don't send them half written novels, or they mean send the whole manuscript - although I doubt it would be the latter.

3. Again in the WAAY, a number of publishers state "No unsolicited MSS"... should I take this to mean that their books are closed, or just that I need to make an enquiry before submitting?

Emma has posted about this before, so I'm racking my brains as to what she said, but one meaning is 'Don't send us the whole manuscript with your submission' (usually it's covering letter, synopsis and first 3 chapters); or it means 'we're not accepting any submissions and any you send us will go straight into the bin'.
Personally I just ignore it and send them my submission anyway. Sometimes it means they've temporarily closed their lists, but then you don't know if they've temporarily opened them again, so it's always worth a punt.


- NaomiM

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Ah, crossed with Emma.

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3. Again in the WAAY, a number of publishers state "No unsolicited MSS"...

Sorry, I miss-read that and my reply was about Agents saying 'no unsolicited ms'. As Emma says, most publishers don't want ANY submissions from writers because they will only deal with Agents.

Have to say, though, that Nicola Morgan also says:

Q: What is the right way? A: That's easy. That's the bit (see the piece on Inexcusable Ignorance) about reading all the stacks of advice on the topic, in places like the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and publishers' / agents' websites. Rules may be made for breaking but don't break their rules, except one: when they say they're not taking new submissions or unagented work, ignore them - if yours is great, they want it. I'm adding an article on submitting work soon, which will add to your knowledge. But get genned up first.

(whole thing here: http://need2bpublished.blogspot.com/2009/01/why-has-publisher-not-said-yes-yet.html)

Emma

Hello both,
thanks for your speedy replies ... wasn't sure how many people would be online on a Friday night!

And Naomi, my mistake, I wrote "publishers" for No. 2 and 3 when I meant to write "agents"... hah! Better be a little more careful when I actually write to 'em :-)

thanks again
Claire

I'll just add tat I send myu submissions of in batches of ~8 until I've got through my list of ~30 Agents. If I find the majority of my first batch of 8 winging their way back sharpish, I double check the submission to see if I'm made some stupid mistake - and often I have - which I correct in the next batch of 8.


- NaomiM