The 7 Deadly Sins of Submissions
by Laura Belgrave
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Here they are, the sure-fire ways to make editors roll their eyes:
1. Sending your manuscript or query on paper in screaming colors. . . . Ditto the envelope.
Also forego smiley faces, cutsie stickers, photos of your family and
homemade bookmarks. None of these will show how clever you are.
What they will do is mark you as an amateur.
2. Including illustrations if you aren't really, truly and absolutely a
bona fide artist--or at least a darn good amateur.
First of all, you don't have to be an artist to sell a book for children.
Nine times out of ten, publishers find their own illustrators. Secondly, it
isn't your artistic ability you're trying to sell. It's your writing ability. If
an editor likes your work, you'll have plenty of time later to discuss the
kind of art you think would work best with it. But when you're at the
submission stage a poorly drawn sketch can cast a pall over the whole
enchilada. An editor blazing through a fat stack of unsolicited
submissions may well assume that where there's poor art, there's poor
story. Ouch.
3. Telling the editor in your cover letter that your kids absolutely love the story. (Or, if you're a teacher, that the kids in your classroom do.)
They're your kids! Of course they do! (Well, hopefully they do.)
They probably love a lot of things you do. And for that matter, they
may love your story because it genuinely is fabulous. But editors get
paid to think about kids in broader ways, and conversely, in more
specific ways. Few will be swayed by the affectionate people within your
own orbit.
4. Explaining in your cover letter that until now, the only thing you've ever written is a grocery list or the monthly updates in your
church bulletin.
This is a case where less is more, so if you've got relevant writing
experience, by all means say so, but if you don't--don't. As much as
editors admire enthusiasm, most will nevertheless assume that if you're
submitting through the slush, the odds are high that you're new to
writing for kids. It doesn't bother them. Don't let it bother you.
5. Stuffing your envelope with a bunch of submissions.
The rule is one at a time, so don't throw everything you've got at the
wall to see what sticks. Send your best work, and only your best work.
Trying to make an editor figure out what you couldn't is almost certain
to boomerang. In fact, the editor might just send the whole package
back to you unread.
6. Comparing your work to that of famous authors.
There's nothing wrong with trying to mimic an author's style.
Actually, it's almost a time-honored strategy for learning the craft. But
resist announcing that your work is like Dr. Seuss' or Judy Blume's or .
. . whoever's. It's yours, and it's on that basis that an editor will judge
it.
7. Not including a self-addressed, stamped envelope--known in the
biz as "SASE."
Kiss of death. If you want an answer, pony up. It's that simple.
Copyright © 1997 by Laura Belgrave
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