Little Things #2: Submission Guidelines

[Disclaimer that none of these are specific to any one writer I've worked with, and in some cases, are based on my own experiences as a writer having my own work edited.]

Little Things #2: Following Submission Guidelines

Here's the tl:dr right upfront:

1. Follow the Submission Guidelines! They are there for a reason. Not following them can make things harder for the agent or publisher you're submitting to, and the thing is, you want them to want you (like the song). Don't make things harder for them. They will not like you for doing so.

Other points:

2. Some agents and publishers will not even bother to look at the rest of a submission packet if they run into things that don't follow the guidelines. It will be an automatic rejection.

3. Some won't automatically reject, but it puts them on notice, so to speak. You have to work even harder to make a good impression.

4. When the submission guidelines include formatting specifications—saving it as a certain file type, using straight quotes over smart quotes, two spaces after a period or one—following these may seem small now, but could have time-consuming consequences later.

5. Following guidelines tells agents and publishers stuff beyond the quality of the writing: how well you research who you're submitting to, how well you follow direction, how willing you are to make changes (someone who thinks, "My story is great, they'll see that and won't mind that it's a different font, or that I included scene/section breaks in a unique way," probably won't be easy to work with, and rejection is more likely).

To sum up:

Following submission guidelines are an important part of the querying process. It might seem time-consuming, especially if you are submitting to a lot of different places with wildly different guidelines, but for agents and publishers, it can be the first line of defense against manuscripts that could be disorganized, badly written, or incomplete, as well as writers who are hard to work with.

Last thought:

Just as it's the publishers' and agents' first line of defense, it's also your first impression. Following submission guidelines shows that you are professional, attentive to detail, and serious about getting published.

Helping the Syrian Refugees

I don’t normally do things like this, but my friend Ariel Ricker is currently in the area where refugees are fleeing. She was first in Turkey, helping out with refugees leaving and is currently in Greece, helping when refugees arrive. She is working with others to put together care packages–food, clothes, shoes, and other necessities. She’s told me the refugees are no longer even allowed to bring one bag of belongings, so they are literally arriving in Greece with nothing.

I’m sure many of you have seen the photos of refugees who have not made it. But for those who have reached the shore, there is still a lot that can be done to help.

If you are in that region, this is the website of an organization she’s working with where you can find out what refugees need and where you can drop items off: Care Packages for Syrian Refugees.

My friend is also personally going into stores, and buying food and supplies, but her financial resources are not limitless. If you are in the US and would still like to help her, you can go to her GoFundMe page. The money donated there will help her with basic housing and necessities so she can stay there as long as possible to help, and the rest will go towards helping the refugees.

I know some folks like to donate through larger organizations, others prefer something more direct. I have seen the posts from my friend, the photos of what she's seen and who she's met, so I know she is there and doing the work.

If you have a few dollars and have been looking for a way to help, I’ll hope you’ll consider donating to my friend. If you can’t, please spread the word.


Related to this, she is also a journalist and writing articles on the situation: 

Giving aid to Syrian refugees heading to Greece

(This is cross-posted from my main blog: CoffeeQuill)

Little Things #1: Beta-ing and Critique

So in order to get back into blogging more, and especially blogging more regularly on what ought to be my profile editor's blog, I am going to get into little things that I feel are important when you reach the editing portion of writing a book.

This is, of course, all in my opinion, but I like to think this is some handy advice for folks who are writing or have written a novel and want to get published.

[Disclaimer that none of these are specific to any one writer I've worked with, and in some cases, are based on my own experiences as a writer having my own work edited.]

Without further ado...

Little Things #1: Beta-reading and offering constructive critique

Here's the tl:dr right upfront:

1. It is always a  good idea to get at least a few people to read your story before you start submitting it to agents or publishers. Don't submit a story no one but you has seen. You are almost certain to have missed something.

Other points:

2. Not everyone is good at offering constructive criticism. Some people just don't know how to do it effectively; others get jealous or have something else going on in their own lives/minds that lead to them offering deliberately unkind critiques. Don't let a bad critique squash your passion.

3. Most people probably fall into the "don't know how" category. Therefore, don't let a bad critique squash your passion.

4. Whether you are asking other writers, people who just like to read, or friends and family who are trying to support you--it is super helpful to tell at least a portion of your beta-readers what you want them to do. There's some trial and error to this. I tend to have at least one person, usually another writer, read the story without my asking or pointing out anything beforehand. Seeing what they catch or point out, unprompted, can let me know if I am seeing problems that actually exist or if I'm worrying about something that works just fine. But I have at least a couple people whom I will ask to read a story, and I will give them specific instructions or ask them to read with a particular purpose.

Examples: "Can you read this and let me know if the characters' motivations all work and make sense?" Or, "Read this chapter and tell me if any scene seems unnecessary or boring, please."

5. Politeness is also super helpful, on both sides. Don't assume someone who has beta'ed for you before will do so again, ask and see if they are willing and have time. Thank them for doing it. If you are the one reading someone's story, politeness gets tricky. You want to be honest in your critique, and sometimes a writer needs someone to be blunt about what is NOT WORKING. But sometimes a blunt critique comes across as harsh, and sometimes a harsh critique can kill the passion. In my opinion, it's okay for someone who is reading someone else's work to ask what kind of critique the writer needs.

Examples: "Would you like some general thoughts, or do you want me to get down to the nitty gritty?" (Feel free to use whatever cliches work for you there. ;P ) Or, "Do you just want me to read this and tell you what works?"

The latter is, I feel, a good way of giving a "polite" or "nice" critique without blowing air up someone's butt. Being a beta-reader or giving a critique isn't about saying it's great when it's not. But sometimes it can be about focusing on the things you like, and what works really well. Still true, but softer. And it's still incredibly useful. If someone is writing a story and feeling down, having an honest expression from someone else about what they love in it can be a huge boost. And hearing that a plot thread you weren't certain about is enticing or innovative, can be great confirmation.

To sum up:

For the writer: find a variety of people to read your stuff, be polite, and communicate about what you need in terms of feedback.

For the beta-reader: be polite, be honest, and communicate about what you can provide (are you strong in punctuation but weak in characterization? Or do you not have a lot of time for full-length novels, but can read over a short story?).

Last thought: It's not about telling writers what they want to hear, but telling them what they need to hear in a way that helps them, not stymies them.