What Is The Right Way To Submit Your Manuscript?

I really felt like I spent a lot of this last weekend "putting out fires." OK, maybe that is not the right phrase to use, but I think you will understand what I mean. As I was reading submissions from authors and judging contest entries, I was constantly bombarded by new submissions coming from every direction BUT the normal submission process. I had people reaching out to me on LinkedIn, on the agency Facebook Page, on people going through my personal Facebooks Page, on Twitter, and so forth. I also had people submitting projects as links to their personal Google Docs, pasting full projects in emails, going through the CONTACT ME page on my agency website and pasting full queries in that email... The list was endless.

Editors and agents have a submission process. They request certain material in a certain format and through a certain route for a reason. It is how they handle the massive amount of submissions they get on a daily basis. Publishers often have various acquisitions editors reading projects each day. Agencies sort the submissions based on who is acquiring what on each day. At Greyhaus, my process is designed to allow me to read and respond to queries directly in the email, and if I do request material, it allows me the chance to sort projects when I transfer the stories to my iPad.

Authors need to understand that we have all of these additional ways to reach us NOT as a new way to submit projects, but as a way of outreach. We use these as a way to clear up the confusion so many of you scream and yell about. If you follow this blog, you will notice how many times some authors responds with a comment such as, "But you don't get it! It is impossible to find out what editors and agents want." And yet, this is why we reach out.

I remember several years ago, I had really started pushing the social media side of the agency. I had the blog going and immediately was bombarded with a ton of authors who complained that they never saw these messages (of course they responded on the blog) and wanted the information over on Facebook for people who read the material there. So, I created the Facebook page, linked the articles on the blog to Facebook so those people, who were commenting on the blog that they needed the Facebook link could not link off of Facebook back to the Blog. Confusing? Yes! But it was a way to reach people.

I would also add that while you might think you are being helpful by doing things outside of the submission process, you are actually showing the editors and agents that you cannot read or you do not understand the business. For example:

•  Inserting the first half of your book embedded in the email thinking that you are helping us out and giving us a better sense of your writing is not going to work.  If we ask for a query letter only we just want to know the premise of the book.
• Providing links to your Google Drive or website in an attempt to let us see more. I don't know about  you, but in today's digital world, how many of you click on those links you see in websites? Not me.

In many ways, this is the same thing that you hear editors and agents talk about at conferences when they complain about agents following them into the restrooms to pitch their stories. 

So, if you are someone thinking you want to find a "unique" and "different" way to get our attention, I would recommend reading the submission guidelines first. Of course, if you are someone who loves getting rejection letters, or not getting a response at all, then continue what you are doing.