Getting Submission Protocol Right
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Question:
Dearest Carolyn, I am designing a new
business card to send to editors that will be attached to the top of my
manuscripts when I submit them. I would like to know if the correct title under
my name should be "Writer?" or "Novelist?" Thank you for
your help. I appreciate it so much! Your newsletter was full of wonderful
information. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next one with great
anticipation!. Hope you are having a good week.
Sincerely, Kae Kleinman (student from
Eve Caram's UCLA class).
Answer:
Kae, sounds as if you need The Frugal Book Promoter.
Though a business card is OK, you need a cover letter or query letter with your
manuscript and you didn't mention that. The Frugal Book Promoter or the chapter
on query letters in The Frugal Editor (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor)
will keep you from doing something that will mark you as an amateur. I take it
your book is a novel. You should follow each publisher's or agent's submission instructions
exactly. That probably means you won't send the whole manuscript.
If you want to slip a card into the package, fine. But don't
attach it to the manuscript. And, I'd use "novelist" if that's what
you're shopping and not a whole range of genres which is what the generic term "writer" connotes.
Having said that, you can probably get by without a business
card--at least for this purpose. Maybe you'll want to wait for a bit. Say until you have
a great Web site page or a blog that showcases your platform.
Hope this helps.
CHJ
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second ediction of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
"Writer" is a much better choice.
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