I've just received a very short, badly written book. I was about to write a scathing critique saying ‘don’t take on this project’ when I did my preliminary Google check, just to see if the author was in the public eye, or if there was anything else I needed to know. The vital bit of info proved to be [...] that my client had already commissioned the work.
There's always an element of subjectivity when judging manuscripts. I hastily penned a report with plenty of constructive ‘suggestions for improvement’. Most published fiction books are between 70,000 and 100,000 words long and as this project was short, the author could expand it into a well-rounded book and not lose any of the work she had done already.
If you're writing a manuscript you'd do well to aim for about 80,000 words as it'll be instantly more commercial that way. Of course there are several other things to bear in mind for a professional submission.
My top five are:
- If you address your submission by name, check that the agency actually has an agent of that name. Some are named after a long-dead agent. It is – of course – even worse to send a letter addressed to an agent, but at another agency’s address!
- Submit your work in accordance with the guidelines an agency has set out in the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook – so don’t send children’s fiction to an agent that doesn’t handle it – or five chapters to an agency that has asked for three
- Use a standard font and word processing programme. Please don’t send in a submission in a handwriting-style font – it makes it much more difficult to read. Likewise, use a programme that most people can access, such as Word or Adobe.
- Mention your relevant writing experience, such as prizes won, publications you have had, or courses you have gone on.
- Keep your submission short and to the point. It’s great to see an author who has really thought about the marketing of their work, or potential illustrations, but that is the work a publisher will do after taking it on – so it’s not necessary at this stage.
Yours, Cressida
(Editorial consultant)
Hi Betty
Thanks for responding.
I didn't realise adult books were classed from 12 years upwards - gracious! That certainly saved me some embarrassment before submitting my synopsis.
Kind regards
Hilbo
Hello everyone
The story I am writing is aimed at a reading audience from 12 year olds upward (cross over to adult).
However the article regarding childrens fiction advises to aim for approximately 40,000 words and the above article states 70-80,000 words for the manuscript.
I don't want to write excessively if the story itself doesn't warrant it, but I am now unsure where I should be aiming. At present I have written over 30,000 words and am about two thirds of the way through. It's only my first draft so I know I will be adding to this on my second draft as I develop the characters etc but I really don't think my story will be able to stretch past 60,000.
Will this pose a problem when I'm trying to get my book published?
Kindest regards
Hilbo
MarkfromHove, There's no single answer to this but it sounds like a lovely situation to be in. I would follow what you think feels right, bearing in mind it might be professional courtesy to contact both the people you mention.
On the other subject of trends, many of our experts say write from the heart and don't try to write to fit into a trend. Take a look at what Giles Andreae (a poet and children's writer as well as an illustrator) has to say on the matter in his answer to the question 'What advice would you give to someone starting out?'.
And there's lots of good advice on how to present your submissions in Approaching a Publisher.