Hello, I'm new to Litopia

[Brittany]

Hello, people of the Colony. My name is Brittany, and I'm an author. I'm addicted to words and have been for years. Words in puzzles, words on signs, words in books, and words in my mind. Poetry, however, isn't one of my vices

Anyway, I'm new to Litopia. I've perused the forums, and it seems like you're a friendly and helpful bunch.

I recently finished my first novel, and I'm in the dreaded querying stage--after soliciting feedback from beta readers, doing rewrites, sitting on it, editing again, editing some more, and doing some more editing I've read several posts on formatting, including one on here, but I'm still confused about pasting sample pages into the body of an email. I certainly know to first read the submission guidelines and follow them, but as you all likely know, some guidelines are vague. I understand that paragraphs should be double-spaced but not indented, but should the whole text be double-spaced as it would be in a printed manuscript being sent snail-mail, or should it be single-spaced, as it is in this very post I'm typing?

I am appreciative of any tips. Thank you.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Hi Brittany and welcome. As for copying and pasting text into an email, I personally leave it double spaced so it's easy to read, but I haven't heard any specifics on that one, so it's an interesting question.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Welcome to the colony! Browse the site and you'll find tons of info on all of the stages you're coming up on. You'll also find that everyone here is at different stages in their writing careers, so we all have something new to share!

As for pasting part of your MS in an email, there are no hard and fast rules if their submission guidelines don't specify. I just sent one out last night where I had to paste sample chs after my query and synopsis. I literally copy and pasted from my page to the email. Gmail kept my formatting, so my query and synopsis were single spaced with block paragraphs, but my sample chs were double spaced and indented paragraphs. Good luck with your submissions (and post on our submission gong thread when you send them out)!

 

[Brittany]

Alistair and Nicole, thank you for your input. For now, I will keep it all double-spaced, unless otherwise specified. It's the easiest for my eyes, so I presume it will be for agents' eyes as well. Although I know presuming anything regarding agents or this industry is not wise!

 

[Stephen Drake]

Welcome, Brittany... and good luck!

 

[Bernard Stacey]

Welcome!

I wouldn't fret too much about single or double spacing an email. Depending on what device/platform the other person is using it may well come out differently at the other end anyway.

 

[Marc Joan]

Welcome!

 

[Brittany]

Thank you, MontanaMan, Bernard and Marc And you're right, Bernard, I'm sure it does come out differently on the other end, despite what it looks like when I send it to myself.

 

[Emurelda]

Welcome

 

[Carol Rose]

Welcome!

 

[Karen Gray]

Welcome Brittany Congratulations on the completion of your novel. The querying stage is always daunting, but once you get into it it's not so bad xx

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Hello Double spaced, Brittany, and this goes for snail mail, too. I was gently rapped on the knuckles once, for single spacing the printed synopsis.

Agent eye strain!

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Welcome to the Colony, Brittany. I would choose double-spacing to be safe, as it's easier on the eye and allows space for agents to make notes. You sound like you're just beginning the querying process, so I'd advise you to grow a hide as thick as a rhinoceros and to accept any rejection letters that you get with good grace. Often, all that they mean is your book is not a good fit for them at this particular moment in time - and for that particular agent. It could be that had you submitted a week later or to a different person at the agency, then more interest would have been shown. Luck is all, but research into an agent's likes and dislikes helps.
Submission guidelines vary a lot, so pay attention to them. I've been submitting for seven months, and of the 150 or so query letters and on-site forms that I've emailed only twenty required the same format. It's almost as if agencies and publishers are wilfully different to their rivals. There's certainly no such thing as a publishing industry standard submission form.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Submission guidelines vary a lot, so pay attention to them. I've been submitting for seven months, and of the 150 or so query letters and on-site forms that I've emailed only twenty required the same format. It's almost as if agencies and publishers are wilfully different to their rivals. There's certainly no such thing as a publishing industry standard submission form.

Part of the reason they do that is to make sure you're reading their website. They want to see that you care enough about this and that you're professional enough that you'll do your research. Some will even tell you to write key (nonsensical) words in the subject or first line of the email.

 

[Lex Black]

Welcome to the Colony!

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Part of the reason they do that is to make sure you're reading their website. They want to see that you care enough about this and that you're professional enough that you'll do your research. Some will even tell you to write key (nonsensical) words in the subject or first line of the email.

I agree with you, that this is the reason for the mind-numbing variety. The trouble is, that it starts to take on the feel of running an obstacle course as we supplicants are ordered to jump through this flaming hoop, followed by a wallow in that swampy ditch. I imagine scenes of wannabe authors all over the world taking hours to alter their submissions, which feels unnecessarily time-consuming. Most agents and publishers stipulate MS.doc, but I've been asked for PDF, RTF and even Unified Office Format.

 

[Jennifer Stone]

Welcome Brittany, you'll find a deep well of advice here just waiting for you to draw from it.

 

[Amber Zade]

Hello new Litopian.

 

[Island Writer]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Meerkat]

Welcome!