The Submission Letter
13-08-2010I've gone and slapped all the chapters into one file now. Before this point I was keeping each one separate, one chapter per file. Mainly because it was easier for me when I started writing each night. As the book grew in size it would have taken longer to load and longer to jump down to where I could start adding new stuff in.
With the chapters all in one file, including the pro and epilogues, I finally got to see how long a book I have written. It is three hundred and ten A4 pages in length.
That ain't something to go sneezing at I don't think. That is a sizable body of work for a first try at this. As I wrote it I was convinced that I would be writing the world's smallest book. Having pumped everything into it I had visions of a mere hundred page thing spitting out at the end. Instead I have something that is roughly the size of your average novel.
As I said in my last post I have a list of possible agents to send this thing off to. Sadly there does not seem to be an industry standard for submissions, each agent has their own rules that you have to follow.
Some want the first three chapters. Some the first fifty pages. Some the first fifty pages or first three chapters, whichever you reach first, but at a logical break point in the story.
The submission letter has rules of its own as well. Some want just a "Hello, here it is." letter while others are looking for a synopsis to be attached. The letter I am currently working on has to be the most picky one. They want a one-paragraph synopsis of the story that does not use any of the character names in it.
If that isn't going to be a confusing blurb I don't know what is.
Thankfully they also want a more detailed synopsis, maximum of three pages, that can have details in it. This is where I am now.
Before I send this all off I want to give one last look over the first three chapters so that I am sure I caught everything that needs to be caught. I tell ya this writing lark is a lot of work, considering it is meant to be a hobby.
Although having said that I do already have the idea for my next story formed, more or less, in my head. Once I get a bit of time it is back to the plotting pad to flesh it out.
Blue_jester