I was visiting my friend Happy Flower and read her blog. There, she had some information and questions about things needed to submit to a publisher. To help both her and any other writers, I'm going to share what I've learned so far. Don't think I'm an expert. If I were, maybe a literary agent would already have my full manuscript in his/her hands.

     Before beginning the main points, I'd like to mention that most queries, summaries, etc ... the first time you send the information ... must be done so in the body of an email (if they accept the information via email) unless otherwise stated by the agent/publisher. When they do request information via attachments, most I've found require the documents be in Microsoft Word. If your manuscript is for a novel, make sure you have the entire novel written before submitting a query to an agent/publisher. From what I've read, they won't be very happy if they get excited about your project and then you tell them it's not finished yet.

     One thing I've seen at the sites of most publishers is the fact they won't accept either queries or any part of a manuscript directly from the writer. Most want to receive the information from a literary agent who's representing the writer. Either way, the information here applies. If you're submitting any information to a publisher or agent, make sure you're giving them what they request at their website. If you forget even one small thing, your query will most likely end up in the wastebasket.

     The query letter should be only one page, typed in a standard font at size 11 or 12 and be formatted like a business letter. Many good examples can be found by typing "Query letter" into a search engine. The first sentence should include the title, word count, and genre of your book. Next come two short paragraphs about the plot. This needs to grab the agent's attention and make him/her want to read more. Finally, include a short paragraph about you as the writer ... previous published works, conferences you attend, etc. Again, look at examples on the web.

     For novels, most agents/publishers ask for a summary, although some do want a book proposal. Have both ready. The hard part is summarizing your 80,000+ word novel in a short space. A typical summary is no more than two pages in a standard font at size 11 or 12. Each paragraph is separated by a double space and no indentations are needed at the beginning at the paragraph. Write a short paragraph about the action in each chapter of your book. If you find yourself going beyond two pages, perhaps you can summarize two or three chapters in one paragraph. To make it even more difficult, some agents/publishers may request the summary be only one page. I have both a one page and two page summary saved so I can send whichever is requested. As with the query letter, examples are available on the web.

     An agent/publisher may also request sample pages or chapters from your novel. If they ask for ten pages, they want the first ten pages of your manuscript. If they ask for one or more chapters, they want the first chapters in your book unless otherwise stated. Some may ask for the three chapters best describing the action in your novel. If you're adding these to the body of an email, the formatting will usually not remain as you had them saved so some re-formatting may be required (paragraphs indented, etc). From my experience, if in the body of an email, the agent/publisher is only reading for the content and not the actual manuscript formatting.

     Manuscript formatting is important when it comes to submitting any portion of the manuscript via an email attachment or through the postal service. The agent/publisher wants to make sure its in the format needed by editors. Manuscripts should have page numbers at the top of every page and the entire thing must be double spaced. Once again, use a standard font at size 11 or 12. Also, as mentioned, most editors/publishers seem to use Microsoft Word so it would be best to have that program and use it to type your manuscript. If you use other programs, such as Microsoft Works Wordprocessing the formatting gets messed up when viewed using Microsoft Word.

     One book I've found very helpful in explaining every step of the process is Putting Your Passion Into Print by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry.

     To start a search for a literary agent, go to http://www.aar-online.org (Association of Authors' Representatives). The list contains hundreds of agents. I started by visiting those who have websites. By doing so, you can read about the agents and find out what types of books in which their most interested. It doesn't do any good to send a query for a horror novel to an agent who hates horror novels or only represents works of non-fiction. You can also do an internet search for specific types of agents such as "agents for Christian fiction", "agents for sociology textbooks", etc.

     If anyone has any further questions, let me know. As I said, I'm not a professional and I'm still in search of the ever elusive agent. I have had a few nibbles, but no one has yet asked for my entire manuscript. The search continues.