Standard Operating Procedure

Having edited a writers’ magazine for over 20 years, and acted as commissioning editor for a small, independent publisher for a decade, I think it’s safe to say that generally speaking, most submissions are rejected because the writer has:

• had an idea, and not bothered to develop it into something out of the ordinary.

• not attempted to find the right marketplace.

• completely ignored the submission guidelines.

• not made a study of other publications on the back list, or previous issues of the magazine

If it hadn’t been for indulging in a bit of serious market research one wet Irish afternoon, none of my non-fiction books would have been under contract by the end of 2015. “Who’s the most popular publisher for my sort of stuff, these days?” I asked a friend who runs one of the more interesting bookshops in London. She gave me two names. The first, and despite the rather uninspiring entry in The Writer’s Handbook, I went to the website ... made a telephone call and 48 hours later I had the emailed contract in my possession! Two months later I had the contract for a second book., which developed into a series of six. The other publisher mentioned has never bothered to respond. In all fairness there had been a change of commissioning editor and that may have accounted for the silence. I may try them again when I have written something else that suits their list … but then again, I may not.

Another book was sold to a publishing company who does not appear in any of the writers’ handbooks, and neither does its sister publishing venture, a monthly magazine. Another friend who advertises in the magazine told me to have a look at it for a possible article outlet. In trawling through the website I discovered the link for books and back issues ... and five weeks later the contract for Signposts For Country Living was signed and sealed, and the first part of the advance paid.

 Don’t rely on existing sources to provide you with a marketplace – go out and find your own.

The moral of this story is that although writers’ handbooks list hundreds of publications, there are much wider publishing opportunities that do not always appear in these hallowed pages. If you have a specialist subject, it might pay to do as I did and check through trade or professional publications governing that subject, or ask people with similar interests: “Which publisher or magazines do you read/recommend?”

My experiences as a commissioning editor has also shown that writers will work through A-Z of the handbooks, regardless of whether their material is compatible with the publisher’s guidelines.

They literally start at ‘A’ and send proposals to every publishing company listed — even when the entry states quite categorically that the publisher does not want to receive the type of material they’re proposing. I am aware that I’ve banged on ad nauseaum over the years about the importance of market research, but it’s still as vital as ever, if not more so, in today’s computerised publishing climate. Especially as I now have a sneaking suspicion that many smaller publishers deliberately don’t include their details in the handbooks, and thus avoid having to deal with hundreds of unsolicited typescripts from unreasonable people.

We should also be aware that time and publishers’ fads wait for no writer, and that books appearing in the shops and literary supplements in July, were contracted up to 18 months previously. And usually the bigger the publisher, the longer the wait for the book to be produced. Of course, it isn’t possible to second guess what publishers see as next year’s potential bestsellers, but there will be little point in submitting a proposal for what was being commissioned 18 months previously. Like all areas of business, publishing trends move fast, and as authors we need to use more than just our imaginations to get ahead of the game.

• Begin by making a list of all the publishing houses that accept titles in your genre, and make a point of regularly logging onto their respective websites to check for forthcoming titles and up-and-coming authors.

• Set time aside each month to devote to updating your potential market outlets and discover the subtle differences between each publisher’s requirements – regardless of where you live in the world!

A writer’s income derives from material sent out weeks, months, or even a year, previously and so there needs to be a continuous stream of work under consideration and/or acceptance to provide a regular financial return. A large proportion of freelancers earn considerably less than £4000 per year from their writing alone, and the competition gets fiercer with each passing year. Which is why it is said that professional writing is roughly 60% forward planning and 40% talent; and why successful writers always work with an eye on the calendar, not the clock.

For example: As I sit here wondering what to write about in the next magazine editorial, the sun is shining and bathing the Galtee mountains in a misty blue autumnal haze. It’s the weekend that the clocks alter. By the time our subscribers read about it, we will have been plunged into the gloom that usually follows the festive season and my mountain view will probably be shrouded in dense fog and darkness. January and February are gloomy months but the writer can’t afford the New Year blues ... if you’re not already doing it, resolve to send out one proposal or submission per week. Needless to say, much depends on career/domestic commitments but you should soon be able to increase your target to two or even three proposals/submissions per week once you get into the habit.

I appreciate that it’s often difficult to conjure up images of summer in the middle of winter, or offering new ways to celebrate Christmas around Midsummer Day but that’s exactly what editors are doing. Any seasonally themed piece, whether fact or fiction, needs to be submitted some 6-12 months ahead of the publication date. And, at risk of repeating myself, there needs to be an original slant on the traditional offerings, not the same tired old ‘how to survive Christmas/summer holidays with relations’ etc. This is why Chambers Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in connection with the Calendar is such a ‘must-have’ because it acts as a great seasonal reminder, and focuses the attention on distant points in the calendar with a flick of the pages.

 Don’t get left behind … plan ahead

This extract was taken from Life-Writes: Where do writers get their Ideas from?  It’s called life is published by Compass Books – www.compass-books.net