You’d like to submit your work for review to be published? Whether you’ve submitted to a publisher in the past or this is your first time, here’s a few tips we can offer before hitting “send” on that email.

First, consider your proposal. What genre is your book? If it is part of a currently popular genre, what do you do differently that no one else is?

Next, evaluate your work and come up with a single sentenced summary that will get people’s attention. This can be difficult, but is very important. If you’re really stumped, look at other books or movies that you’ve seen in the past and review their single sentenced summaries. Now consider how you can do the same for your own work. Write a few different ones and pick which you like best. Reaching out to friends or family for feedback on this can also be a great benefit.

Now you’ll want to pitch your story. Talk about it in a way that would interest yourself in diving into it, as if it were not yours. Only devote around a paragraph to this. Make it quick and direct, but make sure it’s interesting. As you’ll be submitting your work to be published, keep in mind that your work will need to be something people want to read. The more interesting your story and pitch, the more likely your work will be chosen to be published.

As you prepare your work and yourself to submit to a publisher, remember your book will go through an editing process. Try to keep an open mind as there may be some changes suggested or required for the final product. Remember not to take anything personally and remember some changes are necessary for the audience. Sometimes when you get caught up in the writing process, you may overlook some things a reader will or will not catch onto. This is a huge part of the editing process and is what makes your book more likely to succeed.

Finally, be sure to review and follow all of the submission guidelines. Creative works that follow these guidelines perfectly are the ones that have the highest chance of being considered. If you do follow all of the guidelines but still aren’t accepted, don’t get discouraged. This is a natural part of the process and improvements can always be made. If you receive feedback, do not take it personally and consider how it can be applied to your work for a more successful submission next time.

Following these tips will make for a significantly easier and more organized submission experience.

Happy writing, everyone!