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FIRST IMPRESSIONS
By Ann Miller House & Karen E. Rigley
Remember the importance of first impressions? Consider it when you submit work to an editor. You might not think the appearance of a manuscript hasn't much to do with psychology, but if you could be present when editors open submissions, you'd quickly change your mind. The purpose is to sell your writing to an editor for publication. Right? Your manuscript should be prepared so the editor notices the content and not the condition of your story.
Sometimes authors delude themselves that they're above all the mundane things such as neatness, spelling and grammar; that the editors will see past a sloppy, ill-prepared manuscript to gold inside. That's pure delusion.
Imagine you're an editor. You've just received two submissions. One conforms to the rules of format, the other is messy, hard to read and spattered with misspellings. You're very busy. Your phone is ringing, deadlines are clammoring and three people walked into your office as you opened those submissions. Your secretary buzzes to remind you that you have a meeting in ten minutes. So which manuscript will you take time to scan? The one that whispers "Professional" ? Or the one that screams "Amateur"?
There are excellent guides available on the proper way to prepare and submit your manuscript. Also read tipsheets by the publishers themselves. Follow those guides carefully. A perfectly polished manuscript will not sell your work, but it will get you in the door. Then your talent can do the rest.
A sloppy manuscript can disguise beautiful writing and earn a reject slip instead of a paycheck. We have enough competition, challenge and rejection as writers without throwing up our own roadblocks.
Nothing substitutes for good writing, but a good-looking submission can psych a tired editor into a favorable reading. What more can a writer ask?
AUTHORS
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