How do I present my manuscript?

Question

I want to send in my first manuscript for publishing and the genre is poetry...what's the best way to present it, that'll make my work stand out? They asked for the first three chapters and it's intended to be a collection of 40 poems.

Answer 1

You do not want to "stand out." You want to be professional. I once had a girl submit a poem for publication on flourestant pink paper in red type. It stood out alright...like nuclear waste. It was unreadable and returned to her unread.

What you want to do is present your work EXACTLY as they request it. Nobody cares if you use expensive paper. Nobody cares that you have forty different fonts installed on your computer. Nobody cares that you know how to cut and paste pictures into your document. These are all nuisances to an editor. ALL THEY WANT is to be impressed by your writing. That's it. Nothing else. Send them exactly what they are asking for, in the exact format they tell you.

If they are asking for a hard copy, you use standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper, one inch margins, double-spaced with a courier or Times New Roman font. Unless they tell you otherwise, your name should appear in the top left corner of each page, along with either an e-mail address of phone number (in case the pages get separated, they can still reach you). The title of the work should appear in the top right corner. If working in WORD, you can set up a header to add these automatically for you.

If they are asking for electronic format, they will probably tell you exactly how to format the work. Do it. Don't get cute and add weird backgrounds or glittery text (I've seen people do both). You just annoy the editor.

Regardless of format, insure that you have someone proofread the manuscript for typos and grammar errors. And avoid chatspeak. Nothing will get under the skin of an editor more that seeing things like "thank U4 ur time" in a cover letter.

Answer 2

Most of the publishers and newspapers and magazine people require that the manuscripts either prose or poetry should be neatly typed in double space on a good quality paper. Presentation after editing is their job, you need not bother. First you may send as per their requirement for publishing. Later on you can try some other publisher for publishing your poetry collection as a book.

Answer 3

If they asked for the first three chapters, those publishers expect a novel --- not a book of poems. Look for publishers that want poetry, and when you find them, read their Submittal Guidelines. Send the manuscipt with a cover letter that briefly tells of any poetry awards you received and/or brief comments on the overall theme of the collection of poems.

Answer 4

I'm not sure I understand the question. If "they" asked for the first three chapters, it would seem the best way to present it would be to send "them" the first three chapters. Or did you mean Typed, single-spaced? Or did you mean font type? Or did you mean what color paper?
Just send them the first three chapters. "They're" not going to choose any of your work by the paper color, font type or anything else other than the quality of the poems themselves.
You wnat to stand out? Don't try any gimmicks that would make you stand out.

Answer 5

Go to the library and get a book on how to publish your work. There are specific requirements for each genre, each publisher, etc. There are a dozen or so books, so find the one that suits you.