Dos and Don'ts for Submitting A Manuscript to Imajin Books

As we approach our manuscript submission time (open March 15), we thought we'd share some important reminders and tips for authors planning to submit their works to us (or any publisher, for that matter).

So here are some Dos and Don'ts...

DO:

1. …remember we read manuscripts every year, and yours must stand out and hook us immediately, so grab us with the very first sentence!
2. …hire an editor BEFORE you submit your work to a publisher; there's too much competition not to submit your best work possible.
3. …edit your work multiple times until you believe it's polished and ready. Then edit once more.
4. …be sure you understand Chicago Manual of Style grammar rules—subscribe or buy the book. Refresh your memory on grammar skills often. Be sure you're using dialogue tags and beats correctly.
5. …run your work through a spell check AFTER setting the language (US is most common, but if you're from UK and your book is set in UK, set the language to British English.)
6. …read our guidelines, and give us what we ask for, including the genres we're looking for.
7. …get to know the publisher, Cheryl Tardif, on Facebook and Twitter, and follow/Friend Imajin Books and Cheryl Kaye Tardif (author).
8. …present yourself as a professional writer on your Facebook page—because we WILL check it. Same with Twitter.
9. …include links in your first correspondence to your FB, Twitter, website and blog.
10. …be patient, and give us at least 6 weeks to review your submission. We have a process that includes two beta readers, and this takes time. If you don't hear from us by then, feel free to email us.

DON'T:

1. …send us anything BEFORE we're open for submissions. This includes agents. Thank you.
2. …send us manuscripts outside of the ones we're looking for, which are listed on our submission page.
3. …send us an unedited manuscript with poorly constructed sentences and dialog, and don't blame inadequate spelling skills on "dyslexia." The publisher at Imajin Books is dyslexic, and she knows the difference between that and poor spelling.
4. …pitch your book to us as "perfect for anyone any age." Know WHO your target audience is and why they will read it.
5. …send us a manuscript without a well-written 3-paragraph synopsis that reads like back cover text. Hint: READ back covers of other books in your genre, and fashion your paragraphs after them. Hint 2: Present tense!
6. …present an unprofessional image online anywhere.
7. …send us multiple emails pushing your book. If you've submitted it already, be patient.
8. …expect huge 6-figure advances from us. We're a small, independent publishing company and we don't do large advances.
9. …expect any publisher, including us, to do ALL the marketing for your book. A publisher can position your title for distribution, but authors sell books, and that's part of your responsibility. That's how you establish your brand. So be prepared to work hard and invest in your brand. It'll pay off in the end.
10. …give up. If we turn down your book, it means it wasn't right for us. That doesn't mean it might not be right for another publishing company. If we give you any unsolicited tips or suggestions, which we might do on occasion, learn from them as they most likely will improve your work.
11. ...tell us you aren't interested in a contract unless we accept your ready-made cover (or one you paid for) or edits by only your editor/friend/mother/aunt/teacher. And don't tell us you'll only reveal your novel plot/synopsis if we make a deal right now (on a book we haven't even read yet). This tells us you're an amateur and/or don't understand the publishing business.
12. ...be rude or demanding to a publisher, and don't burn bridges. Not only is this unprofessional, it'll bite you in the ass. Publishers usually know other publishers, and word gets around like a bad virus if there's a nasty writer on the loose.

While the Don'ts may seem harsh, please remember why we bothered to post them here. We're looking for professional authors who conduct themselves as such and treat others with respect. Believe me, if you could see some of the emails we get--and some of the questions we're asked--you'd understand why there are Don'ts.

Focus on the Dos! :-)

You can read our submission guidelines at http://www.imajinbooks.com/submissions.

Like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/imajinbooks

Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/imajinbooks

How to get noticed by Imajin Books: Be the Visible Man/Woman-Writer

Since one of our goals at Imajin Books is to find writers who are well prepared to market their works, there are a few things a writer can do before querying us to get our attention, and one of those key things is: BE VISIBLE. Don't be the Invisible Man/Woman-Writer!

If we can't find you online, how will your readers find you? What? You thought you could wait until your book was published before setting up a website, blog, social networks etc? Really? Do you realize it takes some time for your website/blog to be indexed in search engines in order to be found when people search for you?

You are INVISIBLE if...

• You have no website.
• You have no blog.
• You have no Twitter account.
• You aren't tweeting on your Twitter account.
• You have no Facebook or MySpace page.
• If you type your writer name into any search bar and your links don't show up on the first page.

You are transparent (partially visible) if...

• You have a website but haven't updated it in a year.
• You have a blog but only post once a month, if that.
• You have a Twitter account and your last post was over a month ago.
• You have Facebook and/or Myspace pages but they're only for family.
• You search for your name in a search engine bar and only a couple of links show up on the first, second or third page.

You are VISIBLE if...

• You have a website and you update it once a month or as needed.
• You have a blog (either separate or integrated into your site) and you post once a week or more on average.
• You have a Twitter account and tweet at least once a week, plus connect with others.
• You have separate Facebook and/or MySpace pages for your writer side and use these mainly for marketing/promoting and writing related endeavors.
• You search for your name and links to everything about you are the majority listed on the first three pages, plus you have links ten pages deep.

If you query us and you aren't visible, why should we wait? Fact is, if you query us and you don't at least have a blog that you post to regularly, we either won't consider your submission or we'll put you at the bottom of the pile. Trust me, that's NOT where you want to be.

Tip: Give publishers and acquisition editors what they want, what they ask for.

Imajin Books is OPEN for submissions until February 15th

The search is on! Imajin Books is looking for quality fiction!

We are now accepting submissions until February 15th, 2011.

Imajin Books is looking for novels in various genres, including YA, romance, mystery, thrillers, horror. At this time we are not looking for science fiction, but may consider your work if it's a crossover genre with one of the above.

Please visit our Submission Guidelines page for more information.