It’s the old catch22 situation. Most large publishers won’t touch a manuscript for a new author and agents won’t touch an unpublished author. How do we as budding crime authors get noticed by the powers that be?

The above srtatement is not strictly true. Agents are always looking for the next JK Rowling or Ruth rendell, but you have to know how to approach them the right way.

Getting an agent or submitting your work to a publisher is like getting a job.

You have to prepaare for the interview.

In this case, it is the manuscript that yiou send to your prospective agent or publisher that will be intervied. Sounds silly doesn’t it? but that’s how it is.

If you go for an interview for a senior job or any job which involves clerical work, the first thing you will be judged on, even before you’ve opened your mouth to speak, is your appearence.

That’s the way it is when your manuscript first lands on the desk of an agent or publisher.

First they look at the parcel to see that the manuscript has been addressedx to them. If it has, they know that at least the writer has bothered to try and find out their name from either the internet or a current edition of “The Writers and Artists Yearbook”

 If the manuscript is addressed to a previous agent or previous commissioning editor then they will know the writer has used an old copy. again it oindicates sloppiness.

You wouldn’t go for a top job and not know any of the names of the Company directors and expect to be hired.

Don’t put your prospective Agent or publisher off you by a simple mistake like that.

They open the parcel with your beloved manuscript inside it and what is the first thing they do?

Read the covering letter to check whether you have sent the return postage. You did remember to include a covering letter didn’t you?

Why? Because if you don’t even care about your manuscript to send a return envelope and the correct return postage then why should they care enough to read it. An agent will assunme you are a sloppy writer who has not read their guidelines for submitting manuscripts. Manuscripts without covering letters and/or return postage (sometimes called an SSAE or Stamped Self Addressed Envelope) don’t even make it to the slush pile. It will cost the agent or publisher money to return your manuscript and this they won’t do.

If you care about your manuscript enough, you will send return postage. Get your manuscript weighed by the Post Office, do not use a pair of kitchen scales then buy stamps to the equivelent postage and stick them to the envelope which is inside your main envelope. Make sure the stamps go top right of the envelope.

Don’t be silly, I know that.

I’m sure yoiu do but in a line of people with 5 minutes to go before the Post Office closes it’s easy to slip up on a simple thing like that.

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