For beginning authors who have just completed their first work, the question often arises: "What then?" What should be done so that the manuscript sees the light and finds its reader? Of course, contact the publisher. But in order for your company to succeed, you must correctly take the very first step - write a letter to the editor.
Instruction manual
1
Of course, you can contact the publisher not only in writing, but also by phone or come in person. However, this is far from the best solution. The employee who will talk with you may not have time and he will immediately forget about you. The editors may be in another city and going to meetings will be problematic. And if you still get there, it may well turn out that at this particular moment there is simply no one to deal with. Therefore, it is better to just write a good letter to the editor.
2
You can write a letter both in electronic and in traditional form. The first option is much preferable, since e-mail is much faster, and it will be much easier to track the sent e-mail. You can find the necessary addresses on the Internet. If you plan to contact the editorial office of a magazine, first of all find the site of this publication using a search engine. If you currently do not have access to the Internet, the editorial contacts can be found in the journal itself. Usually they are printed on the second page or at the very end of the publication.
3
Try to find not the editor’s general email address, but the contact directly with the editor-in-chief or the manuscript acceptance department. Then proceed to compose your letter. In the very first lines, provide brief information about yourself: full name, your experience as an author, the availability of publications, the genre in which you work. Try not to write in long, complex sentences and avoid digressions with irrelevant details.
4
Give a brief description of your work that you are considering. If this is a large form (novel, novel), attach a synopsis (short summary of the plot). Attach the manuscript to the letter with the attached file. In the signature, indicate your contact details by which you could easily be contacted: E-mail, telephones, real mailing address. Indicate your full name and surname.
5
After sending the letter on the same day or the next day, call the editorial office and find out if your letter has been received and who it is under consideration. And also specify the terms of the answer accepted in this edition. They can range from two weeks to several months. If the review period is long, about once a month, call the editorial office and specify how things are going with your work.
Useful advice
If you send a letter to several publishers at once, do not send it by general mailing. The presence of numerous additional addresses is always visible to the recipient and makes an unpleasant impression. Better try to find out the name of the editor you are writing to and contact him personally. This will demonstrate your professionalism and serious approach to business.
