If you want to submit your writing in the new year, we need to receive your work ASAP.

We are accepting e-mail queries, as well as regular mail submissions to our review board. Be sure to include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

This is a great time to enroll in our services and to energize your submission strategy. If your work is chosen, you'll begin the new year with your writing as a priority. You'll be enrolled in our client list for the current cycle, and your submissions will go out when the majority of agents and editors are reading. It's a great time of year to begin your new submission strategy. We’ll list openings in specific genres below. Please DO NOT send work in genres that are not listed.

If you're NOT a do-it-yourselfer and want to utilize our FULL service (rather than our A LA CARTE services), you need to send work to our REVIEW BOARD.

There are some important differences between the three levels of services. A complete list of pricing and services may be found at http://www.WritersRelief.com/comparison.asp.

If you are accepted into our FULL-SERVICE client list:

We propose, prepare, and proof content for cover letters. (You’ll benefit from what we’ve learned since 1994.)

We review and target your work to specific markets based on content, length, reading dates, etc. (You’ll never again have to spend hours researching markets for your work.)

We proof and prepare your work to industry standards, prepare master copies, and maintain electronic or hard copy versions of the work here at Writer's Relief, Inc.  (If your computer crashes, we’ll have a master copy of every title on file.)

We prepare 25 - 30 submissions for each title (or group of poems) within each two-month cycle.  (When was the last time you accomplished this?)

We print your individually addressed cover/query letters. (You don’t have to create merge files, etc.)

We track every submission. (You’ll know what’s going on with every submission without doing any filing.)

We offer guidance regarding submissions, acceptances, etc.  (Each client is assigned two personal submission strategists.)

How many submissions have you mailed in the past two months? This is a great time of year to focus energy on your writing. If you've been putting off getting your work to us, NOW is the time to send it. Writers submitting their work regularly and extensively increase their odds of acceptance . . . dramatically. This cycle is one of the best times for you to enter our client list.

We have room to invite a few more writers into our Writer's Relief family. We are reading in the following genres only:

Nonfiction (books)—Send chapter outline, proposal, sample chapters (30 pages) of your unpublished manuscript, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, chapter outline, proposal, and sample pages may be in one file.)

Novels—Send synopsis, first 30 pages of your unpublished manuscript, sample query letter, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, synopsis and samples pages may be in one file.)

Poetry—Send 10 - 12 unpublished poems, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, paste poems into one file; one poem per page.)

Short Stories or Personal/Creative Essays—Send three unpublished stories (each under 5,000 words), your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, each story should be in a separate file.)

Our review is FREE. If our review board determines your writing is strong enough (and markets are plentiful enough), they will send you an invitation to join our services. They will quote you FLAT FEES at that time. You may accept or decline their invitation.

Keep in mind that we must turn away 80 percent of the work that comes to us. However, if your writing is strong, don't let procrastination, hesitation, lack of marketing experience, or fear stop you from submitting your work.

Wouldn't it be amazing to get your submissions in the mail to all the best publishers and agents? Writer's Relief has successfully helped writers beat the procrastinator in them since 1994. We help clients find the time to write.

Writers have been looking to us for years to help them alleviate the countless hours needed to research ever-changing writers' markets. We continue to have the most current and best writers' markets included in our database. Because our database is updated daily from information we receive from all of our clients, as well as thousands of journals and agents directly, our lists are more up-to-date than any market book or online source.

Send Writing Samples To:

For e-mail queries: Send to Kriste@wrelief.com. We will accept the samples as attachments ONLY in .DOC, .RTF, or .WPD format. (E-mail submissions MUST include all pieces itemized above, including complete contact information, cover letter, and BIO pasted into the body of your e-mail, and sample pages attached, or they WILL NOT be reviewed. No SASE needed for e-mail submissions.) Include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

Or mail your submission to: Review Board, Writer's Relief, Inc., 409 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

We want to be your partner in the submission process. Call us toll-free (between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) if you have any questions. One of our personal submission strategists will be happy to spend a few minutes with you on the telephone.

Keep Writing And Submitting!

Our A La Carte PLUS Service:
You have already heard about the affordable alternative to our Full Service—our A La Carte Service. You may be interested to know that we now offer an A La Carte PLUS Service. Writer’s Relief will prepare your COVER/QUERY LETTERS in addition to targeting markets and preparing preaddressed mailing labels.

Clients have been requesting this service:
We are delighted to offer you an additional service that helps to fulfill your personal submission needs. We can now prepare a succinct cover/query letter and provide printed cover letters for each of the markets specially targeted for your work. You’ll save lots of time and avoid errors.

We know what editors and agents want in a cover/query letter:
Editors and agents want you to follow industry standards when composing these letters. We’ve been creating successful cover/query letters for clients since 1994. We’ve happily provided clients with information on how to do this themselves. In spite of your fear, there is no big mystery involved. If you love to create cover letters, great! If not, we can alleviate the stress associated with developing and addressing these letters. You’ll also save hours of worry and preparation. We know, if you’re like most writers, what you want is more time to write.

Here’s how the PLUS part of this service works:

1) We’ll ask you for the information we need to insert into your cover letters. This will include your name and contact information, as well as some biographical information and publication/writing credentials (if you have acquired any).

2) Writer’s Relief will create the template for a universal cover/query letter for you. This will be based on the information you give us in addition to the standards set by our industry.

3) You will review the letter, return it with your feedback, and send any proposed changes or your final okay. (Pricing allows for one back-and-forth or revision before we prepare final letters.)

4) Writer’s Relief will target submissions for your work and prepare an individually addressed cover/query letter for each of your 25+ submissions. (Please note that industry standard now requires letters be addressed to the editors’ full names. Example: Dear Ronnie L. Smith, as opposed to Dear Mr. or Ms. Smith. This is the format that we follow.)

How much will it cost?
If you wish to sign up for our A La Carte PLUS Service and receive printed cover/query letters, the total cost of this service is $200 – $250 (plus $6 for US postage and handling; international rates vary) to target and prepare cover/query letters and labels to 25 markets.

Stop spending your time wondering if your cover/query letter will do its job, and stop worrying whether you’ve typed all of that contact information correctly. Let us help you by providing this additional service that so many of you have asked for—just think how amazing it will be to send out professionally prepared cover letters with your submissions in a matter of days! A list of itemized services and prices may be found at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

If you would like to sign up for this service, please call us toll-free at (866) 405-3003, and ask to speak with Marissa or Kriste. They are specialists in handling A La Carte clients and cover/query letters.

We're so excited to present this information to you. When you download Insider's Secrets: What You MUST Know To Submit Your Children's Book, you'll also get a FREE REPORT that contains contact information for 100+ agents and publishers who specialize in children's books. 

Click here for more information: http://www.writersrelief.com/children.html

The NUMBER ONE reason that writers don’t succeed (other than not writing well) is a lack of understanding about rejection. To help you overcome the most difficult hurdle for writers, we have written this E-book, entitled Rejoice in Rejection: The Art of Surviving the Submission Process. When you order this E-book, you’ll also receive a FREE REPORT that includes manuscript FORMAT guidelines for poetry, short prose, novels, nonfiction books, and plays. These guidelines will ensure that you are submitting your work using industry-standard formatting. 

Click here for more information: http://www.writersrelief.com/rejection.html.

You CAN give THE perfect gift to the writers you love OR encourage your family to buy one for you!

Help the writers you know get their submissions in the mail. What could be better? Purchase our Gift Certificates for Writers, and support the writers in your life this holiday season.


 
Give a gift certificate for one of our A La Carte services. We’ll target submissions and create cover/query letters as well. This is the perfect gift for writers who are hard-pressed to find time to write given the time that’s required to research markets, create query letters, etc. Writers want time to write!
 
We’ve been helping writers submit their work since 1994. Because we believe in nurturing the arts—especially in times of struggle—we've created different levels of service to help writers publish their work while staying within a budget.
 
Words are important and vital. They help us to remain hopeful about our lives and the beautiful world in which we live.
 
Go to this link to see which level of service is best for you: http://writersreliefblog.com/post/Three-Levels-Of-Service.aspx. Please note that only our A La Carte services are available as gifts. Other services require Review Board approval.
 
A La Carte Service—Your writer friends can get started right away! Writer’s Relief will target markets and guide your loved one through the process. Your gift will enable her/him to get 25+ submissions out into the world within 3 days of redeeming your gift certificate. It’s quick and easy. We provide the best market research available to creative writers. Cost: $100.00 + postage.
 
A La Carte PLUS Service—Everything that’s easy and affordable about our regular A La Carte Service, with the time-saving bonus of cover/query letter preparation. We will target the best markets for your loved one’s work, prepare mailing labels, and create 25 to 30 personalized, professional cover/query letters. Cost: $250.00 + postage.
 
We invite you to call us between the hours of 8:30 and 2:30 Eastern Time. Ask to speak with Marissa or Kriste. They are trained as personal submission strategists and will be happy to answer your questions.
 
Happy Holidays!

Order TODAY and we’ll send your gift certificate within 24 hours!

If you want to submit your writing in the new year, we need to receive your work ASAP.

Writer's Relief Review Board Meets: Monday, December 15 and Tuesday, December 16 (Writers enter our FULL-SERVICE BY INVITATION ONLY, so send your work to our review board ASAP).

We will be accepting e-mail queries, as well as regular mail submissions to our review board. Be sure to include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

This is a great time to enroll in our services and to energize your submission strategy. If your work is chosen, you’ll begin the new year with your writing as a priority. You’ll be enrolled in our client list for the December – February cycle, and your submissions will go out when the majority of agents and editors are reading. It’s a great time of year to begin your new submission strategy. We’ll list openings in specific genres below. Please DO NOT send work in genres that are not listed.

If you're NOT a do-it-yourselfer and want to utilize our FULL Service (rather than our A LA CARTE Services), you need to send work to our REVIEW BOARD. Keep reading.

There are some important differences between our A La Carte Services and Full Services. If you are accepted into our FULL-SERVICE client list:

We propose, prepare, and proof content for cover letters. (You’ll benefit from what we’ve learned since 1994. We know what editors and agents want to see in your cover/query letter.)

We review and target your work to specific markets based on content, length, reading dates, etc. (You’ll never again have to spend countless hours researching markets for your work.)

We proof and prepare your work to industry standards, prepare master copies, and maintain electronic or hard copy versions of the work here at Writer's Relief, Inc. (Proper formatting ensures a good read,  and, if your computer crashes, we’ll have a master copy of every title on file.)

We prepare 25 - 30 submissions for each title (or group of poems) within each two-month cycle. (When was the last time you accomplished this?)

We print your individually addressed cover/query letters. (You’ll simply sign your letters, and they’ll be ready to go. You don’t have to create merge files, etc.)

We track every submission. (You’ll know what’s going on with every submission without doing any filing.)

We offer guidance regarding submissions, acceptances, etc. (Each client is assigned two personal submission strategists.)

How many submissions have you mailed in the past two months? This is a great time of year to focus energy on your writing. If you've been putting off getting your work to our review board, now's the time to send it to us. Writers submitting their work regularly and extensively increase their odds of acceptance . . . dramatically. We have a limited number of openings available in specific genres. This upcoming cycle is one of the best times for you to enter our client list.

Our review board will meet Monday (December 15) through Tuesday (December 16) and make selections for the coming cycle. This means you will have the opportunity to have your work read in a very timely manner. If you would like your work considered, be sure it arrives in our office before this date. After selections are made we will not be registering new clients for at least two to four months. Use the e-mail or street address below.

We are reading in the following genres only:

Novels—Send synopsis, first 30 pages of your unpublished manuscript, sample query letter, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, synopsis and samples pages may be in one file.)

Nonfiction (books)—Send chapter outline, proposal, sample chapters (30 pages) of your unpublished manuscript, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, chapter outline, proposal, and sample pages may be in one file.)

Short Stories or Personal/Creative Essays—Send three unpublished stories (each under 5,000 words), your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, each story should be in a separate file.)

Poetry—Send 10 - 12 unpublished poems, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, paste poems into one file; one poem per page.)

We will mail our letters of acceptance or rejection before December 18, which means you won't have to wait long for our decision. Our review is FREE. If our review board determines your writing is strong enough (and markets are plentiful enough), they will send you an invitation to join our services. They will quote you FLAT FEES at that time. You may accept or decline their invitation. A list of fees and services may be found at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

Keep in mind that we must turn away 80 percent of the work that comes to us. However, if your writing is strong, don't let procrastination, hesitation, lack of marketing experience, or fear stop you from submitting your work.

Wouldn't it be amazing to get your submissions in the mail to all the best publishers and agents? Writer's Relief has successfully helped writers beat the procrastinator in them since 1994. We help clients find the time to write.

Writers have been looking to us for years to help them alleviate the countless hours needed to research ever-changing writers' markets. We continue to have the most current and best writers' markets included in our database. Because our database is updated daily from information we receive from all of our clients, as well as thousands of journals and agents directly, our lists are more up-to-date than any market book or online source.

Send Writing Samples To:

For e-mail queries: Send to Kriste@wrelief.com. We will accept the samples as attachments ONLY in .DOC, .RTF, or .WPD format. (E-mail submissions MUST include all pieces itemized above, including cover letter and BIO pasted into the body of your e-mail, and sample pages attached, or they WILL NOT be reviewed. No SASE needed for e-mail submissions.) Include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

Or mail your submission to: Review Board, Writer's Relief, Inc., 409 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

Be sure to include your contact information including e-mail and phone number.

We want to be your partner in the submission process. Call us toll-free (between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) if you have any questions. One of our personal submission strategists will be happy to spend a few minutes with you on the telephone.

Keep Writing And Submitting!

Ronnie L. Smith, President
Writer's Relief, Inc.
(866) 405-3003 (toll-free), (201) 641-3003
http://www.writersrelief.com

P.S. Have your work in our office by Monday (December 15).

…will help you get your submissions in the mail by next week! We’ll do the market research and give you clear and simple instructions to properly prepare submissions to industry standards. You’ll have your submissions in the mail within a few days—REALLY! You don't need to enroll in our full services in order to benefit from what we've learned about publishing since 1994. (If you do want a more full range of services—including creating cover/query letters, tracking submissions, proofreading, etc.—you’ll need to apply and send work to our review board. Call for details.)

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, our a la carte service is quick and easy. We provide the best market research available to creative writers.

It's simple AND affordable. Keep reading.

You’ll get:

** A CUSTOM list of 25+ literary venues that specialize in YOUR type of writing. (Your work will be targeted to the best markets based on the topics, word count, etc. of the particular piece [or group of poems] you’re submitting.)

** Self-adhesive labels (one for each contact) containing the most up-to-date address information. These labels make it very easy for you to mail your own submissions.

** An online database that lists all your submissions. You'll have access to your submission list 24 hours a day for 30 days.

** BONUS: We will also include a FREE bonus packet of informational tip sheets that will teach you the insider's secrets we've gathered since 1994. We want you to be successful. Following these guidelines (including sample format sheets, submission do’s and don’ts, etc.) will ensure that your work is well-prepared, which will, in turn, ensure a good read. This bonus packet of materials will include an easy-to-follow checklist for creating a most effective cover/query letter.

In order to create a CUSTOM list for you, we will need you to provide topics covered in your work. We will make this very EASY for you by giving you access to our online Work Cover checklist. We will prepare your specially targeted list of markets after receiving this information.

Call us with your credit card authorization between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and we can get started. We will prepare your submission list within one business day of receiving your completed Work Cover Sheet. Imagine how it will feel to have 25 properly targeted and prepared submissions in the mail within days!!

How much will this cost? Only $100, plus $6 U.S. postage and handling (international rates will vary). Your packet of specially targeted markets will arrive via U.S. Priority Mail. Our a la carte service or our full service? Choose the one that works best for you. Both services include targeting your work to the best markets. We outline both services and costs at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

We invite you to give Kriste or Marissa a call to discuss your needs at (866) 405-3003 or (201) 641-3003. They are trained as personal submission strategists here at Writer's Relief and will be happy to speak with you.

Our A La Carte Service, our BRAND NEW A La Carte PLUS Service, or our Full Service? Choose the one that works best for you and suits your budget. All services include targeting your work to the best markets. We outline all three services and costs at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

Call us between the hours of 8:30 and 2:30 Eastern Time, and speak to one of our personal submission strategists.

Full Service: Your work must be presented and accepted by our review board. If you don’t have time to take care of all the tasks required to get your submissions in the mail, this service is for you. http://www.writersreliefblog.com/post/Submission-Guidelines-For-Full-Service-Clients.aspx.

A La Carte Service: Get started right away! This is a more do-it-yourself service, with Writer’s Relief targeting markets and guiding you through the process. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, our a la carte service is quick and easy. We provide the best market research available to creative writers. Info about our a la carte service may be found at http://writersreliefblog.com/post/Our-A-La-Carte-Service.aspx.

A La Carte PLUS Service: Everything fast and affordable about our regular a la carte, but with the added bonus of full service cover/query letter preparation. We will target the best markets for your work, prepare mailing labels, and create 25 to 30 personalized, professional cover/query letters. More information may be found at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp

It’s simple AND affordable. Keep reading.

Included with ALL services:

** Targeting 25+ literary venues that specialize in YOUR type of writing. (Your work will be targeted to the best markets based on the topics, word count, etc. of the particular piece [or group of poems] you’re submitting.)

** An online database that lists all your submissions. You'll have access to your submission list 24 hours a day.

We invite you to give Marissa or Kriste a call to discuss your needs. They are trained as personal submission strategists here at Writer's Relief and will be happy to speak with you.

If so, be sure someone else hasn't already written about your topic in this comprehensive list, published by EW.com.

Click here for the list and complete article, written by Kate Ward.

And after you've completed your original memoir, contact Writer's Relief, Inc. for information on how to target your work to appropriate literary agents.

We’ve been running our Author’s Submission Service since 1994. We love sharing these articles with writers and are happy to pass some of our INSIDER'S SECRETS along to you. We hope this valuable information will help improve your writing and your acceptance rate!

If you’d like to register to receive our FREE Writers’ Newsflash (delivered via e-mail once a month), visit our Web site at http://www.writersrelief.com. 

Want to use one of our articles in your E-zine or newsletter? You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: 

"Writer's Relief, Inc. is a highly recommended author's submission service. Established in 1994, Writer's Relief will help you target the best markets for your creative writing. Visit their Web site at http://www.writersrelief.com to receive their FREE Writers' Newsflash (today, via e-mail) which contains valuable leads, guidelines, and deadlines for writing in all genres." (And, of course, please be certain to let us know where and when the excerpt will appear.)  

Whether you’re submitting your work via postal mail or e-mail/online, it is important to have your computer files organized and properly named, so you can immediately identify what piece to submit and what you have previously sent.

Making Folders

Create a new folder in "My Documents." Name this folder "Creative Work." This folder can hold whatever genres you write, but you want to distinguish it from any academic work that you might write and from other non-creative writing folders.

Within the "Creative Work" folder, make at least three subfolders: Accepted, Drafts, Poetry (Short Stories, Essays, etc.; you want to make a separate folder for each genre that you write).

The Accepted folder will contain work accepted for publication. It’s imperative to keep all of your work, but you also don’t want to make a mistake and resubmit any previously accepted pieces. The Drafts folder can be the holding place for works in progress, brainstorm ideas, work that is in a state of being proofread, and earlier versions of a finished piece (in the event that you’re the type of writer who likes to save every draft). The genre folders will hold completed versions of your work.

Naming Your Files

Imagine that you’ve written a piece called "The Red Stone." You can drop the beginning articles and spaces when you’re naming a file, but we recommend saving the file with the name of your piece. Let’s say you’ve submitted the named file "RedStone" to 25 markets. As some responses come back, you decide that you want to revise "The Red Stone" for the next time you submit. Make a copy of the original "RedStone" file. Rename this file "RedStoneOLD." Back at your list of documents, you will now rename "RedStone" to "RedStoneNEW." It is in this NEW file you will make revisions. You want to maintain the same name formatting so that the two pieces sort together.

It may happen an editor wants to publish "RedStoneNEW," but he or she wants you to retitle it to "The Brick-Red Stone." You, being the compliant writer, agree. In your files, you need to copy the file "RedStoneNEW" and paste the file in your folder. On a PC, the file should read "Copy of RedStoneNEW." On a Mac, the file should read "RedStoneNEW copy." Rename this file to "Brick-RedStoneWASRedStone." Next, rename the original "RedStoneNEW" file to "RedStoneNOWBrick-RedStone." By doing this, you’re able to see that "Brick-Red Stone" is the latest version, but you’re also able to maintain its previous versions. Since X Journal has accepted "The Brick-Red Stone," you now can move all of these versions into your Accepted folder.

On a PC, sort your files by the "List" view. Select a file to see the details of the file, which at the bottom of the screen. It will show the last date modified; that is, to say the last time you worked in that file. This is another way to be sure you are choosing the most current version to work with. On a Mac, choose the "list" view as well and highlight a file to see the last date modified and other information that opens to the right of the document.

This process of naming and saving files this way works well for prose and book writers who make postal and electronic submissions. However, if you’re a poet, there is more to the process.

Poets should keep each individual poem saved in its own file. It is easier to move poems individually and keep track of newest versions this way.

Organizing Poetry Submissions

E-mail/online submissions are a bit trickier for poets. Some outlets want the poems sent in one document as a DOC or RTF file. Other outlets want the poems sent individually via attachment. Then there are still others who simply prefer that your poems be pasted into the body of the e-mail with no formatting embedded. On a PC, the icons for a DOC and RTF file look the same. We recommend putting "rtf" at the end of the poem file names for RTF files so that you can easily identify RTF from DOC. On a Mac, you’re able to see the difference between these two files, so this isn’t applicable. Nevertheless, when you’re submitting via e-mail/online, always follow the guidelines of each individual journal.

It’s important to know that when you are making poetry submissions, literary journals and magazines only accept groups of poetry consisting of 3-6 titles. We suggest that you create subfolders with a group number to correspond with a specific group of poems. Once you’re happy with the way a particular group of poems reads together, keep these poems submitted and organized together in that group until you’re ready to totally revise and retitle (or retire; that is, to never submit it again) a particular poem in the group.

If you’re making poetry e-mail/online submissions and the journal requests that the poems be sent in one file, paste all the poems into one document, then save the file with the appropriate group name. You should also maintain a separate document called "Groups" that lists each set of poems by group.

We highly recommend this strategy since it will save you time and energy when it comes to tracking your submissions. If you mix and match poems with different groups, you’re more inclined to submit a poem to a journal that might have already seen it.

Back Up Your Files

A final note: It is crucial that you always save your work and create backups for your work. You can save your work onto floppy disks, zip disks, CDs, external backup drives, or flash drives. We personally recommend zip disks or flash drives because your work is less likely to get corrupted on these devices. Also, flash drives can be carried in your pocket when you travel or have a few minutes to work on someone else’s computer (with permission, of course.) In addition, there are also various Web storage sites that can hold your work for you for minimal prices a year.

At Writer’s Relief, our full-service clients benefit from having us be a hub for all their electronic files. We also track your submissions and responses, and we’re here to provide you submission strategy and acceptance advice. Our full-service clients have access to their own personal online database (for submission tracking purposes) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call our offices toll free at (866) 405-3003 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the best plan for you.

So, I’m sitting here wondering why the query I sent out last week has yet to be answered. It took several months to compose that query, and another four weeks to track down a suitable agency to send it to. You could say that I have quite a lot invested in this query, and now I need answers as to why I’m being ignored.

Could it be something to do with the post office? I suppose it’s possible the neighborhood letter carrier ran into a shambling group of zombies. When he discovered he had only a banana and a toothpick with which to defend himself, my poor query probably fell to the wayside and became covered with banana goo. It’s also possible that a flock of great horned owls swooped down and mistook my query for nesting material—good taste on their part. Even supposing that the letter carrier avoided zombies, owls, and envelope-eating voodoo doctors, my query couldn’t have made it to the agency’s door, or I would have heard something by now.

Unlike the literary agency I queried, my writing group was lightning quick in responding to my complaint. They’re asking why it took so long to complete a single query and wondering why I only managed to send it to one agency. Are they negative or what? They don’t know what I’ve been facing this past year! For one thing, I had a disastrous accident on my scooter last December. Then my frontal lobotomy didn’t go quite as planned, and things started slipping my already slippery mind. Spent several unproductive months watching the Food Network and buying Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grills from the Home Shopping Network. Oh, and let’s not forget my tragic loss in the national 52-Card Pickup tournament in Vegas.

It’s been a rough year, but I hope to get more writing done, not to mention a few more queries submitted in the months ahead. It would be really cool to sell a story or two. If so, I could pay for a few of those Ultimate Grills sitting in my garage...if any literary agents are reading this, maybe we could work out a deal?

Many writers have found success writing for the nonfiction market. The beauty of this market is that your book doesn’t have to be written before you can sell it. (In fact, many claim that it’s downright foolish to invest time and effort in a book that hasn’t yet been sold.) Unlike fiction, you can break into the market armed with nothing more than a killer book proposal, and we’re here to help you go about it.

In general, the nonfiction book proposal is designed to give editors a well-organized, detailed sales pitch describing what your proposed book is about and how it will make money for the publishing company. An additional bonus is that writing the book proposal forces the author to organize and focus the project approach. The book itself may go through many changes depending on editorial input, but the proposal should follow a generally accepted format. We’ll break down the anatomy of a book proposal and then give you some general tips.

COMPONENTS:

Title Page

Include your name and contact information with an approximate word count and the proposed title of your work. Make sure your main title describes the subject matter of the book to aid in keyword searches, and don’t rely on subtitles to convey vital information—subtitles are often dropped in computerized listings and library databases. Consider this your working title, as publishers may elect to change it.

**Optional: Summary (also known as the Overview, Synopsis, or Executive Summary) - 1 page maximum

Begin with a very short description of your book’s basic premise. Whatever makes your book stand out should be highlighted in the first few sentences. This is the "hook," so make it interesting and unique; powerful yet concise. Capture the editor’s attention right off the bat, and make it clear what you’re selling. If the editor has to hunt around for the point of your book, he/she is likely to toss it aside and review the next proposal in the towering pile.

Chapter by Chapter Outline - 1 to 4 paragraphs per chapter

Create a dynamic outline by highlighting each chapter’s major points. Emphasize each chapter’s unique and/or important function in relation to the rest of the book. By the time the editor has read this outline, he or she should have a clear idea of the overall book.

The Market

This section should include information about the book’s intended audience and why the book addresses the needs of that particular audience. Make sure that your market is broad (as in "women ages 30-60" or "people who buy cars"), and provide as many demographics of your targeted audience as possible. Include observations about current trends that favor your book and highlight what makes your book unique.

Also include information about the competition. If there are other books out there on the same subject, yours had best offer a new or original take. Identify current books that are similar, and explain how yours fills a specific niche. If there are complementary books out there, show how your book can be positioned to the publisher’s advantage.

Give the editor or agency enough ammunition to sell your work to their review board.

Author Information

This is where you list your education, writing credentials, contacts, experience—anything that makes you uniquely qualified to write this book. If you don’t have a journalism degree or a list of publishing credits, highlight other things that show you have what it takes to tackle the subject. For instance, you may be a parent of a special-needs child, and, although you have never been published, your experience qualifies you to offer a unique perspective—assuming that your writing is up to par.

You will also need to outline your own promotional ideas and resources to help market the book. Include information about affiliations, contacts, or endorsements you may have lined up. Do you have a prominent person willing to write the foreword? Media contacts? Web sites, bookstore appearances, newsletters, and possible sequels or spin-off information should be included in this section. To use the example above, you may be a member of the Autism Society of America, and with the contacts you have made within that organization you can offer greater promotional opportunities.

Specifications

This is where you outline an approximate word count, the number of chapters, and an estimated completion time frame. If your book will contain a number of charts, photographs, or illustrations, say so. You may also describe the general format you envision. However, be prepared to be flexible when it comes to length and format—the publisher will have the final say.

Note: A full-length nonfiction book contains 9 to 15 chapters. Don’t submit an outline for a book that contains less than 9 chapters. Make sure you have enough material (and time) to fulfill this obligation before you propose it.

Table of Contents

Quite simply, this is a list of chapter titles to give the agent or editor an idea of what will be included in your book.

Sample Chapters

If you have already begun the writing process, send one or two completed chapters (Chapter 1 and 2 are preferable). Do not send chapters from the middle of the book.

OTHER TIPS

Your book proposal should be similar in style to your proposed book. In other words, if your book is meant to be humorous and lighthearted, make sure your proposal is written in the same style.

Make sure the proposal is edited and proofread within an inch of its life. Agents and editors admit to passing over potentially great ideas if they have to wade through a sea of errors and typos and coffee stains.

Always include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for responses. Your material will be recycled.

When formatting, we recommend using a 12-point, easy-to-read font like Times New Roman or Arial, with one-inch margins all around, and left justification.

We love educating writers about ever-changing industry standards. Let us know if we can help you with any or all elements of putting together a stellar book proposal.

Hard as it is to admit, we all need a little help at times. We depend on doctors, lawyers, accountants, even professional tree trimmers, when their expertise can make our lives a little easier. And let's face it—life is hard enough without trying to do everything ourselves.

That's the philosophy behind Writer's Relief. We make it our business to take the work out of getting published. We don't offer to do the writing for you—but we do offer a valuable service to those who have the talent, perseverance, and courage to offer up their work to readers.

At Writer's Relief, we draw from years of experience to smooth the way for our writers—if we feel a piece is likely to capture an editor or agent's attention, we use proven methods to help that piece find its way to print. It requires research, contacts, and organization, backed by our years of experience since 1994, but that's what we specialize in doing. And we have a proven track record of success.

Submission is a tedious, thankless process, one that many writers simply don't have the time, and sometimes the courage to face. And they're not alone. Many well-known authors ran the submission gauntlet, ending up rejected and frustrated and finally publishing their work themselves. CS Lewis sent more than 800 manuscripts before he made a sale; Ray Bradbury, also around 800. Alex Haley received 200 rejections before reaching success with Roots. Robert Persig's classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, couldn't get started at 121 publishing houses. And e.e. cummings dedicated The Enormous Room, which he self-published, to the publishers who had rejected it. Other famous authors who chose the self-publishing route—James Joyce, Beatrix Potter, Anaïs Nin, Mark Twain, Upton Sinclair (to name but a few)—probably did so out of sheer frustration with the submission process!

Writer's Relief also offers formatting, proofreading, and making sure that our writers' finished products are as clean and correct as possible. We know that a careful presentation can be the difference between a haughty sniff and a second look.

It's a well-known fact that Ernest Hemingway completely ignored the rules of punctuation, and spelling just wasn't his "thang." Nor was it W.B. Yeats or Hans Christian Anderson's thang, although they had the additional burden of dyslexia to contend with. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a notoriously bad speller as well, and in a letter of recommendation to his editor, he repeatedly referred to the as yet unknown Hemingway as "Hemmingway." And yet they were all gifted authors.

English spelling appears to be an illogical, often random affair, and there are plenty of confusing exceptions for every rule. Our language is not always phonetic, it's hopelessly complex, and there are far too many rules to remember. One study from Stanford found that more than 300 rules would be required to correctly spell half of our 17,000 most frequently used words! The English language is filled with such land mines as silent consonants (talk, yolk), double letters (vacuum, sapphire), plus a host of everyday words we've stolen from other languages (bureau, ballet, mayonnaise, omelette). Then there are the purely unthinkable combinations that we pass off as words—choir, diphtheria, gherkin, pneumonia—and it's a wunder that anyone can spell anything correctly at all.

Writers are often too close to their work to proofread it effectively, even if they have mastered our ungainly spelling system. At Writer's Relief, our proofreaders do more than check for misspellings. We catch punctuation and grammatical errors that often slip past unnoticed. We flag problems with subject/verb agreement, dangling participles, and formatting errors; we double-check song lyrics, brand names, and quotes; if your character magically transforms from an earl to a lord, our proofers will catch it. We're hunters, tracking inconsistencies in plot, as well as those pesky little homophones that trip everyone up at times. It's simply a matter of having a skilled, objective reader polish your work to perfection.

We have the utmost faith in our writers and their ability to get published—with or without our help. Our writers are intelligent, capable, and dedicated to their craft. We're just here to offer a bit of moral support, a fresh set of eyes, and years of experience navigating the treacherous waters of submission.

So, let us know if you could use a helping hand. We don't want your dreams to be nipped in the butt.

http://www.writersrelief.com/
Author’s Submission Service Since 1994

Here at Writer’s Relief, our staff is expert in the business of writing. We’re here to organize, encourage, and facilitate the process of writing for creative writers who don’t have time to tackle the business side of their craft.

Unfortunately, there are a few areas in which we are fairly useless:

We can’t fix your parking tickets, leaky faucets, or that pesky termite problem.

We can’t house-train your new puppy (or your toddler).

We can’t smooth wrinkles, halt hair loss, or lower cholesterol.

We can’t refinance your mortgage, negotiate a raise, or solve the social security crisis.

We can’t change your world view, your mind, or your gender.

We can’t locate lost pets, old friends, or wandering muses.

We can’t make you more popular among your peers or cure the heartbreak of psoriasis.

We can’t school you in the art of flower arranging, give you a position of power, or tone your abs.

And we can’t even hook you up with your true love…or the hottie who lives down the street.

What we can do, however, is save you valuable time and effort researching markets and guidelines and keeping track of submissions. You can focus your time and energy on writing, while we relieve you of the burden of promoting your own work. Here’s how it works.

You send us unpublished samples of your work, which we review for quality. We only accept and submit work from writers we believe have the ability to be published. Our review board takes from one day to one month to contact you, depending on the genre being submitted and the timeliness of your submission. We do not charge a reading fee.

After we’ve completed our review, we’ll quote you flat fees for our various services. You tell us how much or how little to do. Our clients stipulate how much work we will complete, so their fees are not open-ended. In other words, you set the pace and budget the time spent by telling us how much work to do for you.

We’ll help you get your act together. We proofread your work with a keen eye for detail. Then, we target those publishers and agents most appropriate and make certain your writing is professionally prepared. Your writing will be organized and targeted to appropriate markets. We will also help with query and cover letters, and we constantly update guidelines for literary journals and agents to make sure your work gets to the right person. Our database contains the most up-to-date information on creative writing outlets available anywhere.

We keep accurate records of all costs related to your work and provide an itemized list with your billing. This service is invaluable at tax season. And most exciting, we create a personal database for each client that details the status of each submission and all titles, acceptance information, etc. and is available to you online 24 hours a day.

So, if you’re looking for a little help getting your submission strategies in order, give us a shout. But if you’re looking for a little help with your mother-in-law or your wayward garden, you might be better off perusing the Yellow Pages.

http://www.writersrelief.com/
Author’s Submission Service Since 1994