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Each submissions call sees a healthy flood of brilliant submissions. Wendy and I read every single submission that comes through to our inbox. Sending a portion of your manuscript to a publisher is a huge act of trust. It is our responsibility to respect that trust. Each manuscript is approached with care and enthusiasm, which can mean a lot of work when there is so many. Here are our tips on how to review manuscript submissions as a small press.
Time to read all of the books!
Obviously, we don’t have to read a full novel for every submission. Submissions are generally three chapters and a synopsis with the cover letter. But while I can speed through three chapters of a published book, it does take a little longer to consider a submission. Submissions require a great deal more care and attention than I might give my evening reading. And then we need to leave time for Wendy and I to discuss each of the submissions in relation to our list and our plans. We pad a good amount of time to our submissions window, because who knows what might come up!
Tips on how to review manuscript submissions as a small press
There’s another way a published book is different from a submission. A published book has typically seen a lot more editing than a submission. As an editor, I’m not just considering what is on the page, I keep the author’s potential in mind as well. At this stage, what a story could be is as important as what it is. My developmental editing brain has already started ticking.
Meanwhile, Wendy will be reading with an eye for marketing. We have to be resourceful in all we do. We can do best by an author when their manuscript slots neatly into our cosy little niche!
We have a few other things in mind as we read. For example: is the writing style cosy enough? Does the story have its own unique selling point? Will this manuscript fit well with our target New Adult audience? We keep track in a spreadsheet with ratings out of seven for each category and a section to share our freeform notes.
Keeping a fresh brain
Every submission deserves to be met with energy, enthusiasm and care. Leaving enough time comes into this massively. It would be incredibly draining to squeeze all of the reading into tiny gaps in a busy schedule. It also involves looking after ourselves. We like to encourage each other throughout the process and make sure we’ve scheduled in enough time to have fun outside of work.
We hope you enjoyed the first instalment of our new Guiding Star content series. Whether you're an aspiring author, a new indie publisher, or just curious about the publishing world, come along with us as we share each step of the indie publishing process for our next cosy fantasy title. Packed with our learnings, tips and insights on editorial, design, and marketing, you’ll even have the chance to guide us in our journey as we bring our next publishing project to life.
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