Congratulations—you pitched your book, it was accepted by a publisher, the contracts were signed, and you embarked on your literary journey. Hopefully, you were in contact with an editorial representative from your publisher during the writing process who answered your questions and provided direction when needed.
Despite this editorial presence, however, authors often submit completed manuscripts to the publisher that are absolute disasters. Once the in-house editor receives a manuscript, the book’s individual production schedule begins. If that manuscript is a living wreck, editors will spend many long hours fixing the problems in addition to actually editing the text—while desperately attempting to keep the whole project within the allotted time schedule.
Problem projects usually cause an editor to make a negative recommendation to the acquisitions team regarding any future projects with the offending author. Developing a good working relationship with your editor from the start is good business for your current book as well as your next.
Work with your editor through good communication. As an editor, I've encountered my fair share of easily avoidable manuscript messes. The following “don’ts” have all happened in my professional career, and the best way to avoid them is to follow one simple rule:
always communicate, never assume.
1. Don’t ignore the publisher’s Author Manual.Most publishers distribute an Author Manual or set of guidelines for writing a manuscript. You’ll likely receive this when your contract is signed. Read it! Follow it! This manual contains useful information on everything from setting up your page in Word (i.e. 1” margins, double-spaced type, etc.) to which style (Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press, etc.) the publisher uses.
The guidelines will contain many common sense suggestions that you may be aware of already, but don’t make the mistake of not reading the whole thing. By not reading, you’ll miss something simple but important.
2. Don’t attempt to “format” your manuscript. If I had a dollar for every time authors inserted a manual return in a manuscript because they thought that “the page will look better if it breaks here,” I’d have a Ferrari in my garage. The editor and designer will handle formatting as the book is copy edited and designed.
Do indicate section breaks within chapters using whatever method your publisher outlined. And
do fire off an email to your editor when a question arises regarding block quotes, footnotes, or anything else that gives you a moment’s pause.
3. Don’t include photos without identification or captions. Mystery photos are fun in trivia contests, but you can’t assume that your editor will know what or who is depicted in the photos that accompany your manuscript. The publisher’s Author Manual will likely include a section devoted to its preferred method for identifying and captioning images. Follow it!
Do not invent something you like better. The publisher’s system is in place for specific reasons that you don’t necessarily need to know, but if you still have questions, ask. (If your publisher is providing the photos/captions, take extra care to examine them at the proofreading stage for accuracy.)
4. Don’t re-submit chapters to your editor after the manuscript is turned in. Unless you cleared this with your editor first, do not send a revised Chapter 3 to your editor two weeks after your deadline with a cheery note that you “fixed a few things.” Your editor may have already copy edited Chapter 3 and rather than helping, you just added more work for a busy editor with looming production deadlines. If you notice problems after the manuscript is submitted, notify your editor immediately and together you can decide on the best course of action.
5. Don’t assume your work is done when you submit the completed manuscript. When the pages are designed you’ll receive a copy to proofread. Take this step seriously—depending on the publisher’s preferences and production schedule, this may be your only opportunity to view the pages before the book goes to the printer. Take special care with photos and make sure that each photo has its proper caption. Mistakes occur, and it’s better to take care at this stage than apologize for errors once the book hits store shelves.
Depending on your publisher, you’ll also have a variety of small tasks to perform for the marketing and/or public relations departments including submitting an appropriate author photo (select something professional, no pictures of you on your last boating trip, please), writing a brief personal biography, and being available for media interviews. You are your book’s best advocate to the public, and your promotion efforts are well worth the investment of your time.
