Maximize Your Chances For Publication

About the Author

Mitchel Whitington

Mitchel Whitington is the author of eight books, and is the named editor of seven anthologies. When he’s not writing, he works as the Senior Editor at Atriad Press. You can learn more at his writing website

More about Mitchel Whitington

I hate getting rejection letters when I’m submitting a book to an agent or publisher - I don’t think that there’s a worse feeling in the world. If you’re a writer, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

When I’m not wearing my writer’s hat, I work as an editor at Atriad Press; that means that - as painful as it is - I have to send out those rejections. With each one I know what kind of disappointment I’m putting in the envelope. The thing is, though, that a lot of the people that get rejected would make it much further in the process if they’d do one simple thing: follow the rules!

Just paying attention to an agent or publisher’s guidelines can make a difference between a flush letter and a request to see more chapters. With that in mind, here are the top five mistakes that I see writers make when they submit a proposal.

1) Sending too much info.
Most agents and publishers initially just want to get a feel for your idea to see if it might be a fit. Send only what the guidelines ask for, and nothing more.

2) Trying to be cute.
I received a candy bar with a proposal one time, with a long letter about how hard editors work and deserve a reward… of course, my folks taught me a long time ago not to take candy from strangers. Down the hall, an editor opened a proposal and little metallic stars, moons, and glitter rained down all over her desk. It might have originally sounded like a good idea, but it made a terrible mess. Please, just be straightforward and professional.

3) Pleading or begging.
This happens more than you’d think - writers send sad letters about how they need to sell a book to feed their kids, pay for a spouse’s surgery, or turn the electricity back on. This always has the reverse effect on the editor; it’s the perfect way to get an immediate rejection.

4) Bad-mouthing other agents or publishers.
Imagine getting a proposal that starts out, “Those fools over at Doubleday rejected this, but I’m going to make a million dollars just to make them regret their decision.” It happens, and is another instant rejection.

5) Sending proposals to anonymous recipients.
In today’s Internet age, all agents and publishers have websites, so you can easily get the name of the person that should receive your proposal. If I get another, “To the Editor who buys Non-Fiction:” I think that I’ll lose my mind.

Please - just follow the guidelines for a particular agent or publisher, and you’ll get much further with your submissions!