Book Mama

Your mama was right. First impressions do matter. Here are a few hints that will help you make a good first impression on your editor:

  • When you send a proposal or manuscript file to your editor, identify yourself and your work in the document name. If Mary Smith’s book was Birds of the South, she might use:
M.Smith.Birds.Pro.docx or M.Smith.Birds.Ms.docx .
Avoid names like: Proposal4publisher.docx or mymanuscript.docx
I receive generic file names 90% of the time. I can and do rename them, but that takes time. Make life a little easier for your editor! This one little hint will endear you almost as much as dark chocolate will. Guaranteed!
  • Your proposal can open doors to publication. Consider writing it before you write your book. Put as much effort into editing and proofreading your proposal as you do your manuscript. Dave Fessenden’s upcoming book, Concept to Contract, has an excellent chapter on crafting proposals.
  • Be familiar with the correct way to format scripture in your manuscript. Scripture that is run-in with the text is punctuated differently from blocked scripture. A style guide, such as The Little Style Guide to Great Christian Writing, by Leonard Goss, or The Christian Writers Manual of Style, by Robert Hudson, is an essential reference tool not only for scripture formatting, but also for spelling and capitalization issues particular to a Christian manuscript.
Now that I’ve shared a few hints for making your editor happy, I’d like to give you a peek into a pretend scenario (a fairy tale of sorts) that doesn’t make a great first impression:
Once upon a time, I received a forwarded e-mail. The message had been sent to another publisher, and then forwarded to me from the author’s “sent” folder. A proposal and full manuscript were pasted into the body of the e-mail.
Miz Moe

(Hints: Most editors want WORD attachments; never paste a full manuscript in your e-mail unless directed to do so. If you must forward a file, remove the “FW:” in the subject line, and certainly remove the name of the original recipient. In the days of snail mail, this would be similar to addressing your submission to one publisher, then scratching through the address and writing a different publisher’s name there.)

The tale continues. There was no cover letter—not even a salutation.. The proposal contained numerous typos. The audience was everyone. Okay, I’m exaggerating (hey, this is a fairy tale)—the proposal said the book was for everyone who had enjoyed reading a particular named book. But that book was published forty years ago. I am probably the only person reading this blog who is old enough to remember the book mentioned.
(Hints: Always include a cover letter with your proposal. Proof your submission. Know your audience—be specific and current. If you list books for identifying audience or marketing, be sure they are no more than five years old.)
Now I’m generally a nice little old editor. My nickname is The Book Mama—and Mama’s greatest joy is to be a cheerleader and encourager. But an honest critique is as important as encouragement, right? So, Book Mama’s alter ego, Miz Moe (Meddlesome Old Editor), steps in to take care of tough love situations. Now those two gals battled over who would respond to the e-mail in the fairy tale I’ve described. Here’s how it all came down:
Mama took over. Surely the author had accidentally forwarded this e-mail. Mama gently answered the post, inquiring if it was a mistake.
Within minutes she received a response: “will you publish my book.” The first word was not capped, the question ended in a period. That was the whole message.
Miz Moe grabbed Mama’s apron strings and tried to pull her away from the computer. “It’s my turn to answer!” yelped Moe.
But Mama prevailed. “Probably a tender newbie who hasn’t learned the protocols of submission—remember all the mistakes we made when we started out? Remember all the gracious writers who mentored us?”
So, Mama sent another e-mail explaining guidelines. She even included an annotated proposal handout that explained not only what information was needed, but also why.
An impudent, if not rude, response came back.
The last I noticed, Book Mama was guarding the keyboard and offering Miz Moe a calming glass of milk and a plate of warm cookies.