Douglas Owen
Managing Editor
Science Fiction and Fantasy Publications
http://www.scififantasypublications.com/
Story Submissions
It makes every editor shake their head. Even I do. We take the time to post what we would like for submissions and no one reads it (well, that is an exaggeration; most people do not read it).
But it never fails, we ask people who submit their novels to us to only include the first 3,000 words and a query letter containing specific things, and it rarely happens. When it does I’m more surprised than anything.
Over the last three months that our publishing company has opened the door for submissions it seems many authors forgot how to read, or maybe they think it does not apply to them? I don’t know. So I wanted to reach out to as many writers and authors that I could and let them know, “Please read the submissions guidelines page and follow the instructions!”
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been on your side of the fence. You see the publishing company as a dragon that needs slaying and the only way to do that is shoot out as many arrows as possible. Heck, why not use the same query letter and first three chapters and mass mail them out to every publisher you can? I want to tell you that it is because it does not work that way. We all have different guidelines for our submissions.
And there is a reason for that. Not because we want to make you jump through hoops that we have set on fire. It is because each of us is looking for different things. We are have our own ideas about what is needed and why things should be done a certain way.
Let me give you an example. The guidelines to submit a novel to our publishing company is the following:
1 – A document containing the first 3,000 words of your manuscript
2 – A document containing your query letter with the following
A – A one paragraph description of your work
B – A one paragraph introduction of yourself
C – Any writing awards, publications or writing things you are doing
With submissions to our Anthology series we ask for:
1 – A document containing the whole story
2 – A document containing your query letter with the following
A – A one paragraph description of your work
B – A one paragraph introduction of yourself
C – Any writing awards, publications or writing things you are doing
Do you see the theme here?
So why do publishers ask for different things? Easy, they want to know how easy it will be to work with you. That is the first reason, and the most powerful one. No one wants to work with someone who fails to read or follow the instructions given to them.
“Here’s how you defuse this bomb.”
“No, I’m not reading the instructions; I’m cutting the blue wire instead of the red.”
BOOM!
Get what I mean?
Some writers say their work is so complicated it defies being reduced to one paragraph. Well, maybe that is because you are trying to explain the whole novel instead of the theme and main plot. Or, are you sure you wrote it? Some of the information you supply is used to build the information package on the work, and that is why it is wanted. Also, we can see if the theme matches what we want. Publishers are fickle that way.
But mostly, it is to see if you can follow instructions. After accepting a novel or short story, editing will take place and some rewrites could be requested. Will you follow those instructions? Will you kick back saying not going to happen? How easy will it be to work with you? Honestly, no one wants to work with a prima donna who thinks they know everything. Even as a seasoned content editor I will miss problems in writing, that is why we have at least two editors look over every story that is published.
So in the age old fashion of tying everything up I only have a few things to say. Please check out the guidelines for submissions for every publishing company / agent you submit to and follow them to the letter if you want to have the chance to be traditionally published.
Douglas Owen is the Managing Editor of Science Fiction and Fantasy Publications in Canada.
He is also a writer for IndyFest Magazine and an Author.
The first two books of his Young Adult Fantasy series are published through Science Fiction and Fantasy Publications.
He became the managing editor of the publishing company December of 2014 and is building the company’s brand by opening it up to submissions for novels, novellas and epic stories as well as an anthology series called Unbound.
Please check out Science Fiction and Fantasy Publications’ website for information on how to become published through them.
Novels Submissions – Short Stories Submissions
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
Sorry, the short story submission page was incorrect, though we have sent bulk emails out to those who have submitted to us. We will not be evaluating the stories until the end of each submission period. That way the best of the best can be selected and no one will be given any false hope.
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Wow. It should be common sense that every publisher would have different guidelines, just as every literary agency does. And Douglas is right. You’re expected to follow instructions every step in the publishing process so why wouldn’t the same rule apply here? You’ll get farther if you swallow your pride, follow simple directions and maybe you’ll be surprised that you got a request for the manuscript. When I submitted to my current publisher, I groaned as well at the submission guidelines, but I did what I was told. Do I regret it now? Not at all. 🙂
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Thanks for that Marie 😀
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I recently read a blog post where a mainstream publisher opened its doors to the great unwashed for submissions… not tbat they were looking for genre fiction, you understand… and I couldnt believe how rude and ignorant the authors were in their comments! The publisher had made it very clear what they were looking for, the rules for submissions, and who was eligible, yet every comment queried the same things over and over again! Not only did they not pay attention to the publishers requirements, they clearly did not read any of the comments either. Someone with the patience of a saint repeated the same replies and instructions. Makes me die that one of those idiots is going to get a publishing contract.
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In my experience, people see only what THEY WANT to see and that THEIR case is always special Ali – no matter what it is they’re applying for – 😀
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That is true, SRA, and applies in all areas of life. They only see what they want to see as it makes their life feel better. We all do that to a certain extent, but some people are so self centred, they’ve almost made it into an art form lol!
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😀
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No one wants to work with someone who fails to read or follow the instructions given to them. … Honestly, no one wants to work with a prima donna who thinks they know everything.
BINGO!!! I recall a discussion recently on LinkedIn when an author posted about becoming irate with a supposedly “insulting” response to a magazine submission. He proudly boasted how he promptly shot off a barrage of insults back to the editor involved. Then he went on to browbeat any commenters who said he was lucky to get a response at all, that he had shot himself in the foot, and he should have ignored it. Definitely a prima donna! 😀
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😀 😀 😀 – it wouldn’t be quite so bad if they could at least sing and dance Susan – at least they’d be entertaining 😀 😀 😀
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I guess people get too excited to read or remember instructions… I feel for Douglas… since I, week after week, year after year work with executives who never bother to read the instructions, or even think about following a template. If I could take a dollar from their paychecks every time they ignore instructions, I could retire… Hugs! 😀
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Your elementary teacher was right: “read and follow the directions”
Someone once said “If you can’t put your idea on the back of my business card, you don’t have a clear idea. Go work on it.”
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Hmm, slightly concerned now. I submitted my short story following the guidelines on the website, but they were not what you quoted above.
”You only need two things – Your short story and a small two paragraph bio of yourself. This should be supplied with your manuscript.”
Maybe there’s an error on the website?
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If you leave your name and email address, I can pass this comment on ANONYMOUS
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