You’ve undoubtedly done everything listed below since you’re one of our readers. However, based on the many unsolicited submissions we receive, many new authors still need to follow good advice. If you’re mentoring new authors, we suggest recommending the following:
Please Read and Follow Our Guidelines
As Steve Laube says, “We are not hiding.” We feature our guidelines on our website. These guidelines state what type of manuscripts we seek. Reading further, each agent presents which Christian manuscripts we seek. Because we often see submissions contrary to Christianity, and because each of us receives Christian manuscripts that don’t fit the categories we seek, we discern that many authors need to consult our website before querying us.
Perhaps some authors feel that visiting each agency’s website wastes time, and agents can handle it. Those authors should consider whether they enjoy the soul-sucking exercise of rejection or ghosting. Why not take the time to visit the sites of every agent to whom they want to submit? Then, they are more likely to garner interest from several agents who may offer representation instead of collecting letters of rejection.
Respect Proper Word Count
The guidelines below are general. There will always be exceptions that prove the rule.
Fiction:
Most mass market and category book publishers include word count requirements on their sites. No matter how amazing your book may be, no one will sell a book that’s too long or too short to these publishers.
Otherwise, most publishers currently prefer books that are 85,000 to 95,000 words in length. Some books, such as comedies, may run shorter, perhaps 80,000 words, to maintain comedic tension. A few books may be as long as 105,000 words, but this must be because the story cannot be told more succinctly.
At this time, we are not able to consider standalone novellas.
Nonfiction:
Gift books and devotional collections can be as few as 20,000 words to allow for a spacious layout.
Self-help, memoirs, and other nonfiction books should fall in the 80,000-to-100,000-word range.
Investigate Markets
Agents are the ones paid to know the markets, right? Right. But we all appreciate authors who can tell us about their goals and dreams.
Authors who give us a thorough comparison of books like theirs that are already on the market help us and, in turn, help editors in their reviews. The comparison section is a crucial part of any excellent proposal. As authors search for books that are both direct and indirect competition, the publishers releasing those books and supporting those authors may be open to considering new, similar works.
Be Willing to Work with Technology
I enjoy technology, but I know how frustrating it can be. As I write this post to be published a few months from now, a website I’m trying to access has crashed. Earlier this week, a store announced the arrival of a famous brand of winter coats; and their site crashed, which led to the coat manufacturer’s site crashing for at least two days. So, yes, technology can be a hassle.
However, a patent refusal to use technology needed to have a book published will land an author forever in Rejection Land. A few months ago, an author sent my office a proposal that looked promising. However, the author patently refused to send an attachment. Instead, the author thought we should work with an entire book pasted into the body of an email. When asked for an attachment, the author took on an attitude and decided to look for another agent. That’s fine, but good luck. And I don’t believe in luck.
So, even if we were to create and submit our own Word document, what would happen once the editor asked for attachments during the editorial process? In other words, this author has taken themselves out of the running. And because of the author’s attitude, even if they returned to me, the answer would be no. Why? Because I wouldn’t want to inflict this individual on my editor friends.
Attitude
Yes, tell your writer friends always to maintain a great attitude. We will do our best to maintain a Christlike attitude with our friends in publishing, too.
I am signing off for now with good cheer!
I have got advice for you
to help your tale take shape;
first, on writing chair put glue
so you won’t try to escape.
Next, place your phone in pork chop
and toss the mess to Fido’s perch;
this way you are sure to stop
being distracted by ‘research’.
Close the drapes against the world,
and best you turn away,
for the siren call of SQUIRREL!
can sink a writing day,
and lastly, be of great good cheer,
well-fortified by Pilsner beer.
Great advice, Tamela! Thank you!
It’s funny, the author who wouldn’t use attachments. First, it protects your manuscript. And second, they didn’t want to use that piece of technology, but they use email! And copying and pasting anything in an email takes out the formatting. I can’t imagine trying to read an entire novel without formatting!
Actually, I can. I had to do that with my fantasy novel that had gone out of print. All I had was a PDF, and I needed it in a Word document because I wanted to indie publish it, so I wanted to make some revisions. Copying and pasting from a PDF to a Word document takes out ALL the formatting.
The good thing for me, even though it took me DAYS to get through it, (yeah, it was 105,000 words. Fantasies tend to run longer than contemporary novels. haha!) it forced me to read every word. I was thankful to catch some mistakes the traditional publisher let slip through.
But to read a novel I know nothing about without formatting would be torture.
Very important post, Tamela. I think the key thing for new writers, as well as experienced ones, to always keep in mind is to maintain an attitude of humility and respect. The publishing world is complex and involves so much more than the act of writing the words of a book manuscript. As writers, we only learn about this world once our first book is accepted by an agent, and then a publisher. Arrogance gets you nowhere, as Tamela shows. Agents and editors work hard and know what they’re doing. And what they are doing is helping the writer succeed. If you respect that, and exhibit the humility and gratitude that is appropriate, you are on the right path. And of course, that path is also the path of Jesus.
Thanks for this helpful information, Tamela. I have one question about the word count for nonfiction books: are appendices and back matter included in the word count, or just the main body of the book?
Thanks for asking! You can say:
Manuscript word count: 50,000 words
Appendices: 15,000 words
Back matter shouldn’t make a difference.
This is a very helpful post! Thank you so much. 🙂
“Attitude is everything,” my oncologist offered this advice when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. It’s 2025, and I’m still alive because, in anything we pursue, Attitude is everything… Thanks, Tamala
Thank you for sharing, Chris. To God be the glory!
Thank you for the wonderful advice, Tamela.
I do have a question about romance novels: Do you recommend romance novels should, also, stick to the 85,000 to 95,000 word count or can they run slightly shorter, near 75,000 words?
I’d say closer to 85K would work best.
If your story will feel too padded to add that many words, you might consider shortening it for category. That’s 55K.
Thanks for asking!
Ms. Tamara, thank you for your suggestions. I have a quick question about your comment about not accepting ‘standalone novellas’. Would you, please, be willing to consider a book that stands alone, but has some connections to other books? I have submitted my proposal for ‘Neither Death nor Life’ and, though it is not a series to my other two books, ‘Not Angels or Demons’ and ‘Not Present or Future’, there are connections between the books.
Also, I do understand investigating markets -for similar works in relationship to one’s own- but it can be difficult to find something just like your work at times. I am trying to get this part right.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my inquiry. God bless and have a great day!!
In Christ,
Shel Eugene Cox
In general terms, an agent’s ability to interest most publishers in a book connected to a published series is difficult. However, each author, book, series, and situation varies. Keep trying agents to see who’s right for you.
Someday that ship will come in,
The one with agent’s welcome news,
That I, the gifted oracle’s kin,
Produced a book which they did choose
To peddle to the Big Five publishers.
And I, alas, will be at the airport.