Coyote Con

Speaker: Kim Vandervort
3PM Eastern, May 29, 2010

[kimvandervort] 3:03 pm: Hello! I’m Kim Vandervort, and I write fantasy and science fiction. My first novel, The Song and the Sorceress, came out August 2009 and is published by Hadley Rille Books. The sequel, entitled The Northern Queen, is due out September 2010. I have also published a short story and a novelette for two separate Hadley Rille anthologies. While I’d love to be a full time writer, I currently teach various levels of composition at California State University, Fullerton. In my copious spare time, I read the fantasy slush for Hadley Rille, which has earned me the generous title of “Fantasy Editor.”

[kimvandervort] 3:04 pm: I’ve prepared a little “talk” about manuscript format, then I would love to take questions. Sound good?

[kimvandervort] 3:04 pm: The first question most writers ask is “why is manuscript format important?”

[kimvandervort] 3:05 pm: I attended a writer’s conference once where authors were grouped into critique groups to read their work aloud and offer suggestions while published authors, agents, and editors “dropped in” to give their feedback. It was an intimidating premise: “hey, unpublished, insecure writer! Put your work out there to be raked over the coals by strangers and, as a bonus, we’re going to throw in the truly terrifying prospect of Important People dropping in for a surprise critique!”

[kimvandervort] 3:05 pm: While my first instinct was to RUN AWAY FAST, I decided to stick it out. And what happened next turned out to be an excellent learning experience not about the supportive nature of other writers, although that was certainly a bonus. This became an enlightening experience about manuscript format.

[kimvandervort] 3:05 pm: I was fortunate to have been placed in a group with a very young (16), very talented writer who was more frightened than I was. As she was about to begin reading, a Famous Agent sat down at our table to listen. She was everything we expected of a New York agent: pretty, stylish, and thoroughly intimidating. After acknowledging the agent’s presence there, our young heroine took a deep breath, opened her mouth to read—and was immediately interrupted by a heavy hand on her shoulder.

[kimvandervort] 3:05 pm: “Your format’s all wrong,” said the owner of the hand, who punctuated his criticism by grabbing the manuscript pages from her hands, drawing arrows and lines all over it, all while talking rapid-fire about margins and page numbers and font and “do this” and “don’t do that” while the rest of us watched, struck silent by the stranger’s brash, confident attack on the poor girl’s manuscript.

[kimvandervort] 3:06 pm: Just as I was about to leap to the girl’s defense, the stranger dumped the pages back down in front of our girl and whisked away as quickly as he had come. As he left, I caught sight of his name tag: this was the Guest of Honor, a published and popular author. So clearly, he knew what he was doing… right?

[kimvandervort] 3:06 pm: As soon as he disappeared, the Famous Agent leaned forward and said, “If you write a good story, none of that matters.”

[kimvandervort] 3:06 pm: Since this experience, I’ve heard many agents say the same thing, whether at conference panels, on blogs, on twitter, or in person at the bar. On the one hand, this is good news: we, as writers, don’t have to sweat the small stuff! Yay!

[kimvandervort] 3:07 pm: On the other hand, those comments often come with a great big “however.” Often those same agents who will proclaim that the fabulousness of the story supersedes mere format will also chuck your query and partial into the bin after only a few lines. For me, this situation falls under the same category as beginning a sentence with “and” even though your momma and your grammar teacher both told you that you could never, ever start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction.

[kimvandervort] 3:08 pm: One of the first rules we always need to keep in mind as writers, with grammar, structure, and formatting, we have all heard before: “Once you learn the rules, you can break them.”

[kimvandervort] 3:08 pm: Contrary to what the Famous Agent told us that day, formatting IS important—at least, for us newbies. When your first manuscript is published, you can then relax a little bit. Until then, remember that your manuscript format is what makes the first impression on your reader. And it is very, very important that you make a positive first impression.

[kimvandervort] 3:08 pm: Formatting your manuscript has to do with the details. Formatting is like putting the icing on the cake or sliding that science report into just the right clear plastic folder. Details are important because they show that we care about and take pride in our work. They show our love for what we do. And, on a very basic level, they demonstrate that we are capable of following instructions. And this last is much more important than we first realize.

[kimvandervort] 3:09 pm: Let me speak, for a moment, as a teacher. I teach students of all different levels, from college freshmen to graduating seniors. One thing they must all master is the ability to format their papers correctly. There is nothing more annoying than going through a stack of papers, particularly final papers, and discovering those essays that do not meet basic guidelines.

[kimvandervort] 3:09 pm: This is not because I harbor any will for people who prefer to use Comic Sans font in their academic essay or choose to put page numbers at the bottom instead of the top right. What annoys me is that I have GONE OVER THIS AT LENGTH and the students choose to ignore what I have taught them.

[kimvandervort] 3:09 pm: And guess what? Those papers that annoy me stand out like a sore thumb. It takes seconds to flip through a stack of papers and pull aside those that do not follow directions. And when it comes time to grade them, I am predisposed to assume that the student will not have done a better job of following directions when it comes to content and structure than they did with format.

[kimvandervort] 3:09 pm: You see where this is going, right? This is how agents and editors feel when they spray their guidelines all over the internet and still receive query letters that are too long or manuscripts that are written in teeny, tiny single-spaced font. And getting an agent or editor to read your manuscript these days is too great a privilege to throw away your chances because you failed to take a few extra minutes and learn the guidelines.

[kimvandervort] 3:10 pm: So what, then, should authors do?

[kimvandervort] 3:10 pm: First off, research. Start by throwing away the old Writer’s Digest guides and returning all of your outdated books to the library. The internet is littered with agents and editors, and their guidelines are often posted in several places.

[kimvandervort] 3:10 pm: My preferred method of research is to visit agentquery.com, do some quick searches to come up with people looking to represent my genre, make a list of their names, then do a Google search on each individual to see if there’s a blog or home page where I can get the most up-to-date information possible.

[kimvandervort] 3:11 pm: Then, I tailor all of my submissions—query, partial, full—to that particular recipient. I want to make the best impression possible, so it is my job to take the extra time to make sure every detail is exactly correct, from the spelling to the size of my margins. I don’t want to give anyone a reason to reject my work.

[kimvandervort] 3:11 pm: Sometimes, there’s almost too much information to sift through. If you do a quick Google search for “manuscript submission guidelines” you will get too much information.

kimvandervort] 3:12 pm: So I’ve put together a list of Do’s and Don’t's, with the help of my publisher, Eric T. Reynolds of Hadley Rille Books (hi ericreynolds!) to offer some basic guidelines.

[kimvandervort] 3:12 pm: These are, more or less, industry standard.

[kimvandervort] 3:12 pm: Do:
[kimvandervort] 3:13 pm: 1) Use either Courier (or Courier New) size 10 or Times Roman (or Times New Roman) size 12 font. This isn’t fifth grade; we don’t get extra points for using pretty fonts in a giant size. Professional work needs to look professional.

[kimvandervort] 3:13 pm: 2) In the upper left hand corner of the first page, include your name, address, phone number, and email address. Believe it or not, I have seen agents complain that they have seen manuscripts they wanted to accept, but could not contact the author. Don’t let that happen to you!

[kimvandervort] 3:13 pm: 3) Type your approximate word count in the upper right corner of the page.

[kimvandervort] 3:14 pm: 4) In a header on the top right corner of EVERY PAGE type: Author Name/ Story Title/ Page Number. This is very important! If the editor drops your manuscript in a pile of other manuscripts or your pages get caught in a tornado, he/she needs to be able to sort your pages back together properly.

[kimvandervort] 3:14 pm: And, as Hadley Rille is based in Kansas, a tornado is always a very real possibility!

[kimvandervort] 3:14 pm: 5) Space down about a third of the page and type your title. Again, not fifth grade: no bold, no italics, no quotes, no fancy font, no underline. Just the title.

[kimvandervort] 3:15 pm: 6) Beneath the title, type “by” and your byline, which can either be your actual name or your pen name.

[kimvandervort] 3:15 pm: 7) Unless the publisher or editor specifies differently, double space the manuscript.

[kimvandervort] 3:15 pm: Underline words that will be italicized.

[kimvandervort] 3:16 pm: 9) Indent each paragraph (using the tab key is best).

[kimvandervort] 3:16 pm: 10) Left justify—DO NOT RIGHT JUSTIFY. “Locking in” the text on the right hand side both creates wacky spacing in the lines and makes the manuscript harder to read.

[kimvandervort] 3:17 pm: I really can’t explain why this is true, but I know from my experience reading hundreds of essays a semester that visually locking in the right hand margin makes the eyes much more tired, much more quickly than leaving the floating margin on the right.

[kimvandervort] 3:17 pm: I want to stop for a minute, before I go into the list of Don’t's, and ask if you have any questions thus far.

[spot_writes] 3:18 pm: why underline words instead of just italicizing them?

[kimvandervort] 3:18 pm: From what I understand, the underlining is a holdover from when manuscripts were typeset.

[spot_writes] 3:19 pm: ah. so do we do both or just underline?

[kimvandervort] 3:19 pm: It makes the words to be italicized easier to see when you are looking over printed out manuscripts.

[kimvandervort] 3:19 pm: No, just underline.

[spot_writes] 3:19 pm: thanks.

[kimvandervort] 3:19 pm: No problem! I used to wonder that myself.

[LynneB] 3:20 pm: I am assuming we submit in .doc format?

[kimvandervort] 3:21 pm: Lynne, you will need to check the submission guidelines first. Sometimes you will need to bundle up the whole manuscript and ship it off via snail mail, although that is becoming less common.

[kimvandervort] 3:21 pm: Usually it is best to submit the file in either .rtf or .doc.

[Deena] 3:21 pm: Never in PDF.

[kimvandervort] 3:21 pm: But the submission guidelines for those accepting e-submissions will usually be specific about file types.

[Deena] 3:21 pm: (sorry, a pet peeve)

[kimvandervort] 3:21 pm: No problem!

[FrancesP] 3:22 pm: “Unless the publisher or editor specifies differently” is a loaded phrase. I think they all (most) have at least one little tweak they ask for that diverges from that “industry standard” I wonder if it isn’t to make sure you pay attention to their specific house guidelines and aren’t just sending a mass submission?

[kimvandervort] 3:22 pm: That’s definitely true, and I have some comments to that later on in the presentation.

[kimvandervort] 3:23 pm: It’s always better to do the research and tweak for each individual submission.

[PTurner] 3:23 pm: Is Courier New 12 okay? I realize it depends on the publisher of course.

[PTurner] 3:23 pm: Which kind of made that question a moot point. LOL g/a

[kimvandervort] 3:24 pm: I think Courier New 12 is fine. I like Courier 10 because I tend to write long and it saves paper. However, I know many who prefer Courier 12.

[kimvandervort] 3:24 pm: Any more questions before I move on?

[Marva] 3:25 pm: The tabbing for paragraphs seems contrary to using Word’s style graphs.

[kimvandervort] 3:26 pm: Marva, I’m not sure what you mean. I usually just hit the tab key in word to indent the proper amount. The general idea, though, is to make sure your paragraphs are clearly indented. That’s the most important thing to take away.

[Deena] 3:26 pm: If you tab when you start, it sets up an automatic style response in Word, anyway, that will make all paragraphs indent. But yes, setting up your paragraph style at the beginning is also appropriate.

[kimvandervort] 3:26 pm: Sometimes I see indents of only five spaces, which isn’t enough of a break.

[Deena] 3:27 pm: and using the space bar makes some people a little cranky.

[kimvandervort] 3:27 pm: I usually set everything up at the beginning– spacing, margins, everything. Not only does it make things easier as I write, it also is an excellent form of procrastination!

[kimvandervort] 3:28 pm: I’m going to move on now and take more questions a little later.

[kimvandervort] 3:28 pm: I have a list of Don’t's, which are at times a little redundant, but sometimes they bear repeating.

[kimvandervort] 3:28 pm: 1) Don’t right justify.

[kimvandervort] 3:28 pm: 2) Don’t use any fancy fonts–this includes the title, chapter numbers, and other headings. (See #1 under “Do” — use same font throughout).

[kimvandervort] 3:29 pm: This is something to think about when we decide that our characters want to write letters or speak in computer talk.

[kimvandervort] 3:29 pm: There’s often a temptation to use script or some other fancy font to offset that information. However, it’s best to let the text stand on its own.

[kimvandervort] 3:29 pm: Keep in mind that the person to whom you are submitting may not have those same fonts on their computer.

[kimvandervort] 3:30 pm: 3) Don’t use any special formatting anywhere (including titles and headings), like italics or bolding (unless publisher asks for it).

[kimvandervort] 3:30 pm: I used to strictly underline instead of italics, but once I learned it was okay for me to submit to my particular publisher with italics instead, I started changing the underlining back to italics.

[kimvandervort] 3:31 pm: But for other publishers, I will still use the underlining, because I don’t know what they prefer.

kimvandervort] 3:31 pm: 4) Don’t skip a line between paragraphs. The new version of MS Word, to my constant irritation, automatically adds an extra line between paragraphs when you hit the return key. You will have to go into the “paragraph” menu and change the spacing between lines to 0 in order to fix this. Every time. Yes. Irritating.

[kimvandervort] 3:32 pm: Again, this is where it’s better to set this up before you begin typing, so that you don’t have formatting weirdness later.

[kimvandervort] 3:32 pm: 5) Don’t press Enter at the end of each line (let the software wrap the text automatically when you run past the end of the line). This makes your manuscript more difficult to format for publication if (when!) it is accepted. This is particularly important now that more and more agents and editors are accepting digital submissions. Some read your work on their e-readers, so if you do funky things to your manuscript and spacing, the book won’t format correctly for the e-reader.

[kimvandervort] 3:33 pm: When I asked him for further suggestions, Eric T. Reynolds went on to point out that some publishers (including Hadley Rille) prefer electronic submissions single spaced, which is why it is very important to check before sending.

[kimvandervort] 3:34 pm: But he also pointed out that this is something easily fixed with e-submissions, but if you’re printing out 500 pages to send off via snail mail, you want to be sure you’ve followed this guideline to the tee.

[kimvandervort] 3:34 pm: Speaking from my own experience, I prefer double spacing. It’s much easier on the eyes.

[kimvandervort] 3:35 pm: My final suggestion is simple: when in doubt—ask! An agent once asked me for a full manuscript and I wasn’t sure about which font she preferred. AFTER checking her agency website, her blog, and her twitter feed, I dashed off a brief, professional email asking her the question. She responded quickly and thanked me for asking.

[kimvandervort] 3:35 pm: While some authors are timid about communicating with Very Scary Agents, I have discovered that it is actually better to go ahead and initiate that contact than wonder, for the rest of my life, if that Great American Fantasy novel was rejected because I used Times New Roman instead of Courier.

[kimvandervort] 3:35 pm: Perhaps the best advice I could give is to remember that agents and editors are not the enemy. They are looking for great authors and great books to champion through the publishing process. They also, as Editor Claire Eddy of Tor once told me over lunch, “put their pantyhose on one leg at a time.”

[kimvandervort] 3:35 pm: Nevertheless, it is our duty, as aspiring authors, to put our best effort forward so that our submissions look, if not perfect, as close as they can.

[kimvandervort] 3:36 pm: So was that Famous Author at the writer’s workshop correct to mark up that poor young author’s work? While I disagree with his methods, I do, in the end, believe that he had an excellent point. In a market where editors have to find reasons to reject, don’t let them turn you down because your manuscript stands out as the one that doesn’t follow the rules.

kimvandervort] 3:37 pm: One additional place to go for good manuscript format information for SFF writers: Vonda McIntyre wrote up an excellent discussion and example to follow here: http://www.sfwa.org/2008/11/manuscript-preparation/.  This is my favorite, mostly because it helps to actually SEE what the format looks like.

[LynneB] 3:39 pm: You mentioned a letter as part of your manuscript. How would you set that up?

[kimvandervort] 3:39 pm: Good question!

[kimvandervort] 3:39 pm: I did briefly mention query letters and cover letters.

[kimvandervort] 3:40 pm: As with your regular manuscript, I would thoroughly research agent guidelines and their suggestions before sending your letters.

[kimvandervort] 3:40 pm: Usually you will also send a cover letter with your manuscript, which is a very brief intro to the enclosed manuscript.

[kimvandervort] 3:41 pm: And you will format these letters in traditional business letter format. Keep them to one page.

[riversway] 3:41 pm: Hi Kim what type of formatting is the norm for poetry?

[kimvandervort] 3:41 pm: Oh, that’s a good question. I honestly don’t know how to format poetry.

[Deena] 3:42 pm: Very similar. Keep your line breaks where they ought to be, but otherwise, the same as a manuscript, double-spaced usually, courier or times, 12 pt font, underilne italics.

[kimvandervort] 3:42 pm: I would assume follow similar formatting guidelines, such as underlining instead of italics, no bold, etc.

[kimvandervort] 3:42 pm: Thanks Deena!

[Deena] 3:42 pm: welcome!

[riversway] 3:42 pm: thanks

[widdershins] 3:43 pm: That example by Vonda is wonderful ….Etiquette for e-submissions… Most email queries have to be in the body of the email, not as an attachment, for obvious virus-y reasons… any more?

[kimvandervort] 3:43 pm: I do know that you should also never attach anything unless specifically requested. Many agents/ editors will delete your query unread if it comes with a little paper clip attached.

[kimvandervort] 3:44 pm: Also, tailor your e-submission to each individual, every time.

[Deena] 3:45 pm: May I add? be businesslike, polite, don’t call the agent or editor by his or her first name unless you know them, and provide all your contact information in the email.

[kimvandervort] 3:45 pm: Always use their names (spelled correctly!) and personalize each query with something tailored directly for that particular person, whether a comment about their blog or something about one of their authors.

[kimvandervort] 3:45 pm: And to build upon what Deena mentioned, I’ve heard it best not to use Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Miss unless you KNOW the gender/ marital status of your recipient.

[kimvandervort] 3:46 pm: No woman likes to receive a “Dear Mr. Soandso” query.

[kimvandervort] 3:46 pm: Some agents even get super offended and will reject those on sight.

[PTurner] 3:46 pm: This might be the wrong type of question, but what about tracking changes (on/off)? I’ll be dealing w/ those with my editor and am really nervous about messing up the formatting.

[kimvandervort] 3:46 pm: Good question!

[kimvandervort] 3:47 pm: I have personal experience with this one.

[kimvandervort] 3:47 pm: I leave the track changes feature on, but I change the view to “Final” instead of “Final Showing Markup” when I’m still working in the document.

[kimvandervort] 3:48 pm: I do this because, while editing Song and the Sorceress, I realized later that I was actually creating spacing typos unintentionally because I couldn’t see through all the red.

[kimvandervort] 3:48 pm: With my next book, keeping the view on “Final” really helped me see the draft better.

[kimvandervort] 3:48 pm: Eric doesn’t do any final formatting until the track changes/ edits are done.

[FrancesP] 3:49 pm: So what is the best way to address a letter if you don’t know the marital status? Say, I have a query going to Maxine Smart, do I say Dear, Maxine Smart, to avoid the Mrs. Miss Ms. issue ??? it seems like preferences really vary…

[kimvandervort] 3:49 pm: Yes, I would go with Dear Maxine Smart.

[kimvandervort] 3:49 pm: It sounds weird, but it’s safer.

[Deena] 3:50 pm: I get a lot addressed that way.

[FrancesP] 3:50 pm: Are you good with that Deena? thanks.

[Deena] 3:51 pm: Frances, yes, it’s a little odd since my picture’s on the website, so my gender’s obvious, but it’s better than Mr. I’ve gotten a few of those, too.

[spot_writes] 3:51 pm: what should go into a cover letter for a short piece of fiction?

[kimvandervort] 3:51 pm: I treat cover letters for short stories similarly to query letters.

[kimvandervort] 3:51 pm: The first paragraph is altered to indicate that I’m offering the story for submission.

[kimvandervort] 3:52 pm: The second paragraph gives a brief “pitch” about the story, as well as how it fits into the guidelines (if for a specific anthology or contest).

[kimvandervort] 3:52 pm: The third paragraph is relevant biographical information.

[spot_writes] 3:52 pm: what if I have no relevant info? Lol.

[kimvandervort] 3:52 pm: The fourth paragraph is simply “thank you for your time” and “I look forward to hearing from you.”

[kimvandervort] 3:53 pm: EVERYONE has relevant info!

[kimvandervort] 3:53 pm: You have to figure out what that is.

[spot_writes] 3:53 pm: haha. thanks!

[kimvandervort] 3:53 pm: Say something about your education, your love of the genre, what you’re working on.

[kimvandervort] 3:53 pm: And keep it brief.

[spot_writes] 3:54 pm: Thank you. You have really given some good info.

[kimvandervort] 3:54 pm: Everyone talks about a “platform” these days, which is sort of stressful.

[kimvandervort] 3:54 pm: Especially if you’re new.

[kimvandervort] 3:54 pm: I used my Master’s Degree in Medieval Literature.

[kimvandervort] 3:55 pm: (Which, otherwise, has not been terribly useful).

[kimvandervort] 3:55 pm: Oh! And I missed the thank you, Spot. You’re welcome!

[Deena] 3:56 pm: You might also add a little bit about how excited you are to promote the book if you’re accepted, and what your social network consists of online.

[kimvandervort] 3:56 pm: The main thing is to keep it brief in a cover letter and not exaggerate.

[kimvandervort] 3:56 pm: Good idea!

[kimvandervort] 3:56 pm: Any more questions?

[kimvandervort] 3:56 pm: That was a fast hour!

[Deena] 3:57 pm: It was. The time always goes by so fast in a good session.

[Deena] 3:57 pm: Kim, thank you so much for coming and sharing with us.

[riversway] 3:58 pm: Thank you both – a Great Session – aand a lot of helpful info. You’ve given me a lot to work with

[kimvandervort] 3:58 pm: If any of you have more questions, feel free to email me through my website: www.kimvandervort.com

[LynneB] 3:58 pm: Thanks Kim. This was perhaps the most useful workshop I have attended. Such good information and so to the point.

[spot_writes] 3:58 pm: Thank you kim and deena! It was a great session.

[kimvandervort] 3:58 pm: Thanks Lynne and riversway!

[Deena] 3:58 pm: I’m so glad to hear it, Lynne!

[FrancesP] 3:58 pm: fantastic panel. Thanks!

[PTurner] 3:58 pm: Great session. Thank you for all the information.

[widdershins] 3:58 pm: Thanks Kim…. food for thought and notes to keep

[LynneB] 3:59 pm: See everyone at the next session.

[kimvandervort] 3:59 pm: I’m going to post this information to my website later on this weekend.

[kimvandervort] 3:59 pm: Thanks everyone! This was a true pleasure! Hope to see you all around the internet!

[kimvandervort] 4:00 pm: The link to my website is www.kimvandervort.com

[spot_writes] 4:00 pm: see y’all in about an hour! Lol.

[Deena] 4:00 pm: ‘zine evolution is up at 5!

[LynneB] 4:00 pm: For sure and I will be right over to your website Kim.

[kimvandervort] 4:00 pm: Keep writing everyone! Be persistent!