Submitting a manuscript

When submitting a manuscript it should be:

• Typed
• Double-spaced
• On one side of the page
• In 12-point type
• On plain white paper
• bound only with either a bullclip or a rubber band
• It should also be thoroughly proofread.

Always include return postage adequate to the size of your manuscript.

For more information of how to submit your manuscript, ask the publisher or literary agent in question.

It is important to realise that many smaller magazines will not be able to afford to send you a reply, so if you want your manuscript returned you should always submit a SSAE with your work.

Writers Victoria offers a Manuscript Assessment Service for short works as well as full-length manuscripts. This service can provide you with professional advice before you submit your work to a magazine or competition.

Good Reading

• A Decent Proposal: How to Sell your Book to an Australian Publisher, by Rhonda Whitton & Sheila Hollingworth
• Writers Victoria Manuscript Assessment Service
• Australian Writer’s Marketplace 2009-10 by Queensland Writers' Centre