The moment I decided to submit a manuscript to an editor, I entered the business world of writing. I was no longer in that right-brain creation mode. Bottom line--I was pitching a product. A product I wanted to sell. Once I grasped that, I mapped out a plan of attack. Er, I mean a plan of action.
In my opinion, information is the key to a successful submission, whether it's to a single title house, Harlequin/Silhouette or even to an agent. Before I ever wrote that first query letter, I set out to learn as much as I possibly could about the publishers and editors that I'd targeted. How did I get this info? Through interviews on the internet, publishers' websites and magazines like Romance Writers Report. I found out particular editor's likes and dislikes by going to conferences like the Merritt, by listening to tapes from conferences and by talking with other authors. I kept my ears open to hear if a particular editor was buying for a specific line. In the end, I had editors' files with all sorts of tidbits, and I used that information to create a short list of potential buyers for my manuscript. That gave me the who that I needed for submission so it made it easier to figure out what to submit.
To verify what editors/agents want in a first-contact submission, I checked guidelines. Romance Writers Report is a great source for that as well, but if in doubt, call or write the publisher for current information. Some publishers will accept full manuscripts, but others like Harlequin/Silhouette want you to query first. While some will give you some leeway in this area, Harlequin and Silhouette usually don't. Unsolicited manuscripts are almost always returned unopened. So, my advice in this case is to follow the rules. Query first. If the query letter grabs their attention, they'll request a partial or even the full manuscript.
Now, on to the main component of that first-contact submission--the query letter. Plain and simple, it's a one page selling tool. I'm the seller so I have to make the product (my book) attractive to the buyer (the editor). I limit the query letter to four paragraphs. I start out with an intro about the book--title, word count, setting, central theme (reunion, woman in jeopardy, etc) and if applicable the line I'm targeting. The second and third paragraphs are the actual pitch/gist of the story. I try to make these sound like book blurbs and explain the hero and heroine's goals, motivations and conflicts. And finally the last paragraph lists publishing credits and other pertinent data. By pertinent, I don't necessarily mean writing credentials. For my military hero book, I let the editor know that I'm a former Air Force captain.
Because I'd done thorough who research, I had a good idea of what my targeted editor liked long before I queried. In my query letter, I emphasized those likeable aspects of my manuscript. I'm not talking about rewriting the book but simply highlighting those points that could grab a specific editor's attention. For instance, at an RWA workshop in New Orleans, St. Martin's Press editor Jennifer Enderlin said she loves Southern settings, romantic suspense, really sexy stories, paranormals and Regencies. So, if Ms. Enderlin were my targeted editor, and if my book had any of those elements that she likes, then obviously I would mention them.
So, what happens after the query letter? There are several possibilities ranging from rejection to a full manuscript request or in rare cases, a sale. Again, I followed the rules. If an editor asked for a partial, I didn't send a full manuscript. I sent them what they requested in a timely manner and waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually, all that waiting paid off because I sold six manuscripts in sixteen months. For Dorchester Leisure, the wait was fifteen months from query letter to sale. For Harlequin Intrigue, the total time for the first sale was six days. For Harlequin Duets, it took over eighteen months. Obviously, that's a wide range of time frames, but I think it emphasizes that the only thing certain in this business is uncertainty.
That brings me to some final advice from the trenches. Don't wait around for an editor/agent to respond to your query. Keep on writing. Keep on learning the business. And keep on striving to write the best possible book that you can write.
Imagine a family tree that includes Texas cowboys, Choctaw and Cherokee Indians, a Louisiana pirate, and a Scottish rebel who battled side by side with William Wallace. With ancestors like that, it's easy to understand why Texas author and former Air Force captain, Delores Fossen, feels as if she were genetically predisposed to writing romances. Along the way to fulfilling her DNA destiny, Delores married an Air Force Top Gun who just happens to be of Viking descent. With all those romantic bases covered, she doesn't have to look too far for inspiration. Delores writes comedy-historical romances for Dorchester Leisure, romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue and contemporary romantic comedies for Harlequin Duets.
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