Over the years, I’ve attended a lot of writing conferences, and one of my favorite types of sessions is the “How Not To Get Published” panel. This is where you put a bunch of published authors, editors, and agents at the table and ask them for their worst experiences. Not only do you have an hour of belly laughs, but you come away thinking that you can’t be all that bad compared to what you’ve just heard.
Here are 10 of my favorite manuscript submission stories … that actually happened.
Top 10 ways NOT to get your manuscript read:
10. Enclose a chocolate bar for the editor … to a publishing house based in Atlanta, GA … in July
9. Fill the box containing your horror manuscript with tiny plastic spiders
8. Douse your romance manuscript in perfume
7. Address the package to “To Whom It May Concern”
6. Fill the box containing your manuscript with glitter and confetti
5. Enclose a bribe
4. Misspell the editor’s name
3. Print the entire manuscript in Lucida Handwriting
2. Cut the pages into a cute bunny shape
and the Number 1 way NOT to get your manuscript read …
…leave it in your desk drawer!