Q&A: Sending Attachments to Publishers

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Question (submitted via e-mail):

Asalamu alaikom warahmatullah,

I have written a small children's book of 15 pages. It has been written on my laptop in a simple word document. I want to send it to some publishers to see if they can get it published. Is it ok to send it in a word document as I have already typed it this way?

Kind regards,

A.

Answer:

As-salamu Alaykum, and congratulations for writing your book. I pray you have success with it.

Regarding your question, the answer is very simple. Find out what each publisher wants, and adhere to the guidelines for that specific publisher. This varies from publisher to publisher. Kube Publishing, for example, allows authors to submit short manuscripts as Word documents, but also wants to see a proposal. Other publishers have different guidelines and may not want you to send in a manuscript until they evaluate your idea first. 

In general, the publishers of short children's books (especially picture books) will allow you to send in a completed manuscript because the stories are so short that it does not take much time to read them. The same is not true of longer books. Do not ever make assumptions, though. It is bad manners to send an attachment to a publisher unless you've been given the green light. That is why you need to find and follow each publisher's guidelines. If they are not available on a publisher's web site, then you should write to the publisher to request them. I am almost certain that interested publishers will want to see your manuscript as a Word document and not in some other format.

Sincerely,
Amel S. Abdullah

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