SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

RULES to follow when submitting your work to BookPotato:

1. Please send a typed or printed copy of your book (use a GOOD printer).
   • If you can, include a copy on disc (check for virus, label it with YOUR name and title, and indicate IBM or Mac).
   • If you don't have a computer ... get one ... soon.
2. Format:
   • Typewritten on plain white paper, double-spaced.
   • Use only one side of the page.
   • Author's name, manuscript title, and page number should be on every page.
   • No staples: paperclip if you need to.
   • Bad dot matrix goes unread: same with tiny or odd fonts.
   • Do NOT justify margins: leave the right edge ragged so internal spacing remains correct. This is ESSENTIAL for proof-reading purposes.
3. Do not submit work by email: I work on printed copies, which I return to you. Final corrections, of course, need to be made on computer discs.
4. Submissions should be sent to:
   BookPotato
   PO Box 603
   Greenville NC 27835
5. A synopsis and bio should be included with the first contact. I am asking for the same info you see on the folded-in end-papers of a hardback's cover: a short summary, and a bit about the author.
6. Though query through email is acceptable (to query@bookpotato.com), sending query letters ["Are you interested in a book about ... ?"] to my PO Box is not necessary, as I cannot tell enough about your writing from reading an inquiry or a synopsis or a biographical sketch to know if I will be interested.
7. Send the first three chapters, along with a synopsis of the rest of the book. (The synopsis tells me what will happen in the rest of the book, perhaps chapter by chapter, though it need not be THAT detailed. I simply want to know where you go with the rest of the story.) Include a cover letter that lists genre, previous sales and publications, and any other information you feel is relevant. (Who referred you and any previous conversation between us are good refreshers.)
8. NEVER send your only copy of a book.
9. SASE. Include an envelope, large enough for your book, with your address already on it. Be sure to send enough stamps that it can be returned. (Metered mail strips are dated, and CANNOT be used for this. Buy double postage when you mail it out, and put half of that on the envelope to be returned to you.) You should send always send a stamped envelope, already addressed to you, to anyone from whom you wish a response.
10. Including a postcard with your manuscript, to be returned to you as soon as your envelope is opened, is a simple and easy way for me to acknowledge receipt of your book. Paper-clipping it to the cover letter should make sure it gets seen.
11. Give me four to six weeks to give your book a fair reading and to think about whether I want to invest my time, money, and energy into trying to find a publisher for it.
12. Sending your work to more than one agent or publisher at a time is a good way to lose your agent. Simultaneous submissions will not be accepted.
13. If you have any other questions or comments, please direct them to agency@bookpotato.com.

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