While talent, good writing, and imagination are all vital components in having your masterpiece published, they are but the seeds of conception.

Creating and perfecting your idea is just the beginning - now comes the drudgery. Typing, editing, retyping, query letters, record keeping, etc.

Effective Query Letters

Writing a good query letter can many times be the key to a sale. For myself and many other authors it is the part of the writing business that we dread the most. Basically the job of a query letter is to ask one simple question of the editor to which you're submitting, "Will you buy an article on this subject from me?"

In a query letter you must briefly and succinctly introduce yourself to the editor. Don't be too personal, this is a business letter and you should write it as such. If you have been published elsewhere, mention it, if not - don't.

You must also tell what the article you are proposing is about, how you intend to write it (slant), and why you feel that you are qualified to write the article.

Queries should be limited to one page, single-spaced. You should always address the editor by name.

A query should grab the attention of the editor. Some authors begin a query with a prototype of the opening paragraph of the proposed article.

Be sure to mention any training, or life circumstance, that you feel specifically qualifies you to write this article.

End by asking directly to write the article. Be sure to give an approximate date that you can submit and the approximate length of the work.

Manuscript Preparation

Many new writers seem to feel that the trick of getting published is in who you know, or some dark mystical secret. While it can help to have some experience in the publishing world, there are no secret codes or handshakes that initiates must learn. If the writing is done well, and the manuscript is presented in a professional way, anyone can become a published author.

Though there are no hard and fast rules to the basics of manuscript preparation, there are some commonplace guidelines which most successful writers follow.

You should strive for easy readability in whichever format you choose. Adapt you style to your own personal tastes and those of the editors to whom you submit.

Most manuscripts will not require a cover sheet or a title page. You need not use a binder unless you are submitting a play, or a TV or a movie script. You should paperclip the pages together. This will allow the editor to easily separate the pages.

The upper left corner of the first page of your submission needs to contain vital information about you and your manuscript. The information provided here should be single-spaced. List your name, address, phone number, and social security number. If you're writing under another name, a pseudonym for your byline, your legal name must still appear in this space.

In the upper right corner you should indicate approximate word count, the rights you are offering for sale, and your copyright notice. A handwritten copyright symbol is acceptable.

If this is a book manuscript the info is the same, with the exception of rights.

Never number the first page.

Center the title in capital letters 1/3 of the way down the page, double-spaced. Then type "by" under the title and add your name or pen name.

After the title and byline, drop down 2 double spaces, paragraph indent, and begin the body of the manuscript. Always double space and use standard paragraph indentations of 5 spaces.

Margins should be 1 1/2 inches on all sides of each full page.

Each subsequent page should contain your last name, followed by a dash, and the page number in either upper corner. The title of the manuscript may, but need not be typed on this line or beneath it.

Leslie was founder and editor for Bearlife Women's Writing Advocate. She closed the business in May 1997 after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Since that time she has started and edits one of the most prestigious literary journals on the internet, A Writer's Choice (I.S.S.N. 1521-2319) at http://members.spree.com/writer/. Her work currently appears in Maelstrom, Rose & Thorn, The Lewisville Poetry Guild Anthology, Down Under, The Writers Hood, Thin Wire Journal, and she is also featured in the debut of the new print publication, PenTellers.

Have comments you'd like to send the author? Please e-mail Leslie at: bearlife@womyn.org or fill out the form below: