Octavia Butler put it very succinctly. The secret to writing is in the single word "persist." If you want to be a writer, you have to send stories to editors. A lot. Over and over again.

You'll get rejected. Even Stephen King gets rejected.  Yeah, it hurts, but any writer who wants to survive quickly develops the hide of a rhinoceros, along with the ability to say, "Well what does she know?" when that story comes back. 

Short Stories

If you want to know how to format a short story manuscript, I suggest you check out Marion Zimmer Bradley's guidelines at Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine.  Although the magazine sadly ceased publication soon after Marion's death in 1999, the site still gives excellent advice.

Cover letters are another matter.  Here's my advice: keep them short and simple. The Writers Market has this contest in every issue for the best cover letter, and the winners they publish just floor me. They're always too long and explain way more than any editor I've met wants to know.  One went into great detail about the amount of research the author had done before writing the story.  I'll let you in on a secret: the editor doesn't care.  Long cover letters are the mark of an amateur anyway.

The best cover letter follows standard business letter format (your address and phone number at the top, the date, and the editor's address). It says, "Dear Mr./Ms. <editor name>, Enclosed please find the manuscript for "Brilliant Short Story," a <genre type> story of approximately 3,500 words <always round word count to the nearest hundred words>. I hope you can use it Wonderful Magazine. I have enclosed a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your convenience. Thank you for your time. Sincerely . . . "

If you have any professional writing credits (not fanzines), you might add an extra paragraph: "By way of introduction, my fiction has appeared in Cemetery Dance and in Sword and Sorceress." The editor does not want to know how you came up with the idea for the story or what kind of research you did or why you're qualified to write a story about the habits of South American fruit bats or anything else. And it's deadly to include a plot synopsis of any kind. A plot synopsis in the cover letter tells the editor that a) you're not a professional-caliber writer, and b) you don't think your own story stands up without help.

The Key to Novels

Put all that together with a cover letter that basically says, "Dear <editor name>, Enclosed are three sample chapters and an outline for my novel <title>. Would you like to see the full manuscript? I have included a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your convenience."

If you've sold any short stories to professional markets, you can also include a paragraph that says, "By way of introduction, my fiction has appeared in . . . " It is not necessary to sell short stories before you sell a book, but if you have credits, it's good to let the editor know.

Call up every publisher you can think of who publishes the sort of fiction you write and ask the secretary for the submissions editor's name and title. (You aren't bothering her--it's her job to tell you.) That way you can put a real person's name on your manuscript instead of just "Submissions Editor."

Once you have this info, copy your submissions packet and send it all at once to as many editors you can afford. If you don't hear from an editor in five or six months (a sucky long time, but there it is), you can write a letter saying, "Dear Editor, On <date> I sent you a proposal for <novel title>. About six months have passed and I just wanted to check on my manuscript. I have included a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your convenience."

Most of them will eventually send the manuscript back, sometimes with a xeroxed rejection letter, sometimes with specific reasons why it was rejected (and you can decide whether you want to take those comments into account for rewrites or not). If an editor does ask for the full manuscript, send it in with a letter reminding him/her who you are and why you're sending this book. It's also a good idea to include a xeroxed copy of the letter the editor sent you.  Write "Requested Material" in red ink on the box.

If more than one editor asks for the full MS, do not (not not not not) send it to more than one of them at a time. Outlines and sample chapters can go to many editors. Full manuscripts can only go to one editor at a time. The reason for this is that two editors may offer you a contract on the book, but you can only (obviously) sign one of them, and the editor who saved a slot for you on her publishing calendar is stuck with a hole to fill. This is the kiss of death for a writer because word will get around.

If you send a full MS to an editor and don't hear from her in six months, send a reminder letter. If three more months go by without a reply, you are justified in making a polite phone call. Remember, the editor asked to see your book, so it's not an unsolicited submission which goes to the bottom of the "read when I have time" pile.

Once in a while you might get your manuscript back from an editor with a letter that says something like, "This book is almost good enough, but it needs some work.  We recommend you send it to an editing service.  Here's the name of one." If this happens, grab your manuscript and RUN!  Editing services (also known as book doctors) are very, very risky.  So many of them are crooked, it isn't worth it to look for an honest one.

Acceptance and Agents

Eventually, you'll either get the manuscript back with a rejection letter or you'll get a phone call from the editor saying she wants to buy your book. At this point (rehearse this in a mirror) you say, "I'll have my agent contact you to discuss the terms." Do not say anything like "We have a deal" or "I accept" or anything like that. Thank her effusively for offering to buy your novel and say, "My agent will call you." If the editor asks who your agent is so she can call the agent, say, "My agent will contact you. Thank you so much!"

And then you dive for the phone book or the phone directory for any writer's group you may belong to in order to find a literary agent. You can also call other writers or editors you're friendly with (I called Marion Zimmer Bradley), explain what's going on, and ask for an agent referral. Surfing the web for writers (not agents) is another good way to find one, since authors will often happily give you an agent's name if an editor has made you an offer. I don't recommend surfing for agents on the web or in the phone book. It's too easy to get caught by someone who is incompetent or crooked.  Never, ever send your manuscript to an agent who asks for a reading fee.  Legitimate agents don't charge them.

Then you start calling agents. Here's where it gets expensive. Any agent who wants to sign you on will need a copy of your book fast. I had to FedEX a 500-page manuscript to New York. Yeesh.

Once you've found an agent you think you can work with (they typically take a 10% or 15% commission of whatever you make if they negotiate the contract for you), you're all set!

Another Word About Agents

Some writers submit their books to agents just as they might to an editor.  This is also generally fine.  The format of the outline and sample chapters is exactly the same.  In the cover letter, you would add, "Would you be interested in representing me?" or words to that effect.

WARNING!  WARNING!  WARNING!

There are a lot of scam artists out there, people who promise to make your name a household word and your book a rousing best-seller.  Then they leave you with an empty bank account and a garage full of books you can't sell to your own grandmother.  Here's the first, absolutely unbreakable, no exceptions rule of the writer:

The money always flows toward the writer.

No matter what anyone tells you, no matter how persuasive they are, no matter what excuses they give, real authors never, ever give money to editors or publishers.  And agents only collect their commissions after the publishing company has paid you!  (Actually, most publishers send the check to the agent, who cashes it, deducts her commission, and on the same day sends the rest to the writer.  By overnight mail, if the author requests it.)  If your editor, publisher, or agent ever says you need to send them money, demand the immediate return of your work and look for someone else.

There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule.  Not a single one.

If you want more information on scam editors, book doctors, and scam agents, visit the web site of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)

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Biography

Writing as Steven Piziks

Writing as Steven Harper

My Life Behind the Harp

The Untitled Writers Group

How I Broke Into Novels

Bibliography