A very common question when it comes to submitting manuscripts is:

Where do I start?

Well, here at Sub It Club we presume that you have started with getting critiques, revising, reading other books in your genre, and things of that nature. So, assuming you’ve done that and have your very best polished work that you want to send out to agents or publishers where do you find them?

The Writer’s Market books are a great place to start. The 2014 editions are hot off the press!

Writer’s Market comes in all sorts of flavors: Children’s Writer’s and Illustrators, Poet’s, Novel & Short Story, Guide to Literary Agents, and even Songwriter’s. So pick the one that is best for what you write.

Inside you will find some great articles on submitting. You will also find listings. Lots of them. Publishers are listed by name. You can learn what each publisher is looking for, Names of editors, and submission guidelines, among other information. And there are agencies galore. It’s a treasure trove for a writer or illustrator ready to submit work!

But beware… the guidebook is just a START. Information that has been gathered is no longer fresh in our rapidly changing publishing world. So be sure to get on the internet and do your research! Look up that publisher or agent. Read their current submission guidelines (Yes, online guidelines on a publisher or agent’s website would trump those in the book.) Search editors or agents you are interested in sending to by name. Add the word interview to the search and see if you can find any. You never know what you might find in your extra research that will help you make a good submission decision or perhaps make your query letter shine.

When you find any outdated information cross it out of the book (as long as it belongs to you). Write down ideas for submissions next to listings. Write in new publishers or agents that you come across. (It is good to remember that the book is not complete. Some publishing houses or agents are not listed for a variety of reasons.)  Writer’s Market is a great workbook to make your own. That’s what I do with mine.

And no, Sub It Club has not received any compensation for this post. Writer’s Market is a great tool for writers that I wanted to share with you. Query on my friends!