Manuscript Format Examples: How to Submit Fiction, Picture Books, Poetry, and Nonfiction
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Monthly blog posts about writing, editing, and publishing
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Manuscript format is the standardized way authors are expected to present the text of their book for submission. Some agents and publishers will give very specific instructions about how they’d like your text to be formatted. If they don’t, you…
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Write a Strong Book Hook (With Examples)
The “hook” in your book pitch is the line or two of text that captures attention, declares what’s unique about your book, and tells an agent or editor if your manuscript is something their audience is hungry for.
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How to Write Early Chapter Books: Word Counts, Structure, and Series Tips
Early chapter books are 4,000- to 15,000-word short illustrated novels written for newly independent readers aged about 6–9. They’re most often published as series. In complexity, the category sits between illustration-heavy early readers and text-heavy middle grade novels. It’s tricky…
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How to Write a Funny Picture Book: 3 Proven Strategies That Work
When you look at the top-selling humorous picture books, you’ll find distinct patterns that emerge time after time. This post digs into three strategies that successful authors are using in the funniest picture books on the shelves.
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Why does Traditional Publishing Take So Long?
It’s very normal for a book contract signed in one year to project a publication date three years down the road. Why does it take so long? Let’s go through a scenario for a full-colour nonfiction book.
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Master Voice in Your Writing
Having a distinct voice gives a book personality, making it stand out in readers’ memories—and in publishers’ inboxes. If you have trouble injecting that personality into your work, read on. We’re going to break it down for both fiction and…
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Building Your Platform Before You Have a Book Deal
When you start crafting your platform early, you can develop a public identity that complements your eventual book announcement without being subsumed by it. However, you should take some time to think about whether your platform will be based around…
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Stop Guessing Your Readership’s Needs: Build an Ideal Reader Avatar
Nothing pleases an acquisitions editor more than a writer who can articulate exactly who their audience is. Borrow a strategy from business courses to pinpoint yours.
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Writing Romance for Non-Romance Readers
When writing a love story for the masses, you need to get intimate with your story’s central question. If the central question is “will they get together?”, only romance fans will enjoy it.
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The Authors’ Database of AI Spam Emails
In September 2025, many established authors started receiving a deluge of sincere-sounding emails. The writers appeared to have read and loved the authors’ books and were keen to connect about them. Some claimed to represent book clubs; others said they…