Glen and Karen Bledsoe --> articles --> Submissions --> Postal Considerations
Articles Index: Site Index: Your manuscript is polished, formatted, printed, and
has a lovely cover letter to go with it. You're ready to
take it to the post office and mail it off. So there you
are in your home office, manuscript in hand, staring in
puzzlement at the boxes of envelopes. Which one to use?
Can I stuff a 20 page manuscript into a number 10
envelope? Should I mail my 3 page story flat in a large
envelope? What is an SASE, and do I need one? Will
editors be more impressed if I splurge on FedEx? Packing the manuscript In general, send your manuscript completely unbound;
no staples, no binder, no plastic cover, etc. At most,
put a rubber band around a thick manuscript, but no
more. Choose an envelope that will allow you to ship your
manuscript in the best shape possible. Very short
manuscripts, three pages or fewer, can be sent in a
number 10 envelope, or folded in half and put into a
half-sheet 9" x 6" envelope. Any manuscript, however, no
matter how short, can be sent flat in a full-sized
manilla envelope, so that your manuscript has no crease
lines. For manuscripts longer than about 10 pages, use a
padded envelope to protect the manuscript during
shipping. Be sure to use the kind that is padded with
bubble wrap, not the kind padded with the awful fibrous
stuffing that falls out and makes a mess if the recipient
cuts the envelope open. Make sure the envelope is large
enough for the manuscript to slide into and out of
easily. If you have to force the manuscript into it, the
envelope is too small and will only frustrate the readers
at the other end. At one time, authors liked to send their larger
manuscripts in manuscript boxes or recycled boxes that
paper came in, but with today's security considerations,
publishers are reluctant to accept strange, heavy
packages in cardboard boxes, and envelopes are
preferred. The SASE Unless you've been given permission otherwise, always
include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with
your submission. You can either send a full
manuscript-sized stamped envelope if you want your
manuscript returned, or a number 10 envelope for a reply
if it's all right with you for the publisher to recycle
your manuscript (again, be sure this is all right with
the publisher). Occasionally you will read advice from a
well-published author saying that the SASE is a mark of
an amateur, and that authors who are serious about their
work should stop sending them. This is well and good if
you are already a famous author and anyone in the
publishing world would welcome your material, but if all
authors did that, the publishers would never be able to
afford to send replies back to the thousands of authors
who submit every year. If you expect a reply, be
courteous and send an SASE. If sending packages to publishers overseas, your SASE
will require an international postal coupon rather than
stamps. These can be purchased at any post office. How to ship Sending manuscripts through regular U.S.P.S. mail is
the preferred method. There is no advantage to sending
manuscripts by U.P.S., FedEx, nor any expensive courier
service. Legally, a manuscript can be sent cheaply by
manuscript rates; however, expect very slow service.
First class will get your manuscript to its destination
in a reasonable amount of time. If you are shipping
overseas, however, consider using the Postal Service's
Global Express. It's not as fast as overnight services,
but it is economical. Make sure that you have the correct postage on your
package. If you're not sure, take your package to the
post office and buy your postage there. You can leave the
envelope open and get stamps for your SASE, stamp it, put
it in the envelope and seal it there. It's best to be
sure, because unlike a letter, a package with
insufficient postage will not be returned to you, nor
will a publisher accept anything with postage due. How not to ship Don't ship anything other than a manuscript printed in
black ink on plain white paper, unbound, in an
appropriately-sized white or manilla envelope, with the
addresses plainly and clearly printed. If your manuscript
does not fit this description, stop. Don't use the
neon-pink envelope. Avoid the colored inks. Eschew the
U.S. flag or teddy bear stickers and fancy slogans. Save
the many-times-recycled envelopes for personal
correspondence. Don't send electronically without
permission and without specific instructions. And the
singing telegram is a really bad idea. Don't do it. Shorter manuscripts can be mailed flat in envelopes such
as these:
Glen and Karen Bledsoe --> articles --> Submissions --> Postal Considerations