Submissions & Proposals

What is the slush pile? It's a term often used in the writing and publishing communities, but what does it mean? Is it a good or bad thing? And what does it mean for writers? We answer those questions here.

The Writer's Digest team has witnessed many writing mistakes over the years, so we started this series to help identify them for other writers (along with correction strategies). This week's writing mistake writers make is worrying about what happens when you make it big.

Alex Bloom, founder of the Script Reader Pro screenplay consultancy, explains how to bulletproof your story idea and logline using one simple template.

Want to know how to pitch a picture book? We've got you covered. Break into this competitive and growing market with the help of writing tips and inside observations from a leading literary agent.

Funny You Should Ask is a humorous and handy column by literary agent Barbara Poelle. In this edition, she answers a reader's question about the best times to query a literary agent.

Many writers are paralyzed at the prospect of pitching their stories, but Script's editor, Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, wants to push you past those fears with concrete tips on how to successfully pitch agents at pitching events.

In this back and forth, author Ricki Schultz and literary agent Barbara Poelle dish on the similarities between courting a mate and courting an agent.

Literary agents receive thousands of solicited and unsolicited novel submissions in their respective query inboxes. As a writer, follow these 10 tips give yourself (and your book) the best chance of standing out in the slush pile.

After facing rejection, here's how one writer found a path forward with her work. Also, she shares three examples of how hearing “no” can lead you to a “yes.”

Learn common pet peeves of literary agents in this post featuring 34 submission no-no's for writers to avoid before querying for their books.

Here are 28 great tips from literary agents for writers on what to know before you submit your writing to agents and editors.

When agents ask for sample chapters, which chapters should you include? If your strongest chapters fall in the middle, is it OK if I send those? The answer is different for fiction and nonfiction.

Everything you need to know about word count and book length for books and novels and memoirs and children's novels and picture books. This is especially useful for debut and early career authors.

Think there’s nothing you can do to help your submission’s chances? Think again.

Here are 5 great takeaways from our Writer's Market Podcast with literary agent Carly Watters. (Plus a link to listen to all the other great tips she has to offer writers.)

If a literary agent asks for a six-week exclusive window to look at your manuscript, should you grant it? Here's what you should consider.

I am hoping that 2016 brings me that pulse pounding plot without using words like CIA, Hezbollah or North Korea. I am craaaaving a more … hmm, personal plot? Here's what I'm looking for.

Writer's Digest editor Jessica Strawser lands an agent and a two-book deal. Here's a sneak peek at how she did it (and what it means for the Writer's Digest staff).