The Perfect Submission. As any aspiring writer will know, the moment when you finally send your first three chapters out into the world is an incredibly exciting time. It's when it all begins; an unknown pair of eyes reading your words, following the plot you've slaved over, becoming drawn into a world that's entirely of your creation. But with dozens of manuscripts landing on agents' desks every week, how do you ensure yours gets read? Here are my five top tips for a manuscript that will get you noticed.
1. Kick off in Style
Now that first chapters of novels can be downloaded for free, or offered as 'tasters' it's never been more important to have an opener that grabs the reader from the first page. Don't feel under pressure to have something super-dramatic or explosive happen, unless the plot happens that way, but introduce characters swiftly and confidently and don't spent too much time on exposition or back story. This can all come later.
2. Three is the Magic Number
Don't be tempted to send four chapters, or five, regardless of whether you feel that they'll be missing out on a particularly brilliant plot twist if they don't read that far. Agents don't have time to read more than they ask for; some ask for a wordcount (say, 10,000 words) rather than a number of chapters. Again, stick to what they request. Agents are experienced at recognising potential from just a short section of a book; trust them to do their job.
3. Read and Re-Read
Imagine the manuscript as if it is presenting itself for an interview. It has to look the part - neat, double-spaced layout, with page numbers and title/author name on each page - but it also has to deliver on grammar, spelling, tense-sense and continuity. Read it and re-read it, and then get friends or family to proof read it for you. A manuscript full of typos, or where the main protagonist is called Charles on page 7 and Charlie on page 9, will not endear you to an agent.
