Setting Up Your Submission System: A Topic Workbook, #1

By Devon Ellington

This Topic Workbook, based on Devon Ellington's popular seminar, takes the writer step-by-step through creating and maintaining an organized submission system. Too many writers miss opportunities because it takes too long to pull together all the parts! Don't be one of them! Learn how to efficiently create submission logs, query letter templates, bio paragraphs, clip files, resumes, portfolios, media kits, and more for a more organized, more productive writing life. Updated to include more information on social media and scripts.

 

This is the most popular of the Topic Workbooks, and helps you set up your submission packets as you complete projects, so it takes only minutes to send a package when you query and/or submit. This is the Third Edition of this workbook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DEW Books
• Release date: Aug 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201775759

Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington publishes under half a dozen names in fiction and nonfiction. She is also an internationally-produced playwright and radio writer. She has published six novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles under the various names. She spent over 25 years working backstage in theatre, including Broadway, and in film and television production. 

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

THE PERCENTAGE OF SUBMISSIONS that are deleted unread is astonishing. Most such rejected/deleted submissions are due to not following the guidelines and having the necessary materials in the submission package.

The flip side of that is that writers get discouraged when an opportunity lands on the desk, and it takes hours to put together the necessary materials. Missed opportunities lead to a feeling of failure, which perpetuates a downward spiral.

I started teaching workshops and seminars on setting up a viable submission system because I was shocked by how many of my students and other writers I met didn’t have one. They were constantly losing (sometimes lucrative) opportunities to get their work out there because each time they submitted, they started from scratch. Not having a tracking system meant they had to search through email folders and hope for the best when it came to follow-up or remembering when and where something went out. As my own schedule tightened and I taught fewer workshops, the requests for this material grew. I made the information on how I do it available to a wider audience, and I revisit and update it every few years, because the business changes, and part of one’s job in this profession is to stay current with those changes. Consider this a jumping off point, a series of suggestions, so that you can play with ideas and set up something that works for you.

Taking the time to set up an efficient, streamlined system will help you feel good about your materials, make it easy to put together your packages, and help you get published more often, and in more visible markets.

Create the individual pieces as you move through the workbook, then pull what you need for each individual package. Instead of hunting for materials for hours, it’s all at your fingertips. I suggest setting up a folder for each project, and a subfolder with in it for your submission materials. If you use some of the same ones (such as a bio), you can copy and save it in multiple files, and it’s in the project file. Or, you can keep a CV file with your bios, resumes, etc., in various versions, and pop them into whatever submissions they work.

There are Try This exercises to help you craft each piece you need.

There are a few other things I do that streamline both the writing and submission process.

—I have a folder for each project, both hardcopy and in the computer

—I have a folder within that for each draft

—Within the draft folder, each chapter is a separate document. I put them together when I feel I have a submittable draft. This also makes it easier to pull the specific material for different samples.

—I draft in Standard Manuscript Format, not single spaced or the weird odd spacing that’s the Microsoft word default. Changing OUT of SMF into other formats is easier than changing INTO it, and there’s a reason it’s called STANDARD Manuscript Format.

My way is definitely not the ONLY way to do this. But I’ve found, through trial and a lot of error, this is the smoothest and most productive way. When I stay on top of the system suggested here, I am more productive, more often published, which means I earn more. When I fall behind, so does everything else.

Some of the samples are on a page or so after the title of the sample. For the digital version, I had to make a decision between keeping it on the page and the format looks pretty, or the page itself being legible. I chose having the page legible, and I hope you will be gentle on the extra pages.

Read through, play with different possible ways to set things up, and see what works for you. Make changes to fit your process and your work. Once you’ve got a system set up, and you maintain it, your writing life with run smoother with higher productivity, leaving room for more creativity..

Enjoy!

TOPIC #1: BIO PARAGRAPH

YOUR BIO PARAGRAPH is the most versatile and important piece in your submission package. You’ll use variations of this in your query letter, pitches, media kits, website, and any time someone wants information about you.

Bio paragraphs are written in the THIRD PERSON.

Devon Ellington is a full-time writer, publishing under half a dozen names...

Unless a site specifically asks for a first-person bio, keep it in third. Using first person in a bio doesn’t come across well. It sounds ego-centric, where a third person version comes across as more polished and professional. It’s one of those industry protocols.

Keep it ACTIVE:

Devon Ellington is a full-time writer, publishing under a half a dozen names...

Stay away from passive language:

Her work appears is stronger than her work has appeared.

Decide what’s relevant. Do you want to mention an award? Is the award relevant to this individual piece of writing or genre? Does it have cross-genre cachet?

Make sure what you accomplished has more word time than what’s in the pipeline. Mention upcoming projects if there are firm commitments, but what you’ve done is more important than what you PLAN to do. The plan is part of the Back Pocket Document and we will discuss that later in the workbook.

Include a link to your website and/or blog. If you have more than one site, include the one that’s most relevant. If