Sending Tearsheets with Proposal

mesh138 · Oct 30, 2005

Sending Tearsheets with Query

I am sending a novel query out next week. Portions of my novel have been printed in the local newspaper. I have noted this in my query, but should I include tearsheets of these articles?

Also, I admit with embarassment, that I don't know exactly what a tearsheet is. In theory I do, but is it just a copy of an entire article, a portion of it?

maestrowork · Oct 30, 2005

You mean portions of your ms. were published in a local paper before your book's published? Hmmm.... you might have a problem here, with certain rights such as "serial rights" etc...

I wouldn't include those clips if I were you...

DeniseK · Oct 30, 2005

From everything I've read, having an excerpt of your novel published is considered a good thing. It shows someone likes your work enought to accept it. Many authors publish pieces of their novels as short stories and use this as a boost when querying publishers.

mdin · Oct 30, 2005

I've probably mailed out 5,000 tear sheets. I hated doing it. Thankfully I don't have to deal with it anymore.

A tear sheet is simply a page from the newspaper ripped out (Or cut nicely out) showing that it really was printed. Many advertisers who don't live in the area demand them with their invoices, and (some, nice) editors will send them to freelancers so they'll have something for their portfolio. True tear sheets are the entire page which shows the paper header or footer, so you know the newspaper, date, and section it printed in. Most people just want the clip itself, though. It's not as big.

mesh138 · Oct 30, 2005

XThe NavigatorX said:
I've probably mailed out 5,000 tear sheets. I hated doing it. Thankfully I don't have to deal with it anymore.

A tear sheet is simply a page from the newspaper ripped out (Or cut nicely out) showing that it really was printed. Many advertisers who don't live in the area demand them with their invoices, and (some, nice) editors will send them to freelancers so they'll have something for their portfolio. True tear sheets are the entire page which shows the paper header or footer, so you know the newspaper, date, and section it printed in. Most people just want the clip itself, though. It's not as big.

For a query, would you recommend sending just one tear sheet or a couple from different articles?

Sending Tearsheets with Proposal

mesh138

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

DeniseK

mdin

The late, the great XThe NavigatorX

mesh138