To fold or not to fold... manuscripts

Kat Frass · Jun 21, 2007

OK - as a spinoff from another thread...

Do you ever fold your manuscripts and place in a #10 when you submit?

I thought it would be good to see what the process is for all of us.. since we all are children's writers and many of us deal with much shorter submissions.

I never thought much about it.. I've been sending out my pages folded in thirds and placed neatly in a #10 (with the SASE folded neatly in thirds and enclosed as well) - most of my submissions have been six pages or less.

Oooh... as a side thought.. do any of you use letterhead for your submission letter?

Sparkle · Jun 21, 2007

Do not fold them because you need for them to look neat and not wrinkled. You want a professional appearance for your hard work. Good luck.

Sparkle

Lauri B · Jun 21, 2007

As a former editor, I can tell you that unless you've crumpled your manuscript into a tiny, dirty ball that makes the writing impossible to read, no one cares how it's folded. They care whether the manuscript is good and fits their list at any given time. I would suggest definitely using letterhead for the submissions letter, since your contact information is so vital. Good luck!

wyntermoon · Jun 21, 2007

I print a simple letterhead at the top with my information - nothing fancy. I fold the MS in half and send in a medium-sized manila envelope.

Siddow · Jun 21, 2007

I fold anything under five pages. More than that, and I mail them flat.

polleekin · Jun 21, 2007

Siddow said:
I fold anything under five pages. More than that, and I mail them flat.

This is generally what I go by, too.

Pat~ · Jun 21, 2007

Siddow said:
I fold anything under five pages. More than that, and I mail them flat.

Me three.

I have a "letterhead" saved as Word Document, and use it everytime. It also has my website on it, so they can see snippets of published work.

Azure Skye · Jun 21, 2007

Siddow said:
I fold anything under five pages. More than that, and I mail them flat.

Yeah, that.

YogaMama · Jun 21, 2007

I also fold under five, including the SASE. I've gotten some nice, personal rejections back. I don't think the fold matters too much.

LizzieGirl · Jun 22, 2007

Siddow said:
I fold anything under five pages. More than that, and I mail them flat.

This last semester I took an online Magazine Article Writing class through Rio Salado in Arizona. For a few of the lessons we had to mail our manuscripts to the teacher.

The first lesson we mailed in said "Manuscripts under five pages can be folded in thirds and mailed in a #10 envelope. However, anything longer should be mailed flat. If photos, slides or CDs are included, be sure to use cardboard in the envelope to prevent the photos from being damaged in the mail."

The class was taught by writers who had been published. Hope this helps you.

johnzakour · Jun 22, 2007

Yeah, the 5 or 6 page rule is a good one.

I tried folding a 210 page YA and it didn't work out well at all. ;-)

That's why I like e-submissions makes folding so much easier.

Bufty · Jun 22, 2007

Sorry you had a problem with folding a long manuscript - it should work if you try bending the pages in bundles of 5 or 6. :snoopy:

johnzakour said:
Yeah, the 5 or 6 page rule is a good one.

I tried folding a 210 page YA and it didn't work out well at all. ;-)

RainbowDragon · Jun 24, 2007

My picture book's been rejected folded and not folded so I don't think it makes much difference

Jamesaritchie · Jun 24, 2007

Fold

Some editors don't mind folded manuscripts, some hate them. I hate them. I have to edit the things, and paper that's been folded is not very easy to work with.

Nor will your #10 fit in my huge stack of 9x12s, which is another reason I hate them.

This doesn't mean I'll reject folded manuscripts, but I will snort and fume a bit when reading one. I'll be in a bad mood, and this is not a good state for an editor when he's reading your manuscript.

So why take the chance?

moonslice · Jun 24, 2007

it seems like the editors who have a strong opinion about folding could have it added to their submission guidelines... hmmm?

Soccer Mom · Jun 25, 2007

I never fold. Just cause. I've heard of editors who hate folding, but I've never heard of one who hates flat paper. So I always send 9X12.

stormie · Jun 25, 2007

Okay, I'm chiming in. I have to say I used to fold anything five pages or under and put them in a #10 envelope with an SASE folded in thirds. Ugh. The thing wouldn't even close half the time. So now, only if it's a one or two page deal, I fold it. Maybe. But 99% of the time, it all goes flat in a 9x12.

(HINT: when putting your ms. and cover letter into the mailer, put the SASE with the flap on top of the cover letter and the back of the SASE behind the cover letter. It stays put that way and doesn't get lost in the huge mailer. Just a thought.)

Sparkle · Jun 25, 2007

Hi,

I think you should give a professional apperance in what you present to an agent. Do not fold and make sure everything is neat.

Sparkel

To fold or not to fold... manuscripts

Kat Frass

Sparkle

Lauri B

I Heart Mac

wyntermoon

Siddow

I'm super! Thanks for asking

polleekin

Pat~

Luftmensch Emeritus, A.D.D.

Azure Skye

Huh?

YogaMama

LizzieGirl

johnzakour

Dangerous with a Keyboard

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

RainbowDragon

Perpetuous Revisasaurus

Jamesaritchie

moonslice

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

stormie

storm central

Sparkle