I was told in several submission guidelines for publishers here (Random House, Harper Collins, Scholastic etc) that they will not look at manuscripts unless they are 100% perfect (spelling, grammar, the works) and they recommend that you send your manuscript to an assessor before submitting to anyone - a service you have to pay for.
Am I missing something?
The truth. Check the websites for yourself.
The ones cited you need to sub through an agent.
Random House Guidelines: "Random House, Inc. does not accept unsolicited submissions, proposals, manuscripts, or submission queries via e-mail at this time.
Harper Collins Guidelines: "with the exception of Avon romance, HarperCollins does not accept unsolicited submissions or query letters."
Scholastic Guidelines: "Scholastic accepts unsolicited ideas in the area of Professional Books only."
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DAW Books guidelines. They
will look at unsolicited MS. No where on the page does it state that the MS must be 100% perfect or sent to an assessor--editor?--before sending it in.
Some will not even consider work that isn't laid out to their preference.
Which isn't rocket science:
Tor Books Guidelines.
I see a concern that writers use one side of the paper, that the paper be the right size, the font be large enough to read, and to include postage if you want it back.
It is a professional courtesy to run the MS through spell and grammar check to take out the worst plonkers, but no publisher rejects something that's less than perfect or else nothing would get published, ever.
They DO want something they think they can sell.
I shudder at what the Tor editors have been through to inspire this paragraph:
Don't send jewelry, food, toys, 3-dimensional representations of anything, or anything that might be construed as a bribe. Over the years, we've seen all of the following and more: handmade bracelets and earrings, anatomical models, home-baked cookies, fine fabrics, fancy bookmarks, coconuts, fancy manuscript boxes . . ..None of this has any impact on our consideration of your work. The work has to sink or swim on its own merits.
(My emphasis.)
I'm wondering if it's these "assessors" putting out that rumor so they can get more business.
I've seen many websites--usually vanity houses--repeat that fib or else say subbing to a big house means you've signed away your rights, the editors will change your words on a whim, and a lot of other lies. It's all to scare neos into buying their services.
Just use the tools that came with the WP program, use Strunk and White's
Elements of Style for the rest, get a good beta reader for feedback, and send something in.