Hi all! Kind of a funny question... I have been reading tons of books and articles on how to submit a ms. But, one thing I have not come across is who to actually address the envelope to? I am submitting a query to Atheneum Books, based on the information provided in Writer's Market. The listing gives serveral different names (editor, vp, asssistant, ect.), but does not say who to contact. Do I address the envelope to one of these people, or maybe a department, or just to Atheneum Books? Would it be tacky to print "query" on the envelope? I am sure they recieve tons of mail each day, so I figure the more direct I can be, the better. Thank you in advance!
You want to submit a query to the editor. Most publishing companies consider it good manners to send a query first. After that, follow submission guidelines to the letter. If you get sloppy even on one point of the guidelines, most will toss the ms. For more info talk to Mai. She's a great source.
if you don't want your query to languish in a pile of other 'generic' ones, you must address it to a specific editor... the publisher's submission guidelines will usually include a list of editors and their specialties [genres they deal with], so you just send your query to the one who handles what you have to offer... if you can't find the list there, check out 'about' or 'who are we?' page to find a name... if that fails, call or email them, ask whoever answers who you should address your query to... do NOT put 'query' on the envelope unless specifically ordered to do so in the guidelines... if the atheneum you refer to is the one that publishes children's books, it's part of the humongous simon & schuster empire and they probably are not open to unagented queries [as is the case with most of the biggies], since there is no 'submission' section or info on their site... in which case, you should probably set your sights a bit lower, for your first book... to be sure, call and ask! Phone: (212) 698-2715
Thanks to both of you, that was super helpful. I just realized that I had their phone number already, in the Writer's Market. I had never even thought about calling. I will remember that in the future. And, FYI, they are not accepting unsolicited manuscripts, but they are accepting query letters, and should be addressed to "submissions editor." Since you mentioned it, mammamaia, what is the best way for a first time author to find a publisher? I am using the 2008 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. It seems like a lot of these publishing companies are not accepting unagented authors. Are there any good publishers who aren't "biggies" and where would I find them?
