Helpful Tips: Submitting to Pubslush
Hey there Slushers!
Dying to submit, but having trouble taking the plunge? Never fear – help is here!
Your submissions to PUBSLUSH should include the following:
The Hook-Line: Do not underestimate the importance of well-crafted tagline. Your work is listed on a page with at least 5 other submissions, and the first thing your fellow Slushers will see is, aside from your name and title, your hook. This is your first (and arguably most important) opportunity to draw in readers. Spend time on it!
Check out some more things to consider from thebusinessofwriting blog.
About the Book: Difficult to write, but easier than the hook-line! Here are some things to remember:
Let the reader know what to expect. Briefly introduce the who/what/when/where/why, but be sure to withhold enough detail to create suspense. Your goal is to get Slushers to continue on to your sample chapters. Please avoid clichés. Even if your story is a modern take on Cinderella, keep us guessing. Inserting dramatic questions is an easy and popular way to attempt to capture reader attention in a summary. Use them, but use them sparingly.
The best advice we can give is to go to your bookshelf, pick up your favorite book, and look at the back cover/inside flap (or, if you’re too lazy to get up, check out the “Product Description” for books on Amazon). Voilà. That’s how it’s done. Does it look easy? Well, it’s not. It takes practice to create the perfect mini-synopsis, so keep don’t get discouraged and keep trying.
Sample Chapters: When it comes to selecting a sample chapter, go for your very best work. This is not necessarily your first chapter. In fact, it is often not. Writing isn’t easy, and although first chapters are certainly important, they are also perhaps the most difficult to write. They need to introduce the characters, the backstory, the setting, the tone, AND hint at the plot – in short, they carry a lot of responsibility, and are often something you and your editor will perfect together. If you think you’ve really done a stellar job, then by all means, go for it. But if not, try posting a different chapter. One that really captures the essence of your piece and your style as a writer. For PUBSLUSH, a book’s success is based on popular Slusher opinion, so show ‘em your best stuff!
Bio: First of all, if you’re going to submit a story, make sure you fill out the profile page, otherwise everyone will probably think you are a robot. Write in the first person – we’re among friends, after all. Plus there’s the fact that we all know you’re the one writing your bio, not an agent or editor. Not yet. This is absolutely NOT equivalent to a back-of-the-book author bio. Sell yourself and your book – but don’t oversell. Be modest. Don’t refer to yourself as “the next Charles Dickens” or your work as a masterpiece. It is 1) probably not true and 2) a real Slusher turn-off. Be personable! This will probably be the last place a Slusher looks before deciding to fund you, because after loving a piece, everyone wants to “connect” with the author and find out more about them. Take the bio section seriously if you want others to take you seriously (but that doesn’t mean be boring!). List any credentials that you find relevant to your writing. If you’ve written a historical fiction manuscript and you grew up doing Civil War re-enactments, tell us! En bref, let us get to know and like you! It can make a difference.
And please, PLEASE always proofread for typos and use your best grammar.
