Publisher guidelines are one of the most useful tools for beginning authors. Within those words are the secrets that may bring you closer to being published.

Yet too often, authors either briefly skim guidelines or ignore them completely. This would be a major professional error.

Publishers don’t create guidelines to make authors jump through hoops. They create them to ease the frustration on their part and yours. Guidelines tell you exactly what they want, how they want it, where to submit, to whom to submit and sometimes, why they don’t want certain things. You wouldn’t apply for a job without knowing what qualifications the employer was looking for, would you? No one would waste their time like that and yet authors do it daily when they submit a project that doesn’t fit the needs of a publisher.

You need to carefully study each set of guidelines for every publisher you want to work with. All guidelines aren’t created equal. Each publisher puts their specific desires in their guidelines including:

Their Needs: Publishers list exactly what their editorial needs are. These needs change so you should check back before sending in a project. If your project doesn’t meet their needs, don’t submit it. You may love the publisher, want to work with them more than anything and be convinced they’re going to love your project. Don’t bet on it. If you really love the publisher, study their guidelines and come up with a project that fits their needs.

Their Format: How do they want projects submitted? Do they want queries or completed projects? How do they want you to format the material? Remember, it is often the little things that annoy people the most. Attachments that can’t be opened are frustrating.

Their Staff: Publishers often list the different staff members responsible for the various subjects they handle. This enables authors to contact the correct person directly. Resist the urge to overload. Some authors believe “If it’s good to contact one editor, it’s even better to contact them all!” If an author is making a pest of themselves, word gets around. This tactic is about as unprofessional as it gets.

Their Rules: Publishers come right out and warn you not to do specific things such as submitting unrequested proposals, submitting completed and unrequested manuscripts and submitting queries when they prefer completed projects. Some publishers even have warnings against using packing peanuts in boxes with manuscripts because they make a mess on the floor. Read the guidelines carefully and watch for these rules and warnings.

Their Details: Magazines receive submissions regularly where it’s obvious the author has never looked at their publication. They’re blindly sending out submissions. This small detail may be the difference between being an unpublished author and one with paid writing credits.

It may seem publishers are being picky. How could they possibly reject a fabulous manuscript because of the packing peanuts all over our floor? Why delete an article whose author did not follow format procedures? It all goes back to the analogy of job applications. Every time you submit a project to a publisher, you’re applying for a job. Publishers have to believe you’re working hard to make a good first impression. When you fail to follow their guidelines, you not only make a bad first impression, you lead them to believe you are unable or unwilling to follow their procedures and that might be trouble down the road if they do business with you. That’a a headache they can easily avoid with one click of the delete button.

Take time to carefully read, and follow, the publisher’s guidelines. Mother was right. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.