Well, I did.
Yesterday, as it happens.
I have some extra copies of Laird Barron's Black Mountain, and Patrick Lee's Dark Site.
I looked through my address book for people I hadn't sent things to in a while.
But first, I looked through my requested fulls for writers who are revising their novels. Nothing like a really good book to see how it's done.
And guess what?
A LOT of you don't put your physical address on your manuscripts.
I didn't email you to ask.
I just moved on to the next guy.
Which just underscores one of the Rules for Writers: BE REACHABLE.
Put your address on your manuscript.
Put your email (NOT just a contact form) on your website.
Link to your website or email with the name you use to comment here.
You don't know what you're missing if you aren't reachable.
Well, you do now.
Any questions?
26 comments:
When submitting op-eds years ago, they used to require a SS# along with your name in the heading. I don't know if it was a more innocent time or simply reckless and stupid.
I've often wondered how many more of me are out there. I'll bet they're younger and richer but not better looking.
I've seen some magazines start to not require your physical address any longer (at least at the submission stage; if they pay by check, they ask later), and that's where my current experience lies. Though now I'm trying to think if, when I was querying, I had it on my full manuscript. Probably?
Oh, hey, I don't remember how many Reiders are into doing book reviews, but GRIMM, GRIT, AND GASOLINE is available on NetGalley now, should you be so inclined (forthcoming from World Weaver Press, edited by Rhonda Parrish, contains me)
ARRGH!
Free books and I missed out.
Good info. Great advice, as always. Thank you.
"who would ever want to mail anything to MEEEE??"
Oh that is SO ME. Plus: "NEVER would a literary agent from New York City... I repeat: NEW YORK BLOODY CITY... want to send ME anything."
I'm also too shy to email her even one of the many questions I'd pose for a blog post, cause I'm too insecure and always worried I bother people.
I've had a request from a journalist from the Washington Post to send him a copy of my book. So I did. He's had it for a week and a day, I suppose (depending on the exact day it reached the other side of the pond). I didn't put my physical address on the parcel. I don't remember noting down my email address on the note I added. So maybe I won't ever hear back from him if he finds it's too difficult to reach me. :(
*Sighs*
Oh, but I have my website linked to my name. AT LEAST.
Now I wish you had my requested full because I do put my physical address on my manuscript and now I don't have those books. I have so many of Patrick Lee and Laird Barron's books but not those. Now I am sad. And my address has changed since the last time my queen had it. I am so very sad. Now, I want to throw out everything I said in yesterday's comments and query now. Right now. With my only mostly baked book. So what if it is a little smushy in the middle.
Karma,
I’m waiting for the snook.
Brenda
That was Otto, Katja. And ebook. It’s too accurate to take down!
I ALWAYS put my physical address on my manuscripts; on ALL of them. It might be a slight issue that no one but me actually has any of my manuscripts, but let's not quibble about minor details.
I've never heard of this. A real address on a mss?? Where would you even put that - query letter or pg 1?
Casual T - hey, at least you've got something to check if you ever forget your address, right? I constantly forget my age and always have to do some quick math when someone asks.
"That was Otto, Katja. And ebook. It’s too accurate to take down!"
Is that sentence for me? Instead of Karma, or the deleted comment? I didn't see what the deleted comment said :(.
Hm, maybe you meant the Karma-comment. Cause I see no Karma has commented, so maybe you meant me. I know who Otto is ;) (I THINK I do - autocorrect.)
You're waiting for MY ebook? COOOOL. But, but, it's already out there.
@Lennon Faris... It's not so much my address I'm afraid of forgetting (although it has been know to occur on particularly wet nights in the big city), but I do, at times, need to be reminded that I am not what Terry Pratchett was, before Death took him by the hand and said LET'S SKEDADDLE, SIR TERRY, WE HAVE MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. Luckily this is yet another way in which my manuscripts serve me well. A quick read-through usually clears things up rather promptly.
This is a questionable practice, to me. I have a watermark with my name and the title on it. That seems safe enough.
What if an agent gets sick of reading my stuff and leaves it on a train?
I have already had a false hurricane claim run on my address. I got a Capital One card that I never ordered and that caused me to get an Equifax scan right before they got hacked.
I am not paranoid enough for a tin hat, but it is not a safe world to leave extra information floating around in. If an agent wants to read my stuff, I hope there will be enough respect flowing back to do a bit of work if they wish to send me something.
I always make sure Miss Janet has my address. She may get a call to bail out Julie Weathers someday and I want to make sure she bails out the right one. Don't bail out that college professor. She can afford her own bail.
I have a totally off topic question. I'm trying to get around to shutting down my personal twitter account and transferring writer friends and faith based people, my veteran helpers etc, to the author account.
I've got a few agents who follow me. I don't know why. How do I ask them to follow me to the new account without seeming pushy or rude?
Katja
Found it and bought it.
Julie
Why not just change the name of your account?
Brenda,
I'm starting to despise twitter anyway. I hate people responding to something and I can't see what they're responding to. Plus the stupid crap twitter does.
What to do?
Oooh, Patrick Lee has a new book out? I haven't started that series yet. Saving it as a reward.
I wonder how many emails with mailing addresses arrived in Janet's inbox today . . .
Julie, I can't imagine having two twitter accounts. Would you really switch back and forth when you have something "personal" to say and when there's something "professional" -- and how would you decide? I think I'd just keep the one with the most followers and maybe delete/block people who are too much of a drain on your time and/or patience.
KD
I have 2700 followers on my personal account and a lot of them do a lot of good stuff. Work with vets and suicide prevention, etc, but they're also conservative.
I just want a professional account that is totally non political, though that may be impossible too.
I may just have to shut down completely and start over.
I’d change the name on your page to Julie Weathers-author and then stay as neutral as possible on hot button topics.
Brenda
Julie, I believe you can still follow someone but mute them. Have you tried doing that for the accounts that are draining to read but you don’t want to unfollow?
My account is non-political because I don’t post about it, won’t react to others who post about it, and I hide the occasional tweet about it that comes through so Twitter stops showing it to me. I also don’t automatically follow everyone who follows me. If most of their posts are political I won’t follow back. Would that help you?
I second Lennon Faris' question. Where would you put this? I'm guessing the mss gets a cover page that's just the title, author name, and contact info?
Where to put your address?
For a novel, use a cover page. On the top left, put your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and word count. The title of the novel goes in the center of the page, with your name underneath. The novel then begins on page 2.
For a short story, check the submission guidelines. Standard formatting says you put your name, address, email, etc. on the top left of page one. Word count goes on the top right. Title and author go in the center of the page, followed by your story. So you start reading the story from the middle of page one.
Feel free to correct if I am mistaken, but this is the formatting I've used in the past.
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