Preparing Your Manuscript for Marginwake
Updated: 3 hours ago
You've finished the book. Now it's time to give the files going with it a little attention. A clear query, a useful synopsis, and the right manuscript version make it easier to present the story you've worked so hard on.
Before sending your work, check the current guidelines and intake status on the submission page.
First, check the fit
Marginwake considers completed, human-written adult fiction manuscripts in English. Authors must be 18 or older and live in the United States. Previously published work may be considered when the necessary rights are available, and simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Gather your submission package
You'll need:
Your name and email address
The manuscript title
A query letter
A synopsis
One complete manuscript. DOCX or PDF is preferred; other document formats accepted by the upload field may also be submitted for manual review.
An author biography isn't required. Keep these materials together so you can find the right versions without a last-minute folder hunt.
1. Give the manuscript a clean final pass
Use the complete book you want considered, rather than a sample or an unfinished draft. If you write in another app, export a DOCX or PDF copy and open that file to check it. Renaming a file's extension won't convert it.
Look for missing chapters, odd paragraph breaks, and comments or tracked changes you didn't mean to include. Check the beginning, middle, and ending. Then keep an unchanged copy of the version you plan to send.
2. Let the query introduce the book
Having had queries turned down myself, I know this part can feel more personal than a checklist suggests.
Think of the query as a clear introduction to your story. The title, genre, approximate word count, main character, conflict, and stakes are useful starting points. These are writing suggestions, not extra required form fields.
Keep the focus on the novel. Make sure the title matches your other materials and that your contact details are correct.
3. Tell the whole story in the synopsis
Yes, include the ending. A synopsis helps someone follow the main narrative, including the important turns that lead to its conclusion. Clear cause and effect is more helpful than a list of every scene.
Read it beside your query. If a recent revision changed a character's name, motivation, or fate, make sure both documents caught up.
4. Check your rights
You must own the necessary rights or be authorized to submit on the rights holder's behalf. Sending a manuscript for review doesn't give Marginwake publishing rights or guarantee publication. Any publishing arrangement requires a separate agreement.
5. Run through the final checklist
The manuscript is complete, human-written adult fiction in English.
The uploaded document opens correctly and contains the version you intend to share.
Your name, email, and title are accurate.
The query and synopsis describe the same version of the book.
You have the rights or authorization needed to submit.
You've kept a copy of everything you're sending.
Authors can't revise a submission after finalizing it, so this is the moment to catch an old attachment or an email typo. That restriction doesn't waive withdrawal or privacy rights.
Ready for the next step?
Check the current guidelines and intake status before you send anything, and read the notices provided in the submission process. Keep a copy of your prepared package safely in your own files.
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