A rejected manuscript came back the other day marked "postage due." Why? Because it was returned after the price of U.S. stamps went up. My self-addressed stamped envelope wore a 37-cent stamp, about as useful now as an expired VISA card. Lucky for me, the magazine that rejected my brilliant story paid the extra two cents. With several other pending manuscripts and queries bearing old-postage SASEs, I can only hope that either the publications make up the difference or the post office lets me pay it on my end. Meanwhile, I have this motley collection of old stamps and new stamps, and I hear rumors that rates will be rising again soon.
All this postal anguish makes a writer think: "Forget snail mail. I'm sending everything e-mail." But the world isn't ready for that yet. Like my mismatched stamp collection, writing markets are at different stages when it comes to accepting manuscripts. Some want paper, some want e-mail, some will go either way. Some insist that you enter your submission using an online form.
For each publication, check the submission guidelines. Look it up in Writer's Market or Writer's Handbook and follow the links to the publication's web site, if it has one. Then do whatever the editor says to do.
Submitting By Mail
Remember paper? For the types of work that don't require queries, such as poems, short stories, columns and creative nonfiction, send a cover letter, the manuscript, and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). If you are sending a query for an article, you will need a query letter, writing samples and an SASE.
The manuscript should be in traditional format, which means double-spacing, indenting the first line of each paragraph, and using only one side of the paper. Poetry can be single-spaced and arranged on the page as you choose.
Always provide your name, address, phone number and e-mail address on the first page. On each succeeding page, be sure to putting a heading that includes the title, your last name and a page number. Fasten your pages with paper clips, not staples or binders or fancy folders. If the editor wants to make copies, she doesn't need the extra aggravation of trying to get your pages apart.
Three pages or fewer can be folded into a standard No. 10 envelope or folded in half and sent in a 5-by-7 envelope. Anything larger should go unfolded into a 9-by-12- or 10-by-13-inch envelope.
In the United States, a letter-size envelope generally takes one stamp, currently 39 cents. Anything bigger requires at least one more stamp, even if it still weighs less than an ounce. Beyond the first stamp, you can use 24-cent stamps, which are also enough for post cards. I recommend buying a roll of each. If you can afford it, also buy a postal scale, so you can weigh your own mailings and attach the appropriate postage without having to go to the post office. If you are writing outside the United States, check with your local postal service for rates and requirements.
Before computers, when a writer had to retype the whole thing every time it got wrinkled, it made sense to include an SASE with enough postage to bring the whole manuscript back. Now, it's easier to just print a new copy. Save money by using a smaller envelope for a reply and let the editor recycle the manuscript.
Don't let the postal clerk print out a dated slip for the return envelope. Because it will be coming back on a different date, you need stamps. If you are mailing to a country outside the United States, U.S. stamps won't work. Purchase International Reply Coupons at the post office instead.
In most cases, ordinary first class mail is good enough. You do not need to send your work by Express Mail or Registered Mail, or anything which requires the editor to sign a receipt.
The ironic thing about sending your work by mail is that if they say yes, they will almost always ask you to resend it by e-mail so that nobody has to type it into the system. A lot of times this request will come by . . . e-mail.
E-Mail It--Welcome to the 21st Century
E-mail submissions not only can go anywhere in the world for free, but they are faster and easier. Sometimes they're too easy. You hit send and then discover a big typo in the first paragraph. So take as much care with your e-mail manuscripts as with those you put on paper.
The big rule for e-mail is that you must not send attachments unless an editor asks you to do so. For fear of computer viruses, they probably will not open an attachment from someone they don't know. Instead, start by greeting the editor by name in a short note at the top of your message, then paste your manuscript or query into the body of your e-mail.
Yes, this will mess up your formatting. Therefore, do not indent the first line of each paragraph, and do not double space. Avoid extras such as boldfacing, italics, "smart quotes" or special characters.
Make sure your e-mail is not mistaken for Spam. Use the subject line to identify what you are sending, and adopt an email address that sounds like a writer. Foxychick@yahoo.com will give the wrong impression, as will any weird combination of letters and numbers. Your name tells them who you are and that you're not trying to sell them sex aids or cheap medicine.
What about those fit-it-into-a-form e-mail submissions? I love them. You simply fill in the blanks and double-click the file in your documents. It magically appears on the screen, fully formatted. There's usually a space for comments, but you don't have to write anything there unless you have something important to say. Some publications, such as Glimmer Train, even keep track of your submissions for you. Very 21st century.
Bottom line: Buy some of those spendy new stamps, but save them for when you really need them. One of the great things about e-mail is that you'll never get it back marked "postage due."
Copyright 2006 Sue Fagalde Lick
About the Author: SUE FAGALDE LICK is a former newspaper editor turned full-time freelance writer. She has published four books, countless articles and many poems and stories. She teaches writing workshops online and at Oregon Coast Community College. Visit her web site at http://www.suelick.com.
How Shall I Send Thee? Snail Mail Vs. E-Mail 
