Manuscript submission services on the Web

The process of manuscript submission—a crucial part of the business of writing, but one that many authors would love to avoid—is streamlined by several Web startups. The relatively new online services were designed, in theory, to improve efficiency and, in some cases, to gauge consumer feedback. Because some of these online manuscript submission services were launched only recently, it’s difficult to predict how much success they’ll enjoy and exactly who will be reviewing the book manuscripts or sample chapters posted by writers.

Ostensibly, the goal of Web-based manuscript submission services is to make connections among authors, agents, and book publishers. Readers come into the mix if the hosted submissions can be viewed by the public. They might be required to register as members in order to gain access, but visitors to open manuscript submission sites can peruse, comment on, and sometimes rate the work of writers who hope to gain recognition by displaying their manuscripts on the Web.

The open manuscript submission services have taken their cues from YouTube, Digg, and MySpace. They now need to attract enough contributors to improve the odds that some of the submissions will stand out. They also must solve the riddle of crowdsourcing efforts to cull the best writing from what could be referred to as Web-based slushpiles. The open sites crowdsource the job by enlisting readers, including book publishing professionals, who sift through and sometimes comment on or rank the posted manuscripts. The fee-based sites leave the job of evaluating the manuscripts to those who subscribe.

If you’re looking for new writing from unknown authors, you can read the unpublished work submitted to the following online services; however, some of them are restricted to subscribers only:

Authonomy
Owned by HarperCollins, which launched the site earlier this year, this online community is still in beta. You can request an invitation to become a member by registering online. There are no fees. The Authonomy Blog offers occasional updates as the service is tested and refined.

Authorlink
This pricey subscription-based service is affiliated with Authorlink Press and Fusion Press.

AuthorConnect
A free online service, this site claims to have no affiliation with a publisher, producer, or agency.

ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com
In an exhibit hall at BookExpo America last month, I spoke to the representative of a small Christian book publisher who said her house’s editors checked this fee-based service weekly for manuscripts they might want to acquire. She said she recommended the service to aspiring authors, because the press she worked for charged a reading fee, which could be avoided when the author paid the slightly higher fee charged by ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com to reach a potentially larger number of book publishers. The publishing houses said to use ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com, a service of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, are listed on the site.

Creative Byline [Updated on October 7, 2008]
When this service moves out of beta, it will begin to charge a small monthly fee to make unsolicited submissions available to the publishers listed on the site.

Issuu
Billed as an online publishing service, this site lets unpublished authors upload PDF manuscripts, which are converted to attractive ebooks or magazines that Issuu currently hosts at no charge. You can display Issuu ebooks on sites that enable Flash embeds, such as Facebook, Blogger, and MySpace. (This service resembles YouTube.)

Maui Writers Conference – Manuscript Marketplace
This fee-based service was one of the frontrunners. Currently closed to submissions, it might reopen in 2009.

NovelMaker.com
This site lets readers download, rate, and comment on ebooks posted by members. It was founded and is managed by individuals with backgrounds in the technology industry.

WEbook
Though it calls itself an “online book publishing company,” this site could be a source of innovative writing. For one person’s opinion of the program, read the critique on Writer Beware Blogs!

ZudaComics.com
Aspiring comic book creators can display their work by registering as members of this online community sponsored by DC Comics.

Remember that some well-known publishers, such as Avon Romance, a HarperCollins imprint, accept email queries from aspiring authors. Using any sort of Web-based manuscript submission service is neither a requirement nor a recommendation; it’s an option for some adventurous writers.

Take the time to learn how to evaluate manuscript submission services by reading the tips posted on Writer Beware, a free consumer protection service provided by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.

If you’ve heard of other Web services whose primary purpose is manuscript submission (in contrast to book marketing, which is a different enterprise), please let me know what they are. I’ll be happy to add them to this list.

I’d also like to know what you think of these manuscript submission services and whether you would use (or have used) any of them. Feel free to include a link, if you have a manuscript hosted on one of these types of sites.

Tags: BEA, BookExpo America, free ebooks, manuscript clearinghouses, manuscript critique, manuscript submission services, online submissions, unpublished manuscripts