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Post by morganlbusse on Feb 9, 2010 17:09:40 GMT -5
When putting contact information on a synopsis and sample chapters, should it be put in the header? Or somewhere else? And if its put in the header, does the rest of the page need to be reformatted (I ask this because my eye keeps being drawn to the header when I turn the page rather than to the paragraph I've been following because the header begins on the line above the paragraph... confused yet? so am I lol). Any thoughts?
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Post by metalikhan on Feb 10, 2010 1:57:25 GMT -5
I think this is another thing that you have to take case-by-case. Some places want the header info and some don't. Does the place where you're submitting the synopsis & sample chapters give any specifics about the format they want? I don't think anything other than Your name/MS Title and page# is supposed to be in the headers (if you use them at all). According to some books I've read on preparing a book proposal, the contact information is in the cover letter and on the first or second page of the proposal. It really is confusing -- especially when the Great, Sure-Fire Method of writing a proposal contradicts another Great, Sure-Fire Method or the New & Improved, Great, Sure-Fire Method!
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Post by Jeff Gerke on Feb 10, 2010 10:12:36 GMT -5
Metal is right, morwena. In general, all that goes on top of a ms. page is title, author, and page number.
These days, editors and agents are going to be reading the proposal on their computer monitors, anyway, so having the contact info at the front is sufficient and won't get separated from the pages.
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Post by morganlbusse on Feb 10, 2010 10:49:50 GMT -5
It really is confusing -- especially when the Great, Sure-Fire Method of writing a proposal contradicts another Great, Sure-Fire Method or the New & Improved, Great, Sure-Fire Method! Yeah! I lost a lot of hair trying to figure out who was right (and the place I am submitting doesn't have exact requirements and being a C personality who follows the rules to the letter, that drove me nuts!). Think I'll stick with what you guys said (and now to find some hair transplants before I start looking like my husband who is quite handsome without hair, but I don't think I can pull off the look!)
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Post by Jeff Gerke on Feb 11, 2010 8:01:06 GMT -5
There's no right or wrong here. Your book won't get rejected because you have the "wrong" material in the header. But I can tell you what the professional proposals on the editor or agent's desk look like so yours can look like the professional ones.
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ryain
Junior Member
Fantasy.... Fashion....
Posts: 90
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Post by ryain on Feb 11, 2010 9:43:36 GMT -5
Oh Yes please!
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Post by morganlbusse on Feb 11, 2010 12:30:44 GMT -5
That would be great Jeff. A lot of the sites I have looked at say what to include, but if I could just see how its all laid out (where what goes where) so that it looks succinct and professional would be wonderful
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Post by Jeff Gerke on Feb 11, 2010 15:59:26 GMT -5
Oh, I meant what I'd already said. LOL. I have some pretty detailed information on formatting and building a killer fiction proposal in Tip #2 ( on this page) and in this article, respectively. Hope they help. Jeff
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Post by morganlbusse on Feb 13, 2010 11:35:20 GMT -5
Thanks Jeff! And thanks for the reminder that I won't be rejected simply because of wrong information in my header ;P
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