As a publisher, that is one of the first questions I ask my authors when they submit a manuscript. If you go to the Dandelion Books website, www.dandelion-books.com you will see a page that is devoted to manuscript submission. Each question is important:
? What is this book about?
? Why did you write it?
? What does this book mean to you?
? What do you think it would mean to your readers?
? Who are your readers; who is your target market?
? How would you help to promote the book?
? Please write a brief synopsis or overview of the book (2-5
pages).
? Please send a brief outline of each chapter.
? Please send two sample chapters.
? Please send your bio or resume.
By the time our staff finishes reading the answers to these questions, we have an excellent profile of the author. We also know a great deal about the manuscript we will be reviewing.
A person with a clearly identified life purpose and well-defined goals is well on the road to becoming a good communicator. Like building your home, you want your life to rest on a solid foundation. Our purpose or mission in life, and our goals, are the foundations upon which we build our wishes, hopes and dreams.
Ultimately our goal is to be a “conscious” human being who knows at all times and in every instance, what they are doing and why they are doing it.
Your attitudes and outlooks as well as your feelings, behaviors and actions are the plants that spring up from this fertile soil of intentionally-directed consciousness. These are the seeds that bear the fruits of your labor as a writer. You have something to say and you are eager to say it. Therefore, you will know why you wrote the book that you submitted for publication.
Like a website structure that has a “home” or “landing” page, your home page is your life purpose. In “the website of your mind,” your written work will link back to this landing page, with the intention of communicating to your readers who you are and what you value.