Marketable Manuscript

by Suzanne Lieurance

If you’re a freelance writer who wants to write books, please learn what it takes to write a marketable manuscript (not simply a complete manuscript) – even if you plan to self-publish.

What makes a manuscript marketable varies from genre to genre.

For example, many times grandparents or other well-meaning adults write (and publish) their own books for children.

But the grandparents end up being the main characters in these books.

The stories include kids, of course, the grandkids.

But the stories tend to be told from a grandparent’s point of view, and the child in the story doesn’t solve any problem himself.

This type of manuscript would not be very marketable to traditional children’s publishers, and anyone who understands traditional children’s publishing would not take this manuscript very seriously because it would show that the author didn’t take the time to study and understand the genre he was writing for.

This doesn’t just apply to the children’s genres.

The same thing would apply if you were writing a romance, a mystery, or a thriller for adults.

Studying the genre(s) you wish to write for will not only help you learn how to write more marketable manuscripts, it will help you become a better writer.

When you’ve completed your picture book manuscript, have it critiqued here: