Submission
Literary agent and small press submission guidelines: what commonly varies
Standard manuscript format is the sensible default — but it's a default, not a rule every agency follows identically. A fair number publish their own guidelines that differ in small but specific ways, and submitting against the wrong ones is an easy, avoidable stumble.
What commonly differs from the default
- How much of the manuscript to send. Some want the first three chapters, others a fixed word count like the first 10,000 words, others the whole thing up front. These aren't interchangeable — sending three short chapters when they asked for 10,000 words under-delivers.
- Synopsis length. Anywhere from half a page to two pages, and whether they want the ending revealed varies too, though most do want it.
- File format. Most want a Word document, but a few specifically ask for a PDF, particularly for a printed or physical submission round.
- How to submit. Attached files, pasted directly into an online form, or a dedicated submission portal — increasingly common, and each has its own quirks about formatting getting stripped out.
- Font requests. Rare, but a handful of agencies do specify something other than the usual Times New Roman default.
- Whether they want a title page at all. Most do; some ask you to leave it out for an online form since the details are captured separately.
Where to find the real guidelines
Always the agency's or press's own website, checked freshly for the submission — not memory from a previous round, not a generic list found elsewhere. Guidelines change, and agents do notice when a submission has clearly been sent out as a template blast rather than read and followed.
If an individual agent's page doesn't specify something standard format already covers — most don't repeat every detail — that's not an oversight to worry about. It means the default applies for that particular point.
Why it's worth the extra checking
It's part of what's being assessed
Following the instructions in front of you says something about you before a single sentence of the manuscript is read. An agent who asked for 10,000 words and received three chapters — or the reverse — has learned something that has nothing to do with the quality of the writing, and it isn't a favourable something.
None of this is about being precious. It's a small, mechanical check that takes a few minutes per submission and removes a needless reason to be set aside.
Where this leaves standard format
Still the right starting point for everything a specific agency's guidelines don't mention. Read the full guide to standard manuscript format first, then check the individual agency's page for anything that overrides it.
Need it formatted to a specific agency's guidelines?
Send me the file and a link to their submission page, and I'll set it out exactly as they've asked.