This is it. You’ve polished your query letter, agonized over your synopsis, and now all you have to do is attach your first ten pages, and you can click submit. Seems like this should be the simplest step, right? After all, you’ve reread and edited your manuscript so many times you could probably recite your first paragraph in your sleep.

 And therein lies the problem. You are so familiar with your story’s opening, you’ve created blind spots. You’ve most likely rewritten this part more than any other, so in your mind it might still contain information you deleted four iterations ago. So how do you know whether your first ten pages are submission-ready? 

Want one-on-one help to make sure all of your submission materials are in perfect shape? Good Story Editing is ready to assist.

Go Old School: Print a Copy

First, read it aloud to yourself. I’d even go so far as to print it first, then read it out loud. This engages a different part of your brain than reading on the screen, and you’re more likely to catch typos, transposed words, and other simple mistakes. As you read, any big picture issues could also jump out, because hearing a story helps you to better synthesize information.

Find a Friend

Next, give it to someone you trust, preferably someone unfamiliar with your story. This could be a friend or family member. Ask them for specific feedback. Does the opening paragraph grab their attention? Do they get a sense of the main character? Are they left hanging at the end, wanting to read more? And most importantly: What do they think the story is about? If their answer to the last question is off from what you’ve said in your query, you have an issue. 

Remember, agents and editors want that first chapter to grab their attention on the first page. If they’ve requested your first ten pages after a query, it means the query piqued their interest, and now they want to see you deliver on the promised story. By the end of the requested submission, they should be sold on your writing voice, hooked on your inciting incident, and compelled to request the rest of the manuscript. 

Check in With Your Critique Group

You should also give the submission pages to someone familiar with the story. I recommend a person in your critique group whose feedback you trust. This person should know what your opening needs to accomplish because they already have a sense of the plot and character arcs. If they’ve worked with you at length already, it might be difficult for them to see this with fresh eyes, so give them the specific questions above as well. Reading a critique submission is different from carefully analyzing the first few pages. Now you’re asking them to consider each sentence, each word. Have them highlight anything that stands out. This could be word choice that doesn’t fit the character or established narrative voice, clichés, or sentences that need to be reconstructed for clarity.

Formatting Checklist For Your First Ten Pages

Once you have your feedback and you’ve made any necessary changes, check your formatting. As an editor, nothing sets me off at the start of a project like funky formatting. I realize writers come from all sorts of backgrounds where different styles are the norm, yet it still bothers me when I open a document with funky fonts, odd spacing, and other distractions to my eye. Publishing uses The Chicago Manual of Style. We’re also huge fans of the Oxford comma. To help you avoid this immediate disconnect, please do the following:

1.     Set your font to Times New Roman, 12 point.

2.     Double space your manuscript. Set space after and space before to zero. Margins should be standard: 1 inch on each side, top, and bottom.

3.     Indent the beginning of each paragraph.

4.     Eliminate any extra spaces between paragraphs.

5.     Start each line of dialogue on its own line. For example:
Kristen sighed. “I need more coffee.”
Amy raised her eyebrows. “Would you like me to put on another pot?”
“Yes please,” Kristen said, and turned back to her work.

6.     Number your pages in the top right corner. You don’t need to show the page number on page one.

7.     In the upper left header, put your last name and the manuscript title. This should be consistent with the title in the query and synopsis. (I know working titles often change, so this is worth double-checking.)

8.     On the first page, put the title, with your name underneath it, about halfway down the page. Leave a few lines, then Chapter One, or your chapter one title.

9.     If the chapter ends within the submitted pages, make sure you insert a page break. Don’t try to cheat to get more into the submission by starting the next chapter on the same page, even if the chapter ends near the top.

10.  Make sure each subsequent new chapter (if there’s more than one in the submission), starts at least a third of the way down the page.

Before you click Send

Now, are you ready to click submit? Read it through one more time. Ask yourself the questions you had others keep in mind. If your answer is yes, and your formatting is pristine, go for it! Then, once you’ve hit send, congratulate yourself on getting your project out the door. This is something worth celebrating! Tomorrow you might think of something you could have changed or done differently. Let that thought go. Make a note somewhere so you have it for a future submission (if necessary), but enjoy this moment. Writing a manuscript, revising it, querying, and ultimately submitting is a considerable accomplishment. Focus on that. And while you wait to hear back, start writing something new.

Need a pair of fresh eyes on your manuscript? Kristen Overman is here to help! She's an experienced editor with expertise in middle grade and young adult fiction, picture books, adult fiction, and memoir. This post contains affiliate links.