While there are no guarantees to getting published, these tips will ensure your manuscript receives a welcome reception from an editor. No piece of advice is more valuable. You may have written the greatest category romantic suspense ever penned, but if you send it to a house that only publishes historical single-titles, you are going to get a rejection letter in the mail. Research the publishers you're thinking about submitting to. Look up their listing in The Literary Market Place , which is updated annually and available in all libraries, and in other market guides.
Some publishers announce what types of manuscripts they're currently looking for.
Never call a publisher and ask what they're acquiring these days or if your manuscript is appropriate. Editors are busy people, and they won't appreciate the interruption. Of course, the very best way to get to know if a publisher is buying the type of book you've written is to read what they're currently publishing. That cannot be emphasized enough. Some publishers are quite specific about the length they require, particularly those publishing category books, which must be similar in length to other books published in the series.