Genre, or category, fiction fits specific reader interests. One reader may be interested in the mystery category, while another is interested in the romance genre. The words "genre" and "category" are used interchangeably. Leslie Wainger, executive editor at Harlequin/Silhouette, in her book Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies (Wiley Publishing, Inc.) defines genre fiction as books that publishers market in related groups, called series. Single titles, on the other hand, stand on their own. These days, the trend is away from category fiction (which ranges from 55,000 to 65,000 words) toward single titles, generally ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 words or more.

A few years back, categories such as mystery were subdivided into even smaller groups for marketing purposes. For example, under the general mystery category, one could find sub-categories such as, Cozy, Private Eye, Hard-boiled, Women P.I.'s, Spy/Espionage. Knowing which category or genre one's work fits, tells an editor or agent that the writer is a professional who knows his or her audience.

Today's publishers, however, place less emphasis on narrow genre and more importance on the general category. Each fiction category generally relates to a single theme such as love, hate, death, pursuit, romance or annihilation. Broad fiction categories include:

• Mystery
• Suspense
• Thriller
• Mainstream Fiction
• Historical Fiction
• Romance
• Chick Lit
• Erotica
• Science Fiction/Fantasy
• Horror
• Western
• Children's

Here are a few examples of nonfiction categories, however there are many more.

• Business
• Computers
• How-To
• Self-Help
• Biography/Autobiography/Memoir

© AUTHORLINK, 2004—EXCERPT REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION

BEFORE YOU SUBMIT to any publisher, read their submission guidelines. Follow those guidelines to the letter.

Make sure your manuscript is in proper format. If you don't know what proper format is, now is a good opportunity to learn more about your craft. Do the research.

Publishers won't commit the valuable time of a hard-working editor to correct your grammar, punctuation, and style. That's your job; it's part of knowing the craft of writing. If you've got a terrific story or book idea, and you have concerns about whether it is marketable (notice we use marketable rather than publishable), check with someone BEFORE you submit it. If you know the manuscript needs work, and you're willing to invest in your success, consider turning your manuscript over to an editing service for at least an evaluation.

Many publishers only read the first couple of paragraphs. If a publisher reads the first chapter of your book, or even less, and is underwhelmed by your beginning, that's the only chance you'll have. If you know you've got a great story idea, check out editors and even book packagers to find out how to create an impression in one chapter or less. You can find those resources in Writer's Digest magazine, Writer's Market, and even by doing a web search. A later article will tell you what to look for when choosing an editor.

The time of large advances, high profile marketing campaigns, and handholding by publishers is a thing of the past for 95 percent of publishers. Be prepared to submit a well thought-out marketing plan along with your manuscript. Small presses and publishers have to work twice as hard to get books into the hands of the public; show the publisher you're committed to promoting your book. No one knows your book better than you. If you believe in it, you'll do everything it takes to get the word out.

Because publishers have to have many authors to survive in the tough world of publishing, remember this old cliché: You are not the only pebble on the beach. You may want full-time attention from your publisher, but your publisher owes each and every author the same treatment.

It is not the publisher's problem that you are not in the publisher's country. Regardless of where you live, if you want to promote and market your book in another country, it is up to you to make those contacts, not the publisher. The publisher's responsibility is to make your books available for signings and other events; it's your responsibility to do the legwork and scheduling. If you're not prepared to do that, market the books where you can on your own.

One of the key requirements if you're accepted for publication is that you must wait until at least an edited manuscript is approved before you start setting up book events. You can promote your book as much as you want beforehand - build a buzz, so to speak - but don't place unrealistic deadlines and restrictions on a publisher to provide a book to YOUR schedule.

Printing issues, shipping issues, even distribution issues can cause a delay in the production of your book. A publisher will generally let you know within a month or so when you might expect to have book in hand. Before you schedule an event, confirm the date with your publisher.

Because publishers and editors are inundated with submissions, don't expect a reply for several months. Some publishers acknowledge receipt of a manuscript if you provide an e-mail address or a stamped return envelope. Some publishers only respond if your manuscript is accepted. If you don't hear back in three months, POLITELY follow up.

It takes a minimum of six months to produce your book once it's accepted. Usually, it's a year. There are a series of steps publishers must perform before your book makes it into publishable form. If you're lucky enough to have your book accepted, be prepared to be patient. In the publishing business, schedules are ALWAYS subject to change due to circumstances that may be beyond the publisher's control. While it's not your fault that the publisher runs into difficulties, it is often something the publisher can't do anything about. Be patient and polite in dealing with your publisher.

As an editor, I love reading great stories, and many times I'll wade through all the flaws just to find that great story. But many editors won't; they've got too much to do to teach you your craft. This is the introduction to a series on writing that I hope will inspire you to write well enough to get read by any editor.

Every editor dreams of getting the perfect manuscript, so what do editors want? Let's start with the basics. Editors want - no, expect - authors to know grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Surprisingly, these elements of good writing are missing from some manuscripts. Before you submit your manuscript, check it carefully. I know many editors who won't give a manuscript a second glance if it starts out with errors. At that point, it doesn't matter how great your story is; it's not going to get read.

TIP: A second pair of eyes will catch mistakes you might overlook because you've read the book so many times you read what you think you've written. It doesn't have to be a professional editor, but it must be someone who knows the rules of good writing.

No one can question the impact of good grammar in writing. There are countless grammatical rules, all of which are bound to get broken sometime. Those rules generally should be followed in both narrative and dialogue. But, as my mother was fond of saying, "There's an exception to every rule." My advice is to know the rules, then break them judiciously and infrequently.

Write conversationally, particularly with dialogue. I can hear the grammar skeptics now: Whose conversation? My response: the conversation of your setting. If you're writing a historical novel, know what your characters would say and how they would say it for that time period. Dialogue is as much a part of setting as costume, architecture, transportation, etc. There's nothing better for throwing a reader out of a story than by using language inappropriate to your setting.

As for punctuation, know the basics. If your sentence needs a pause, insert a comma. Do you need a comma or a semicolon? Single quotes or double quotes? Dash or ellipsis? Speaking of ellipses, if you're going to use one, insert it properly. In Microsoft Word, for example, click INSERT on the Menu toolbar (that's the one with FILE, EDIT, VIEW, etc.), then find the ... and click on it. Then click INSERT and CLOSE. If the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, don't put a period after it. However, if the sentence ends with a question, insert a question mark after the ellipsis.

If you think spell check will catch every misspelled word, think again! Spell check - regardless of the word processing program you use - only catches misspelled words that aren't correct spellings for other words. Buy a dictionary, or use one of the free online dictionaries.

If you're using dialect, make a sheet listing the regular word and its counterpart in your dialect so you spell it the same every time. Of course, my preference is that you not use dialect at all or, if you must, use it sparingly, just enough to give your reader the flavor of it.

This is just a sample of what you will find in future columns. Stay tuned for more tips. And consider this as you write your book. You are writing for your reader, not for yourself.

The old school of writing had commas everywhere; today's writers frequently avoid them like the plague. So what's the answer? As an editor (and a charter member of the "old school of writing"), I try to find a happy medium between the two schools of thought.

There's no avoiding it. You either love commas or hate them. They're a source of constant confusion. Some of you know you need a comma and insert it properly; the rest of you may have a vague idea that a comma should be in your sentence, but you don't know where, so you put it where you think it looks best.

When you write, your sentences should flow easily and smoothly. However, there are some natural places where you want your reader to pause, to take a breath. Those are the places you need to place commas. My thought is that you should write for your reader, not for the grammar book. If the sentence makes sense without the commas, and you feel strongly about not using too many, leave them out.

There are other more technical uses for commas - to set off a dependent clause, for example. A dependent clause is a phrase in your sentence that can't stand on its own and that you could leave out and still have the sentence read correctly. You should be aware of these instances and punctuate them properly. This prompts me to repeat my cardinal rule of writing - KNOW YOUR CRAFT!

Before you send any manuscript to a publisher or editor, READ IT. You should go through it at least once for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Then go through it again for continuity to make sure the storyline doesn't have any disconnects that will throw the reader out of the story. After that, send it off and let an editor polish it up.