Lars Eighner's Homepage Writers' Workshop FAQ: Q. Could I find a friend, and have him or her send my manuscript to a publisher that does not accept unagented manuscripts? Will they read it simply because it wasn't sent to them by the author?

Q. Could I find a friend, and have him or her send my manuscript to a publisher that does not accept unagented manuscripts? Will they read it simply because it wasn't sent to them by the author?

A. There may be some value in having a friend send your stuff out for you. But the value is not in your friend pretending to be an agent, setting up some phony baloney letterhead and stuff; in fact that approach is likely to backfire because editors are adept at seeing through such schemes.

The value is that your friend may be able to write a selling cover letter, something that your modesty may not permit you to do. Your friend may insulate you from the rejections and may go about the business of marketing your work in a rational and businesslike way--something your nearness to the work and emotional ups and downs may prevent. Many writers simply have no talent for sales and matters get worse when their feelings get in the way.

In truth magazines which say they only read agented or solicited manuscripts sometimes do buy an over-the-transom piece. While there are still many publications that welcome submissions from newcomers, I do not really understand this desire to send your work where it is not wanted--it is almost if you had just taken up the piano and expected to have your first recital in Carnegie Hall. But if this is what you are determined to do, send the piece with a powerful cover letter--or have your friend send it. Just avoid insulting the editor by implying that he or she will be taken in by a phony letterhead. You are already insulting him or her by making it plain that you have ignored the guideline that calls for agented submissions only or have not felt it necessary to consult the guidelines at all.