Since people seemed to like last week\u2019s blog about writing adventures for publication (and since I\u2019m still trying to figure out the best way to approach the more in-depth discussion of Cinemechanix), I\u2019m going to follow up with a blog about actually submitting the game. I haven\u2019t actually done very much submitting (nearly everything I write is self-published or written for a specific project that someone I know is publishing), but I have been on the receiving end of a lot of submissions. Therefore, this post won\u2019t be so much \u201cways to make a game company notice your submission\u201d as \u201cways to avoid getting your submission dismissed immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
There may be a few companies who accept complete manuscripts from any random person on the internet, but most just want a proposal at first. In fact, most submission guidelines specifically state that unsolicited manuscripts will not be read. The main reason is to protect the company from charges of IP theft. I know that you think your game is a beautiful snowflake, but all snowflakes look pretty much alike unless you look at them really closely. If we\u2019re working on a game about Ninja Space Sharks, we don\u2019t want to see your complete manuscript about Ninja Space Sharks because if we do you\u2019re going to see any similarity between the two as evidence that we stole your idea. If we only saw a 400-word proposal and responded with \u201csorry, but we\u2019re already working on a game about Ninja Space Sharks,\u201d you\u2019re more likely to realize that most of the similarities between our finished product and your rough draft exist because there are just certain things that you\u2019ve got to have in a game about Ninja Space Sharks.<\/p>\n
In my experience most form letters are from people who are looking for freelance work rather than from people with a game they want to publish (here at One Hex Tower, a surprisingly high percentage seem to be from South American artists), but we\u2019ve gotten a couple of \u201cI\u2019ve got a game I\u2019d like to publish\u201d emails that were obviously form letters. Hex doesn\u2019t usually hire freelance writers, so \u201cI\u2019m looking for writing work\u201d form letters go into File 13 (we respond with our own form letter and keep the information around in case we ever get desperate, but the folder they\u2019re in rarely gets opened). For artists, Leighton keeps a short list of people who we\u2019d like to work with if a project comes along that fits their style. Artists who send form letters rarely (actually \u201cnever\u201d might be more accurate) end up on that list; they go into File 13, too. The handful of game submission form letters we\u2019ve gotten have also gone to File 13, but usually more because we weren\u2019t interested in the ideas (see next section) than because they were form letters. Other companies who use more work for hire are probably less annoyed by form letters than we are, but including a few sentences that make it clear that you know who the letter is going to and have some idea what kinds of games they produce will probably give you a better chance of standing out from all the form letters.<\/p>\n
Most companies that accept submissions have a set of submission guidelines on their web site, and you should read them before you send anything. In addition to telling you what the company wants from you, they can often save you time by telling you what the company doesn\u2019t want. For example, the Hex Writers\u2019 Guidelines (which are on the same menu as the link to the contact form most freelancers use, but still obviously don’t get read by most people who contact us) clearly say that we\u2019re not looking for new game systems or traditional fantasy games. If you submit a proposal related to either of those without preceding it with \u201cI know you aren\u2019t looking for new game systems or traditional fantasy, but,\u201d we\u2019re going to stop reading as soon as we hit the part that makes it clear you haven\u2019t read the guidelines. If you can\u2019t be bothered to read the submission guidelines, it\u2019s a warning sign that you might be difficult to work with. Either you\u2019re lazy, you can\u2019t follow simple instructions, or you\u2019re arrogant enough to think the rules don\u2019t apply to you because your idea is so brilliant (statistically speaking, it\u2019s not).<\/p>\n
Even if your revolutionary encumbrance system is so great that any company would be foolish not to publish it, ignoring the guidelines can keep it from ever being seen. If your submission includes everything the company asks for in its guidelines, whoever receives it can put it directly into the workflow for new submissions. If it\u2019s missing something (or in some cases, if it includes stuff the company doesn\u2019t need or want), you create more work for the person who receives the submission. Every new step they have to take to move your submission along is a new chance for them to decide it\u2019s not worth the hassle.<\/p>\n
Your submission letter doesn\u2019t necessarily need to be formal and follow the format for a business letter that you learned in English class, but an email that says \u201cdoodz, gotta kickass idea 4 a game about ninnnja space sharks what u pay me 4 it\u201d isn\u2019t going to cut it. A half-assed proposal is a warning sign that the work will be equally half-assed, and there\u2019s a limit to the amount of editing and revision a company can justify putting into a game to make it publishable no matter how great the premise. Don\u2019t give the publisher reason to believe your submission isn\u2019t going to be worth the effort.<\/p>\n
Also, since most freelancers don\u2019t work at the company offices, the bulk of the revision, editing, and other work required to get the book ready is going to happen through email (or some other form of written communication). Don\u2019t give a company reason to think they\u2019re going to need a decoder ring to decipher every email you send. Think of your submission letter as a job interview and try to look smarter and more competent than you actually are.<\/p>\n
I know you think that everything you type is pure brilliance, but you need to understand that if your submission gets accepted, there\u2019s still a lot of work left to do. Some of it\u2019s just basic copy editing, but usually you\u2019re going to have to make some changes to your manuscript. Keep in mind that the company has (probably) published more games than you have, so most revision requests exist for some reason beyond just making your life miserable. You don\u2019t necessarily have to accept every suggestion your editor makes without question, but you should choose your battles. If you don\u2019t understand why your editor is asking you to do something, ask them. If you think a suggestion makes the game worse, explain how. If you fight the editor over every single change (especially relatively meaningless ones), your first project with the company will probably be your last, and even that first one might get cancelled if you\u2019re a gigantic pain in the ass to work with.<\/p>\n
Finally, never try to create a game that can be described as \u201clike D&D, but better.\u201d It won\u2019t be to the people who play D&D, and those of us who don\u2019t play D&D don\u2019t give a shit. If you’ve got a game about Ninja Space Sharks, though, the Hex Writers’ Guidelines are right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/deathcookie.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Oo4th_patreon_name.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n