Start with the publisher’s guidelines
Check which categories are open, what materials are requested and how to send them. Save a dated copy of the guidelines and the files you actually submit, especially if you are preparing different packages for several publishers.
Give the pitch a job
Use the pitch to describe the work and its reader. For fiction, name the central character, the pressure they face and what is at stake. For non-fiction, show the question or need the book addresses and what the reader will gain from it.
Choose a sample that represents the work
For a novel, the opening chapters usually show how the story introduces its world and gets moving. For an illustrated or audio project, choose a sample that shows how the different elements work together. Make sure the title and contact details are consistent across the files.