Post Submission Stress Disorder

[MightyScribbler]

I just recently sent my first full-fledged full. Excited? If you could count a nervous breakdown as excitment - that would be a yes then.

I was wondering if you all had PSSD stories where you submitted something and then became convinced later (though you may have no other reason to worry other than how important it is to you) that you made a rejection-certain mistake.

Please share, it will make me feel better.

[infinitus_kaze]

I know when I send in a manuscript, be it short story or novel, I always feel nervous waiting for the reply. Then I start thinking, "There must be something I didn't do properly. What if I forgot to edit something?" Et cetera. I think all writers feel some PSSD (as you put it); that is, unless they are the famous authors like Steven King who could get a contract for a book before he's even written the first chapter.

[Shady Lane]

Oh, God, absolutely. It's awful.

[maestrowork]

I was okay. I sent out maybe five or six fulls while I was submitting my first novel. I never really got the jitters. I just kept going. I helped that I already started on my WIP and I joined AW -- that took the edge out of the "waiting."

[Toothpaste]

Well I was only asked for one full. When I sent it off I went to the pub with a friend. And then talked myself into a frenzy and burst into tears. Much fun.

[Novelhistorian]

Oh, man, I'm going through it right now. I had a request for a full back in late February from an agent who then went on vacation for a couple weeks. When nobody else bit, I offered an exclusive, knowing he'd be quick. Well, various things got in the way, and it'll be a month on Monday, not the two weeks I was told to expect. So I'm going crazy.

Some days, I think, This is it. Others, I say to myself, No way he'll take it. Believe me, Scribbler, I know what you mean. The next glass I hoist, I'll think of you.

[Klazart]

ya..

I sent my full to my agent a few weeks back. I was supposed to hear back in two weeks, and I spent the interm being so worried that I think I was getting 'clinically depressed,' my sex drive completely died, took no enjoyment out of anything. Ironically, when the deadline came and she just told me she hadn't had a chance to read it, I was actually relieved. Now I'm supposed to get a reply by Monday.

I'm psyching myself out here. I'm thinking if i get a reply on thursday or friday that's bad because it means she's met her 'reader,' (who was away till this week) and has said bad things about the book. If the reply comes monday it'll prolly be good because it means the reader reccommended she read it herself.

I hadn't sent out any queries because I expected (and was kind of promised) a quickish response by my agent but it's ended up being a 4-5 week long wait. I guess the real reason why I'm so nervous though is because it's my first novel, and it's the first time I've sent out a full MSS, so I'm desperate to get some professional feedback. But I've got the first set of 5 queries or so pretty much researched and prepared, just need to print em out.

[Elektra]

I do this with query letters--I'll mail them off, then sit down with my calendar saying "Well, if they get them tomorrow, and print off an answer straight away, that means I should have an answer in three days. Or maybe they'll E-mail me that same day." And then I rush off to gmail.com.

ETA: Have just rushed off the gmail.com, to find a request for a partial from Kristin Nelson! By the way, does anyone know if she's upped the number of partials she requests since she stopped asking for sample pages?

[blacbird]

Worst part is, at least for me, it never gets any better. I sent off a query and sample pages (50th or 60th of those) Monday, intending to fire off five or six more in subsequent days. I haven't been able to do that yet. I'll aim for one tomorrow.

caw

[maddythemad]

ya..

I sent my full to my agent a few weeks back. I was supposed to hear back in two weeks, and I spent the interm being so worried that I think I was getting 'clinically depressed,' my sex drive completely died, took no enjoyment out of anything. Ironically, when the deadline came and she just told me she hadn't had a chance to read it, I was actually relieved. Now I'm supposed to get a reply by Monday.

I'm psyching myself out here. I'm thinking if i get a reply on thursday or friday that's bad because it means she's met her 'reader,' (who was away till this week) and has said bad things about the book. If the reply comes monday it'll prolly be good because it means the reader reccommended she read it herself.

I hadn't sent out any queries because I expected (and was kind of promised) a quickish response by my agent but it's ended up being a 4-5 week long wait. I guess the real reason why I'm so nervous though is because it's my first novel, and it's the first time I've sent out a full MSS, so I'm desperate to get some professional feedback. But I've got the first set of 5 queries or so pretty much researched and prepared, just need to print em out.

Wait, you already have an agent and yet they haven't gotten back to you on your first novel yet? I'm not sure how this can be so... *confused* Anyway, I wish you luck with whoever is reading your book, and hope that your agent likes it!

[Anthony Ravenscroft]

You don't have much time to stress about it because you're halfway through the first draft of your next book.

Or is that just me?

[helga]

ya..

I sent my full to my agent a few weeks back. I was supposed to hear back in two weeks, and I spent the interm being so worried that I think I was getting 'clinically depressed,' my sex drive completely died, took no enjoyment out of anything. Ironically, when the deadline came and she just told me she hadn't had a chance to read it, I was actually relieved. Now I'm supposed to get a reply by Monday.



I sent my full to the publisher on 6 Feb, they e-mailed me that it 'safely arrived', and after that... nothing. I e-mailed them a couple of times in March, was promised that the editor would contact me "in the next few days" and that was it. These "few days" have turned into few weeks, maybe 'few months'?
The uncertainty of the situation kills me. Are they reading it? Aren't they?

[Klazart]

Wait, you already have an agent and yet they haven't gotten back to you on your first novel yet? I'm not sure how this can be so... *confused* Anyway, I wish you luck with whoever is reading your book, and hope that your agent likes it!

my first book was non-fiction, so that's how I got an agent.

[Klazart]

I sent my full to the publisher on 6 Feb, they e-mailed me that it 'safely arrived', and after that... nothing. I e-mailed them a couple of times in March, was promised that the editor would contact me "in the next few days" and that was it. These "few days" have turned into few weeks, maybe 'few months'?
The uncertainty of the situation kills me. Are they reading it? Aren't they?

did you go through an agent? this is why having one helps because with an agent they tend to be more timely in replying, esp if they have a good relationship with the agent

[Robyn]

I can relate to this as well. I just sent out a partial request to an agent that replied to my query email faster than I expected. Now the wait begins to see if she even wants a full. ugh.. I keep reminding myself if it falls through I can always send it to my editor and I know she'd take it.

[Shadow_Ferret]

I sent out maybe five or six fulls while I was submitting my first novel.
5 or 6 FULLS? And all I've gotten was a partial. *sinks back into PSSD*

[Spiny Norman]

So far I've sent out 4 fulls, 3 of which are still "live."

One rejection - Andrea Somberg... It was heartbreaking, mostly because she was very on the fence about it. But she let me down easy and gave me some pointers.

The last requested full was a little over a week ago... The other 2 were a month ago, before I made the revisions that made everything a whole lot better, of course. I'm dying, here. I'm just writing to distract myself.

[Spiny Norman]

Well, I just checked my email. Got another rejection. The most recent full, too.

Goddammit. I need a win here. I need just one win.

[maestrowork]

All you need is one, Spiny. Chin up.

[scarletpeaches]

I've only ever had one request for a partial in all the years I've been writing and that was knocked back. Now that's depressing.

Hasn't stopped me submitting, though. I have a proposal with an agent just now and do I get stressed over it? Hell yeah. Lost sleep, panicking that I'm not good enough, will never be good enough, I'm a complete failure.

Honestly, I think I must be a masochist.

[Spiny Norman]

The most annoying thing is that this always sends me into a panicked flurry and I wind up wanting to email the agents I've submitted to to see what they think. That and I want to race home to begin a new string of queries. And drink, too.

[maestrowork]

Repeat after me: MUST RESIST THE URGE TO BADGER THE AGENT.

:)

Just wait. One month is nothing.

[Julie Worth]

My worst letdown was an agent who read the full and said it was close. So I rewrote the book and resubmitted it, and after the second read he found it very, very close, but still he passed and made it final. In my experience, it takes several hundred queries and ten full reads to get an agent.

[Memnon624]

Stress. Ugh. Just FYI: It doesn't get any better after an agent or publisher says "yes". It morphs. It becomes Pre-Publication Stress Disorder, First Review Stress Disorder, Post-Publication Stress Disorder, ad infinitum. I'm currently suffering from Looming Deadline Stress Disorder (LDSD).

Writing. There is no cure . . . ;)

Best,

Scott