Books in different genres?

Paragraphic · Mar 29, 2015

Not sure if this is a dumb question but I haven't come across it in other threads yet.

I have a fantasy series I've submitted to a publisher (if that doesn't work out I'll go back to submitting to agents, I took a break from agents to send to this particular publisher because I've read that you shouldn't query both at the same time) but over the summer I wrote a dystopian horror. My question is, is it alright for me to look for small publishers to sub the horror while searching for an agent or publisher for the other book? Is it alright to look for, and potentially publish, two books at the same time if they're in different genres?

The fantasy is my priority and I don't want to risk burning any bridges for it by getting the horror out there.

Any thoughts/knowledge/experience on this topic would really be appreciated. Thanks!

Old Hack · Mar 29, 2015

Don't submit the book to any more publishers until you've decided what you want to do.

If you send it to publishers, and then change your mind and decide you want an agent, that agent then won't be able to resubmit to the publishers which have already seen and rejected the book--and the agent might well know other editors within that publisher, who are more suited to your book, and who might not have rejected it.

Once you've either decided you don't want to take the agent route, or you've run out of agents to query, then you can start sending your work out to publishers direct.

As for your original question: you can, of course, submit your work wherever you like. But if you find an agent she's going to be very pleased if you have a few books for her to market, and will probably find you a better deal than you can find for yourself, so you might well be better off waiting for now.

Paragraphic · Mar 29, 2015

Thank you! I've read about and understand why not to submit to a bunch of publishers before submitting to an agent or while submitting to agents. I made an exception for a particular publisher (and don't have any queries out with any agents right now) because I'd really like to work with them. If that doesn't turn out, I'll go back to agent hunting exclusively again.

I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be considered a conflict of interest or somehow undesirable to a publisher or agent if I was simultaneously looking for or having another book published somewhere else (let's dream big right?) and it got me thinking so I figured- why not ask?

Books in different genres?

Paragraphic

Word eater.

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Paragraphic

Word eater.