The Next Circle of Hell

That moment when you get a hint from the internet that an editor is currently reading your MS:

O_O

Beckstah said:

That moment when you get a hint from the internet that an editor is currently reading your MS:

O_O

Click to expand...

Eeeee! Fingers crossed for you, Beckstah.

Hang in there, brs. If you read back on this thread (and it goes waaaay back), you'll find a good number of stories of long submissions that ended in sales. Not always to the Big Five, but there are plenty of good smaller options. When every rejecting editor finds something different wrong (instead of all pinpointing the same fatal flaw), that may mean your book is close.

NJC, that sounds incredibly promising! Good luck!!!

Beckstah, that's so exciting (and nervewracking!) Keep us posted...

(((brs))) I'm sure your book is strong--it's just a matter of finding the right fit. Whenever I'm in the sub doldrums, I look at Putt's posts for some hippo love .

So, now that a few of you have confirmed or at least think that the publisher responses often come on Mondays and Tuesdays, now I'll ask my next question.

Won't the R's come faster than the offers? I imagine if an editor falls in love with your mss., they then often have to get approval or agreement from others in the house. This process would take longer than a simply R. AmIright?

So, it's okay if our mss. are out for a while. That's what I'm telling myself.

BRS, take heart. A lot of people loved your story, so just because a number didn't, that doesn't mean it still won't find a home. Hang in.

Beckstah, I laughed at your googlie eyes. I'd be like that, too.

Fuchsia Groan said:

Hang in there, brs. If you read back on this thread (and it goes waaaay back), you'll find a good number of stories of long submissions that ended in sales. Not always to the Big Five, but there are plenty of good smaller options. When every rejecting editor finds something different wrong (instead of all pinpointing the same fatal flaw), that may mean your book is close.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I read through quite a bit of it but this thread is massive, LOL. I'll keep going and try to find some of these stories. I need some sort of hope.

And thanks everyone who replied! Just need to wait it out now, I guess.

brs18041 said:

I'll keep going and try to find some of these stories. I need some sort of hope.

Click to expand...

This is a great series showing you the wide range of submission experiences: http://writerwriterpantsonfire.blogspot.com/search/label/SHIT

Bekstah - EEP!

JoyMC said:

This is a great series showing you the wide range of submission experiences: http://writerwriterpantsonfire.blogspot.com/search/label/SHIT

Click to expand...

I read through that entire series a few months ago -- I actually found it really discouraging since most of the writers who shared their story got offers within a couple weeks, or even just a couple days. Maybe people with tougher experiences aren't as willing to publicly share their sub story.

(((brs))) Sorry you're going through this. I don't have much to add except to say try to stay open-minded about what will happen. If the manuscript got such a great response from agents, and the editor feedback is all over the place, the manuscript is clearly promising and just needs to find the right home.

I know of many authors who are happily published by the non-Big 5. Sure, maybe a Big 5 house can pay a bigger advance, but will they get behind your book? Will they really get your book? Sometimes being a bigger fish in a smaller pond can be a real advantage for the author because you stand a bigger chance of getting the whole house behind your manuscript. You just can't know yet.

Also, I know of other authors whose agents couldn't place their first manuscript for one reason or another but who went on to sell other manuscripts and then later on, were able to sell the earlier manuscript -- sometimes with revisions that became clear with time, and sometimes with no revisions at all.

brs18041 said:

I read through that entire series a few months ago -- I actually found it really discouraging since most of the writers who shared their story got offers within a couple weeks, or even just a couple days. Maybe people with tougher experiences aren't as willing to publicly share their sub story.

Click to expand...

I wish more of those success stories were online! But naturally, people are reticent, so I've usually heard those stories in private. I talked with a writer once who went to auction after almost a YEAR. I find that just as amazing as the stories where the book sells in three days.

Yup, I've got a friend debuting in 2015 who went to auction after 9 months.

For what it's worth, the most current entry in that submission series is Jen Malone's, and she recounts how her first book didn't sell at all. Now she's sold MG, YA, and a co-authored MG series. So.

JoyMC said:

Yup, I've got a friend debuting in 2015 who went to auction after 9 months.

For what it's worth, the most current entry in that submission series is Jen Malone's, and she recounts how her first book didn't sell at all. Now she's sold MG, YA, and a co-authored MG series. So.

Click to expand...

That's actually really comforting. Thank you!

So the agent got the deeply revised MS. She loves it, but because she's so close to the book, she asked an intern/reader to take a look.

The intern/reader liked it, but thought parts were sexist. The agent and I don't, but the agent made the point that if it's something that might turn an editor off, and it's not integral to the story, why not change some of it?

So now I'm rewriting a few scenes to make them less sexist. And adding in a few things that I took out in the last edit. And changing my MC's religion from lapsed Quaker to semi-practicing Baptist. And adding a sex scene between my MCs. And I am so tired of this book I don't know what to do about it anymore.

But getting closer again. Maybe.

Whiporee, I totally hear you on being sick of the book. I'm so so ready to be done with mine.

Congrats on the agent/intern enthusiasm, though. That's really encouraging! Have a slice of banana bread. You're almost there!

ChocolateChipCookie said:

Won't the R's come faster than the offers? I imagine if an editor falls in love with your mss., they then often have to get approval or agreement from others in the house. This process would take longer than a simply R. AmIright?

Click to expand...

In general, I think you're right: rejections come first. In some cases, the editor tips off the agent before something goes to ed board or acquisitions -- say, because an offer would be conditional on revisions, which you'd have to sign off on. In that case, it might not take so long to get news of a (potential) offer, but there'd be more waiting to see if it becomes reality.

In the early days of this thread, people were quoting "four to six weeks" as a typical time-frame for getting an offer. Then came the recession, and wait times stretched longer and longer. Add summer, and a few months starts to sound more typical.

OL had a great story: her book was on submission for, IIRC, a year and a week before Soho made a offer (and it went on to sell quite well). Another poster got an offer from an editor who'd had the book for five months.

Hey brs, sorry you've got the sub blues. My path to publication was a bit backwards, but basically it took me five months from the ed getting my ms to getting an offer. (Not huge money or anything, but a two-book deal with a Big 5 publisher.) There are plenty of slow stories out there, including people who sold on round two, so hang in there

Haha, thanks guys. My inbox is still quieter than ever, but I will try to sit tight and let things run their course! (presses face against the monitor)

whiporee and QB, good luck on the edits!!

Very interesting. I'm busy, lots of things going on in my life, so I'm not obsessive about email. Not like I was with the agent search. And for some reasons my iphone refuses to get my email any more and so I have to actually come back to the house to see if there are any responses. Oh well.

Next question: If there is an offer on the table, will the agent be more likely to phone you? Or would she simply send an email, just as if with an R.

Fuchsia Groan said:

In general, I think you're right: rejections come first. In some cases, the editor tips off the agent before something goes to ed board or acquisitions -- say, because an offer would be conditional on revisions, which you'd have to sign off on. In that case, it might not take so long to get news of a (potential) offer, but there'd be more waiting to see if it becomes reality.

In the early days of this thread, people were quoting "four to six weeks" as a typical time-frame for getting an offer. Then came the recession, and wait times stretched longer and longer. Add summer, and a few months starts to sound more typical.

OL had a great story: her book was on submission for, IIRC, a year and a week before Soho made a offer (and it went on to sell quite well). Another poster got an offer from an editor who'd had the book for five months.

Click to expand...

ChocolateChipCookie said:

Very interesting. I'm busy, lots of things going on in my life, so I'm not obsessive about email. Not like I was with the agent search. And for some reasons my iphone refuses to get my email any more and so I have to actually come back to the house to see if there are any responses. Oh well.

Next question: If there is an offer on the table, will the agent be more likely to phone you? Or would she simply send an email, just as if with an R.

Click to expand...

I would guess phone is more likely, but it depends on the agent. I did get some preliminary good news by email, after which I began checking my email every five minutes and kept it up for the following month. I was seriously deranged with all the refreshing. Having an iPhone that refused to retrieve email would have been a boon to my sanity. So if you're not obsessing now, count yourself lucky and hope that continues.

Fuchsia, I keep coming back here to see if you've updated. Any idea when we'll know the details?

I feel like 95% of the "I got my deal" posts I've read say their agent phoned. It must be such a fun call to make! I don't have a cell phone at all, but then I also don't leave the house that much.

BRS, keeping my fingers crossed for you. If it makes you feel any better, my first two books were published with a Big 5 publisher, and they offered shockingly little support (especially for the first book). My friends and family kept being like, "But (insert publishing house here) is doing your PR. Why aren't you on Oprah?" and I had to explain that "Big 5 PR"--in my case--was basically a 25-year-old assistant who'd gotten into a fight with her boyfriend the previous night and who was phoning it in until she could clock out at 6pm. I think people focus on the big names (both with publishing houses and agencies - I was repped by a huge name for the last 2 books) without realizing that you'll likely get lost in the shuffle. The big names are sexy, but often times they won't provide the support or attention that you'll get from the smaller ones, imo. I really hope that the second half of your list comes through for you!

My update is that the editor who said she loved the book heard back from her colleagues and they didn't think it was YA enough. My agent and I are both super bummed, but I'm beginning to think this consistent feedback is a good thing. We have a lot more people to hear back from, but if everybody's saying it's not YA enough and is too adult, it's probably for the best that we revise and resubmit. I'd rather take extra time and produce something that has a chance in the marketplace. (At least, that's how I'm feeling today. The winds could shift tomorrow and I'll be crying into my coffee!)

Thanks so much everyone for the replies and well-wishes! A lot of you have great points -- maybe a non-big 5 house would give my MS more attention, and I love your examples of authors selling or going to auction after months and months.

Each week, I go into the week SO HOPEFUL, and then I get a rejection pretty much every Monday or Tuesday (yes, I think editors just have more time to read on the weekends). Now that the new week's almost here, I feel that hope building up again. I never learn! But maybe one of these weeks, I'll finally be right.

NJC116, I'm sorry things didn't work out with that editor. Sometimes there's a fine line between YA and NA -- has your agent considered sending to different editors who focus more on NA? Or will you be revising to make it more YA? If the editor LOVED the story, maybe your MS doesn't need to change, but the categorization does.

brs, the anxiety curve of a typical week on sub is fascinating to me. I get more positive jitters on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the more intense "Oh God why is my inbox still empty somebody say something" twitchiness settles in later in the week. And then Fridays tend to be a combination of disappointment and resignation, especially since summer Fridays are going on for another month or so, and I imagine new subs are a low priority on those shorter days.

NJC, so sorry that the editor didn't work out But it sounds like the interest is really starting to roll in, so with any luck it's only a matter of time for you! You mentioned a phone call this week, right? I hope that goes amazingly!

JoyMC said:

Fuchsia, I keep coming back here to see if you've updated. Any idea when we'll know the details?

Click to expand...

I was told maybe a few weeks, but it's summer, so who knows? (Though you wouldn't know it from the weather outside today. ): ) Anyway, you can bet I'll be updating with details as soon as I can! It feels surreal right now.

On the plus side, I'm getting back into my writing finally. I just realized my new YA novel only really has one major YA character in it: the MC. Uh-oh.

Sorry about the news, NJC! The "not YA enough" issue is the bane of my existence, but I think it is usually revisable. (And maybe someday NA will become more of a thing, so it won't be an issue...)

Wishing everyone a rejection-free Monday and Tuesday (and rest of the week). Beckstah, I think my weekly mood cycle was a lot like yours. For some reason, though, most of my news came on Wednesday or Friday!

Hi everyone,

I've been on sub for several weeks now; my first round consisted of about a dozen editors, and we've heard back from four of those. Of those, two were R&Rs.

I know plenty of people who had R&Rs at the agent level, and it seemed to me that the overwhelming majority of the time, they didn't lead to the book getting representation. I haven't heard as many stories about R&Rs at the editor/house stage, and I'm wondering how often these books are picked up after the requisite changes are made.

Agent is still hopeful about the MS's we still have out, but she thinks we're unlikely to hear back much before September. Thankfully, I seem to be pretty mellow about the whole business... mostly.