publishing question

Depends on the publisher - Some take over a year to make a decision, some, far less time than your friend has waited.

Although the phrasing: "How much longer should I wait for a contract?" rings alarm bells for me. Is your friend aware that there's a good chance of rejection, and realistic about this?

It's just that it's something one has to be braced for, so that after a suitable weeping fit, one can get up and send it out again.

I don't know personally, yet (but my agent is sending it out in a few weeks), but a friend of mine's took a full year. Nonetheless, he had a lot of shrimps on the barbie, and it wound up becoming like an auction - - - out to the highest bidder, yee-haw!

If she didn't agree to an exclusive she's under no obligation to stop submitting elsewhere. If she did agree, there should be a time limit already set.

Waiting

nickyswriting said:

A writer friend of mine has a question about publishing a novel. Since I am not familiar enough in this area, I decided to see what others think who may have been through this. Here ya go:

"Nicky--After seven months went by I asked for and recieved an update
from a pulisher stating she was still considering my YA multicultural
novel for publication. My question: How much longer should I wait for a contract? Thanks."

Thanks!

Click to expand...

As long as she wishes. She can withdraw the book from consideration at any time. It all really comes down to how good she thinks this particular publish is. Bigger and better often takes longer, and seven months, while not short, is not an outrageous amount of time.

What she should probably be doing is 1. Talking to agents. If she has a novel under serious consideration, getting an agent will probably be easier. 2. Writing her next book, instead of worrying too much about this one.

Nicky, has your friend submitted the entire manuscript, or only a partial? If the latter, she's completely at liberty to also make partial submissions of this novel to other publishers.

If the editor is sitting on the full manuscript, does that publisher disallow simultaneous submissions? If not, your friend can still submit it elsewhere.

If the editor has the full ms and does not allow simsubs, your friend can use the ms to shop for an agent. Is there another publisher your friend wants to sub the ms to? If so, she might want to send the first editor a letter saying something along the lines of "thanks for the update with regard to the status of my submission. As your house would be my first choice for publishing my ms, I'm happy to leave it with you as an exclusive submission for another (specify time period -- say, six months). I've enclosed a SASE for your decision." After that time, the editor can no longer expect the sub to be exclusive.

The fact that the editor is replying to your friend's queries is, in itself, a good sign.