I think I just need a bit of comforting and my long suffering agent has done more than his fair share so here I am. I have had a non-fiction proposal out on submission for five weeks. We have gotten close at a few big places, but still no dice. Now in the past week and a half, the rejections have started to slow. The proposal is still out to about 11 places (and counting) some of which did not receive the proposal until two weeks ago, but I am starting to worry that we are not even getting rejections now. I know. I know. What is a "normal" wait time on such things? Many of the intial rejections came fast. Is it a good thing that there is silence now or is it the silence of doom? I know I am probably trying to ask the impossible, but any insight would be helpful. Thanks so much!
Out on Submission or Worse than I thought
- Thread starter Berkeleygirlinparis
- Start date
Editors have to pass gate keepers too, so your wait may indicate they have approached the marketing department and are writing their profit and loss statements. Waiting for months isn't unusual. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.
I agree with Debbie. Saying "yes" to a manuscript or proposal can't happen until it's passed all the gatekeepers in the process, whereas a rejection can happen at any stage - so on average, acceptance takes longer than rejection.
No news is generally good news, or at least not bad news.
No news is generally good news, or at least not bad news.
Five wells is nothing (relatively) it can take months, a year or even two. My cousin, who is now published by HarperCollins and has twenty books under her belt, never sold her first book. Her agent just couldn't make it happen, not implying it's her fault because it's not, just the nature of the beast. So my cousin wrote more and more, and eventually one sold and now she has twenty books out to readers.
Give it time, stay persistent, and let your agent do the job. It's hard for us as writers, because (I know I am) we get so stuck in that mindset of having to do it ourselves....find the agent...find the agent...then you do and you got to learn to be patient, and always be writing!
You're welcome - I'm pretty laid back for the most part, but The Waiting turns even me into a neurotic wreck 
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2011
- Messages
- 498
- Reaction score
- 19
- Location
- Bradenton, FL, USA
- Website
- www.facebook.com
Watch the J. K. Rowling movie released this year on video (the author of Harry Potter). Not only is it very inspiring, but it shows a nice glimpse of the inner workings of an agency and the approval process. Her agent literaly had to sell her boss on the project before he would let her take it to publishers.
Last edited:
In children's, the editors seem to have to go through the whole process before the author hears a thing. I've never heard one say otherwise, but some have simpler processes than others. This is house specific.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2007
- Messages
- 2,995
- Reaction score
- 616
I'm not sure what you are classifying as "children." I received notification that an editor plans on presenting my non-fiction proposal for a book targeting 9 - 12 year olds at the next meeting.
As you say, every house has its own rules.
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2009
- Messages
- 304
- Reaction score
- 11
I'm out on sub for 3.5 weeks (also for non fiction) and no nibbles as yet. It's new for me too. A friend of mine got a non fiction deal after about 6-7 weeks but I'm trying not to use that as a model of expectation. Luckily I'm so damned busy with other stuff that it is not in the forefront of my mind the whole time. I have an excellent agent with a great rep so there is not much more I can do right now
I'm out on sub for 3.5 weeks (also for non fiction) and no nibbles as yet. It's new for me too. A friend of mine got a non fiction deal after about 6-7 weeks but I'm trying not to use that as a model of expectation. Luckily I'm so damned busy with other stuff that it is not in the forefront of my mind the whole time. I have an excellent agent with a great rep so there is not much more I can do right now
Literary business moves from what I know. My cousin who has 15 books with HarperCollins echoes that!
I've been out on submission with a cookbook I wrote for about 10 months and we've had lots of bites and interest but so far no sale....
Also, I think things start to drag around the holidays and pick up several weeks after the New Year, so it may be that you hear more in a few weeks. The waiting is such a roller-coaster. Hang in there!
I would agree with this...my agent has been on vacation for the past three weeks, and i assume he will be for a few more. The wait does stink though! Lol
I'm not sure how fast it goes for nonfiction, but in my experience, the majority of the pubs got back to us within 1-2 months. Although before I looked up the actual numbers, I would have sworn it was 3X that long
Good luck!
Good luck!
Hell, I'd go ahead and write the book while waiting. The only thing that makes the waiting game tolerable to me is knowing I have another project already in the works. The old baby has flown the nest. So what? I have a new baby to worry about.
All of my books are non-fiction, so I have a variety of experiences in getting sales done. I am happy to tell you though that five weeks is nothing.
My first book ever sold (Dunks, Doubles, Doping: How Steroids are Killing American Athletics) wasn't sold through my agent. He pitched it for six agonizing months and finally called me, apologetic, and said he couldn't find it a home. I thanked him for his time, and gave it a go myself. In short order I had it sold to Lyons. I wrote an article about this for The Writer magazine and I link to that piece somewhere on my blog (www.nathanjendrick.com)
I've had other projects that sold in a week, others eight months. I've also had a book that got an initial offer of $5,000 and my agent then sat on it for two months certain we could do better. I was antsy. But in the end, it sold for $40,000. Sometimes patience is a good thing to have.
In any case, please don't lose faith. You're just getting going and five weeks is play time. Keep yourself busy, don't drive yourself crazy, and things will work out.
Cheers,
Nathan
My first book ever sold (Dunks, Doubles, Doping: How Steroids are Killing American Athletics) wasn't sold through my agent. He pitched it for six agonizing months and finally called me, apologetic, and said he couldn't find it a home. I thanked him for his time, and gave it a go myself. In short order I had it sold to Lyons. I wrote an article about this for The Writer magazine and I link to that piece somewhere on my blog (www.nathanjendrick.com)
I've had other projects that sold in a week, others eight months. I've also had a book that got an initial offer of $5,000 and my agent then sat on it for two months certain we could do better. I was antsy. But in the end, it sold for $40,000. Sometimes patience is a good thing to have.
In any case, please don't lose faith. You're just getting going and five weeks is play time. Keep yourself busy, don't drive yourself crazy, and things will work out.
Cheers,
Nathan
Just telling you I'm here in the trenches with you! My book (lit fic) just went out on submission a couple days ago and I'm a mess already. The waiting is a killer! Here's hoping we both get good news - and sooner than later!
I think we have a support-thread somewhere for people out on submission which you all might enjoy: it might be in Rejection And Dejection (as writers we often assume the worst), but I'm not sure. I shall make enquiries.
Here we go! A whole thread dedicated to the anxieties caused by being out on submission: The Next Circle Of Hell. I'll not port these posts there, because some of you might get a little lost in the transfer, but do drop in there. I hear there's biscuits.
We also have the Purgatory thread, which is now in its sixth incarnation.
We also have the Purgatory thread, which is now in its sixth incarnation.
Thanks, Old Hack. I, too, am on subs and I've turned into a bona fide stalker. This is unhealthy. And I have a book I'm supposed to be writing instead and can't get past the second sentence because I'm checking Tweets and emails like a maniac. This is also the reason I've found myself on this thread, too. Will hop over to the other one.