Quick submission related issue

The only problem with submitting to agents and presses at the same time is that if you score the agent, you've decreased their potential market by already putting the manuscript in front of the editor. Now, if this small press is so small that they don't pay an advance, the agent wouldn't be likely to approach them anyway.

However, let's say it is a small non-advance paying press, and they want your book. You jump at it (woo-hoo! Published!). You just screwed yourself out of a potentially better deal through an agent with a bigger press. You could always send it to the press (nobody says you HAVE to say yes to their offer), and if they want to take on your project, then you can take that offer back to one of the agents in consideration and ask the agent to help you get a better deal.

Now, how long do you expect these partials to be out? Could you wait, sit on the manuscript while they consider it? If I were in your position, I would wait for the agents. I really want to work with an agent, so perhaps I'm biased, and I'd like some sort of advance. But if you'd be happy with the small press, I don't see why you couldn't send the book to them. Nobody's on exclusive at this point, right?

Go for it, I say. I've done stuff like that before, too. I've had to cross some hectic bridges when I've come upon them in the process, LOL, but it's always worked out. You owe it to your work to explore all of the options that feel right to you, and it sounds like you're really interested in this publisher. Take a chance and see what happens.

If the small publisher offers an advance, and they offer you a contract, you can always use this as an opportunity to re-approach your prospective agents. In any case, and especially if it's a well-respected small press, like Meisha Merlin, for example, then it's a publishing credit to add to your resume the next time you go agent-shopping.

Good luck, whatever your decision! I know it's hard. Things would be so much easier in this biz if we all had crystal balls, huh?

novel

The trouble with a small press is that your novel may be good enough to sell to a large publisher, if given a chance. An agent can give it a chance toi do just this.

I'd say don't sell your novel small until you know whether it has a chance of selling big.

RG570 said:

It's more likely to have initial success with a small publisher than having my first novel taken on by some agent in New York, right? Or is this an incorrect assumption?

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Anything is possible.

I think it all comes to down to what YOU want. I know a writer who started in small press because it was easier, and now it's been many books over many years, and she's still a small press author. (NOT that there's anything wrong with that) I know another who went through years of rejections by agents and never gave up because he wanted to be published by one of the big guys. And now he is, and a NYT Bestseller at that.

I think too many people settle on smaller goals at the start because they think you have to take all these little steps first, when you could shorten the distance to the goal by making one giant leap.

So do what feels right for you, for now, and for your future. Best of luck to you!

Jamesaritchie said:

The trouble with a small press is that your novel may be good enough to sell to a large publisher, if given a chance. An agent can give it a chance toi do just this.

I'd say don't sell your novel small until you know whether it has a chance of selling big.

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Once again, James is on the money. This is the very first thought that came into my mind...that you may be undershooting.

Either way, good luck with your manuscript. Let us know what you decide and how it goes.

My advice would be to send it to those agents first, and see if you get a bite. If this publisher has only recently begun to take submissions again, most likely they will be doing so for some time to come, at least three months, and that's probably as long as you would need to get a response from the agents.