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Samhain Publishing

Deb Kinnard

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General question, not necessarily focused on Samhain but on royalty-paying pubs in general: is a long wait a good sign? All my long waits so far have ended in Rs. I've had several novels accepted around the three month mark, one additional one bought on proposal and another in a week.

Mods, please move to the appropriate forum if I've made a mis-step.

Thoughts on this in general, anyone?
 

triceretops

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Deb, I'm prone to think that a long wait does lead to an eventual rejection. Some editors and agents have told me that they peruse through a stack of emails and pick out the most likely "positives", and leave the rest in their TBR pile. I think that's how many of us witness these very fast offers and contracts. Of course, many, many agents and editors answer their email sequentially and in order--first come, first served basis.

Tri
 

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I think it depends on the house, especially the size of it. If it's a small company and a single editor makes the decision, then I can see triceretops' theory working. But if it's a bigger house, where the first reader needs to submit the work to a panel of editors, etc., then I think acceptances take a longer time.

I've had fast acceptances and slow acceptances. I don't think I've ever had a fast refusal. It's tempting to try to analyze and figure out some sort of system, but I really don't think there's much chance of success--there are just too many variables.
 

thethinker42

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I think it depends on the house, especially the size of it. If it's a small company and a single editor makes the decision, then I can see triceretops' theory working. But if it's a bigger house, where the first reader needs to submit the work to a panel of editors, etc., then I think acceptances take a longer time.

I've had fast acceptances and slow acceptances. I don't think I've ever had a fast refusal. It's tempting to try to analyze and figure out some sort of system, but I really don't think there's much chance of success--there are just too many variables.

Agreed. I know quite a few people who've subbed to Samhain specifically and had both rejections and acceptances within a few weeks or right around the 16-week mark, plus everywhere in between. Seems to me the wait time has less to do with the odds of rejection/acceptance, and more to do with the sheer number of submissions and the workload of the editor who's looking at it.
 

Jersey Chick

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With my first Samhain book, I had a request for a full within hours and the acceptance came about 4 weeks later.

With my second, it took about 4 months to receive the offer because my editor was swamped and traveling. I think I nudged a little because the no response was odd from her. :)
 

sumthinirote

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General question, not necessarily focused on Samhain but on royalty-paying pubs in general: is a long wait a good sign? All my long waits so far have ended in Rs. I've had several novels accepted around the three month mark, one additional one bought on proposal and another in a week.

Mods, please move to the appropriate forum if I've made a mis-step.

Thoughts on this in general, anyone?
I don't know if we can safely come up with a generalization here. I think it depends on the house and the editor -- and what's going on in the editor's personal and professional life. I've waited over 24 weeks, and it doesn't feel very positive to me, but this is what the editor said in an old interview about long wait times -- while he was still with Leisure.

http://www.horrorworld.org/Interviews/dondauria.htm

"HW: Many authors report very long wait times on their submissions to Leisure. What is a typical wait time, and is it a good sign if the writer hasn’t heard anything in a year or more?

DD: I admit that the sheer volume of submissions can force me to take longer than I’d like to get back to some people, but you don’t hear about all the submissions that are sent back within two weeks. You have to remember I only have twenty-four slots every year, and those slots were all filled last year and the year before that, etc. So for every manuscript I buy, I have to create room for it, and that takes time. Generally, if I’ve held onto a manuscript, it means I’ve seen something good in it. Rejections can be done very quickly and much more easily. So in many cases, no news really can be good news."

When I look at this and consider how many people have had to wait over a year for word on their subs, my 24 weeks seems pretty insignificant. We usually get a faster turnaround with e-Pubs, but they're relatively new. I think it's good to keep in mind that long waits have been the norm in publishing... short is not the rule.
 
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JP Walters

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So, today marks the end of week 16. I guess I'll send in a query tomorrow. I really hate bugging editors, but if nothing else I just hope to find out if it's even still being considered.
 

sumthinirote

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So, today marks the end of week 16. I guess I'll send in a query tomorrow. I really hate bugging editors, but if nothing else I just hope to find out if it's even still being considered.
Good luck on your followup. I'm at 26 weeks and waiting. Last I heard, he was still considering mine.
 

JP Walters

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Even with longer response times, I still think it's worth the effort. Samhain seems like a great publisher, so I'm willing to wait however long is needed for a fair shot.

Good luck on your submission!
 

dondomat

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In far off Bulgaria

This happened about a year and a half ago, and I only remembered now that I can mention it here.

Was in Bulgaria (Austria-sized place flanked by Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, Rumania, and the Black Sea) and went to a neighborhood supermarket called 'Fantastiko' and went through the books in the fiction section.

Picked up a fat paranormal paperback, in Bulgarian, and the original publisher was Samhain. I double-checked, surprised, but it was indeed Samhain. Totally don't remember what the book was or who by. By some woman, I think.

So there: Samhain is a serious enough outfit to have translated paperbacks in supermarkets in picturesque European lands. Report over.
 

Eriador117

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I think I got a rejection from them in about the 6-8 week mark. My fantasy m/m just wasn't right for them at the time, but I'd certainly consider them again.

Take care,
Annette
 

JP Walters

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Submitted to Don D'Auria 30 weeks ago, chased it three times, and received form rejection today.

Ouch, sorry to hear that. After that long of a wait, you'd think a personal rejection would be in order at least. Makes me wonder how long I might have had to wait had I not been accepted elsewhere. Keep trying!
 

sumthinirote

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Thanks JP, and congrats with your other offer... that's a pretty big deal! I'd love to get accepted by them! The collector's editions they put out are truly a thing of beauty.
 

Silver-Midnight

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If anyone is curious here are word count limits:


Samhain doesn’t consider any material below 12,000 words or above 130,000. So if your manuscript falls outside those limits, we’re sorry—we can’t consider it. However, although we don’t publish books above 120,000 words, we are happy to consider submissions with a word count of up to 130,000, on the understanding that the author will edit out at least 10,000 words before a contract is offered.

Link: http://www.samhainpublishing.com/submission-faqs/#1.13