Acquisitions editor "reviewing" novel, never gets back to me

Luzoni · Oct 25, 2012

Little Ming and Trixie, Do you think I should just delete the thread? I certainly don't want to offend the editor. She could reject me today or in six months and I'm still going to think of her with fondness because she gave me the time of day at all. For me the request for a manuscript was a big win. I expect rejection, I just want to know when to move on. :Shrug:

This novel isn't the same as the one I mentioned on the SF thread. That other one I haven't pitched at all, it's a virgin. I'll definitely submit to Query Hell...but (here comes the dumb newbie question) where is it? Dipping in and out of a few topics, I can't find it.

Unimportant · Oct 25, 2012

I don't think you can delete a thread; you'll need to ping one of the mods.

If you go to the AW main index page and scroll down down down down to "AW WRITING LAB", the first subforum is "Share Your Work". If you're logged in you'll see the password to get into that workshop. From there, you'll see it's separated into various genres (queries, fantasy, young adult, script/screenwriting, etc).

You can't post your own stuff in SYW until you've accrued 50 posts, but you can start critiquing right away -- and, as everyone will tell you, the best way to learn to write a query letter is to critique a few zillion of them.

thothguard51 · Oct 25, 2012

Luzoni,

Threads are not deleted. You can however edit your post and replace Ms W with Ms. XXX. If you decide to go this route, let me know and I will edit my post as well...

Luzoni · Oct 25, 2012

thothguard51 said:
Luzoni,

Threads are not deleted. You can however edit your post and replace Ms W with Ms. XXX. If you decide to go this route, let me know and I will edit my post as well...

Thank you! Please do. I edited my OP earlier and removed the name, but left the publisher. I wish I could just delete it. Darn. I'll have to look for other spots to edit too. Frustration got the better of me.

Little Ming · Oct 25, 2012

If it's any comfort to you, we've had people "frustrated" to the point of being banned.

But I was just giving a friendly reminder that while we do have fun on the boards, and there are appropriate places for us to express our "frustrations," there are also other professionals here reading too.

Give this thread a few months and it'll probably fall out of memory.

Luzoni · Oct 25, 2012

Little Ming said:
If it's any comfort to you, we've had people "frustrated" to the point of being banned.

Thank you

The frustration to the point of being banned made me feel way better. LOL I don't think I was anywhere near that... I totally appreciate the reminder (which, for me, was actually not a reminder, but brand new info).

I said it once and I'll say it again, this editor made my month when she asked for the MS. And when she rejects it, or continues to say nothing at all, it's not going to change that brief, bright bliss I experienced. Sounds corny, but it's true. :snoopy:

And I have more upcoming novels to pitch to them, so there's always next time.

Unimportant · Oct 25, 2012

Luzoni said:
made me feel way better. LOL I don't think I was anywhere near that... I totally appreciate the reminder (which, for me, was actually not a reminder, but brand new info).

There's a whole heap of stickies full of that kind of info, which most newbies find very helpful to read. You'll find them at the top of each subforum (generally labelled something like "read this BEFORE you post").

Phaeal · Oct 31, 2012

As for the SFWA question. It's a professional organization, which like other professional organizations, has dues and expects members to have demonstrated the ability to function (here, sell) at a professional level. Its requirement for Associate membership is only one pro level short story sale. For Active (full) membership, three pro level short story sales or one pro-published novel.

I don't think that SFWA membership is any kind of universal prerequisite for consideration by agents and publishers; what any particular agent or publisher thinks about it must vary widely.

I couldn't wait to get in, because I PERSONALLY saw it as a step forward toward a pro career. Thanks and love to The Pedestal for giving me the short story sale I needed for an Associate membership!

Just got word of my change to Active membership yesterday.

Again, a PERSONAL milestone. Not expecting the agents and editors to come running.

As for wait times, I've had shorts out for more than a year before hearing back -- not counting here those shorts that have been out for ten plus years now. I don't know. I'm kinda counting those as NOs.

Oh, and I have friends who subbed to the big SFF houses that take unagented subs, and they all waited at least a year before hearing back.

No escaping it, an agent can really speed things up, and even then you have to wait out the first editor convincing her boss, who then has to convince his boss, who then has to face acquisition meetings, with all sorts of profit/loss paperwork in between and all around. It's a dauntingly complicated process. Unless you're a reality show star or other celebrity -- there's the genuine in-card.

Acquisitions editor "reviewing" novel, never gets back to me

Luzoni

Toddler wrangler

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Luzoni

Toddler wrangler

Little Ming

Luzoni

Toddler wrangler

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.