[Publisher] Milkweed Editions

susanfishy said:

I'm sorry to hear about the rejections. Carly -- did you withdraw or receive a letter from them?

Still waiting over here...

Click to expand...

I got the same rejection email truantorange got.

Fingers crossed for you!

Rats. All the best with it. And I will post here if and when I do hear from them either way. They are reopening for submissions on the 15th. It sounds like they are finally going through their inboxes.

Still "under consideration" at 384 days.

I'm now still under consideration after 382 days....

396. Nothing since the publishing assistant said I "should be hearing something in the next couple weeks", which was on the 6th.

Form R at 398.

Oh Bethany, I am sorry.

Thanks, Susan! It happens. It's out at Bellevue now.

Submitted Aug. 12/2013
Withdrew MS Nov. 5/2013 (accepted elsewhere, publication next month)
"Rejected" Aug. 15/2014 (form letter)

To all those waiting on a response, my best wishes!

Still waiting at 391 days....

I withdrew it last night on day 394 and am publishing it myself. I had heard from them earlier this week that they would not be able to get back to me any time soon.

Oh, so sorry Susan. That's what I did with mine, too. I figured a year of making the rounds was enough, and mine is not really the kind of thing that tends to sell much anyway (a book of flash by one author). I haven't regretted it. Sometimes it's just time to move on! You might want to start a self-publishing thread on it so we can follow your progress.

Thanks, Carly. Actually I am excited about it. It's a book about a woman who builds community around her--and I had someone approach me a few months back wanting to typeset a book (he's done literary journals and wanted to take on a full length book) and then other people have been pitching in. Part of me would have had regrets if Milkweed had taken it in the end--and part of me definitely wouldn't. It's just nice to be off the fence at long last. And so weird to neither be accepted nor rejected. I should start a thread. The book is called Ithaca and its ISBNs are 978-0-9938903-0-7 and 978-0-9938903-1-1. It will be launched October 1.

Is anyone out there still waiting to hear back from Milkweed on 2013 submissions??? I can't be the very last one...

SO glad I found this thread and I'm not the only one in this bizarre limbo!

No, Susan, you're not the only one waiting to hear on a 2013 submission. They've had one of my manuscripts since then, and it only turned into "under consideration" after several months. That was *after* they closed an entire submission period in order to to catch up.

The most unprofessional part of this is that they still claim, on their submissions page, that they'll respond within 3-6 months. Given that this clearly hasn't been true for quite a long time, and they refuse to answer any emails about status, it would be nice of them to accept that they're not anywhere close to hitting their announced targets and give everyone accurate information so we can make more informed decisions.

Three months later and still no word! I am going to start sending birthday cards to my poor submissions.

I was wrong about them saying 3-6 month on their website - that was in the email they send confirming receipt. But it is still a poor showing.

Dear God, I can't imagine those long waiting periods. I think Tor and Baen are faster than that, and several other to tier publishers.

tri

triceretops said:

Dear God, I can't imagine those long waiting periods. I think Tor and Baen are faster than that, and several other top tier publishers.

tri

Click to expand...

Heya, Triceretops --

Tor and Baen are definitely faster than that. Both have gone through periods of slush slowdown, especially Baen for a while after they moved south, but current turnaround times are within standard industry ranges.

Milkweed sounds like it's lost hope and lost interest.

HapiSofi said:

Heya, Triceretops --

Tor and Baen are definitely faster than that. Both have gone through periods of slush slowdown, especially Baen for a while after they moved south, but current turnaround times are within standard industry ranges.

Milkweed sounds like it's lost hope and lost interest.

Click to expand...

I think so too. Editors falling off their stools or playing tiddly winks with manhole lids. Could very well be a shortage of personnel or collective lack of interest. Just wondering how this publisher could be that inundated, if that's the case.

tri

triceretops said:

I think so too. Editors falling off their stools or playing tiddly winks with manhole lids. Could very well be a shortage of personnel or collective lack of interest. Just wondering how this publisher could be that inundated, if that's the case.

Click to expand...

"Inundated" could just mean "more than they feel they can handle." Work always looks bigger and more daunting when you're losing hope that it will do any good.

Yeah, the light of excitement begins to dim.

I live in St. Paul and I haven't seen or heard any news that would indicate Milkweed's having any sort of trouble. While that doesn't mean there isn't anything going on in the background we don't know about, the arts scene up here is HYOOGE and any news would travel so fast and so far, it would break any standing land speed records.

The website has been updated to read 2015, and they are still currently closed to submissions.

Finally got my rejection! 17 months or so. Won't be doing that again!