How long does it take?

It can take weeks, it can take years. A very large time span is involved. Impossible to narrow it down.

cute little girl by the way. in your avatar

Think geologically.

caw

13 months for agent interest.

16 months more for editor interest.

JenUK24 said:

I sent my MS to 23 publishers, Ive had 8 replies... and all declines. Not that I'm letting these declines bother me. I just wait for the next reply.
I also have sent to about 20 agents, had about 3 replies so far and again no joy.

J x

Click to expand...

Curious: are you submitting the same manuscript to both agents and publishers?


Personal experience:

First manuscript, I queried 37 agents and got two partial requests--both rejected. Also had 14 no-responses.

Second manuscript, I queried 37 (um, whoa) agents. Response was 6 partials (5 rejections and one still unreplied after a year!) and 5 fulls (all rejections, although one expressed interest in a rewrite). 10 no-replies.

Third manuscript, I sent 9 queries in February. 3 rejections, 2 no response, 2 partials, and 2 fulls. One full was a rejection that she so kindly passed along to a fellow agent, who ended up loving it and offering me representation after reading it over the weekend.

From first queried book to agent, it took a little over two years.

Personally, it took a long time. Initially I queried several dozen agents, worked with an agent for about a year, parted company with him then submitted directly to publishers for another year or so before selling the manuscript. Determination and patience are two very useful qualities for a writer!
Linnea

About 3-4 years. (Not counting the books I submitted which were never picked up, and eventually ended up in the trunk.)

Everybody's story will be different.

It takes as long as it takes. Perhaps a little longer.

I have some stories I started submitting 9 years ago. They've been out there so long I've resubbed some to the same mag as editors changed.

Persistence. Yeah baby.

Sometimes it just doesn't happen at all.

My experience:
First short story rejection letter: 1975
First novel rejection letter: 1983
First agent rejection letter: 1980

First short story acceptance: still pending
First novel acceptance: epub-1999, NYC--still pending
First agent acceptance: still pending

There's never a guarantee.

My journey was very short and not the norm.

Submitted to 14 agents, only one requested more. Fortunately that one wound up signing me and I got a book deal a month after that.

From submission to book deal, 5 months.

But I honestly don't see how this helps. I guess I mean if you are just curious, that's totally cool, but everyone has a different story, has a different path, and there is no way to emulate the road someone else has taken. It might have taken me a short time to publication, but JK Rowling's agent (who she hooked almost immediately) submitted her book for over a year before they got any interest. And she's done pretty well since!

I thought it was probably that, and I admit I get really curious myself!

As to the question about subbing to publishers and agents, here's why I believe the question was made. Let's say you sub to many publishers and get rejected. Then you hook an agent! Yay! Problem is, you've already been rejected by many publishers. This makes it more difficult for your agent, because they can't very well submit to publishers that have already rejected you. Granted you could say, "Well if they rejected me then why would they have accepted me with an agent?" I would reply that often an agent has ties with certain editors, also knows how to sell books, and could quite possibly be able to sell your book where you could not. In fact, that is sort of the reason for getting an agent.

I would recommend, but let's also see what others recommend - I'm just one voice, stopping subbing to publishers for a while and focus on agents. If all you get are rejections from agents, then maybe it is worth your while to go directly to the publisher.

I sent my first novel in to a publisher before I was twenty. (Needless to say, it was roundly rejected on all sides.)

I had my first short story accepted in 2001.
Wrote a themed collection of short stories meant to be a book from the outset; sent that directly to small literary pressed (not to agents), took two years to find a publisher. (Published last year).
Have now been looking for an agent for a crime novel for 1 year - approx. 25 submissions, 3 full MS. requests, 3 rejections on similar grounds (strong beginning, weak ending) - with interest in other material expressed.
I'm wondering at the moment whether it's worth re-rewriting this novel or better to give up on it & concentrate on something else.

JenUK24 said:

And to your point ChaosTitan, Yes I am submitting the same MS or query to agents and publishers?

Click to expand...

Toothpaste said:

As to the question about subbing to publishers and agents, here's why I believe the question was made. Let's say you sub to many publishers and get rejected. Then you hook an agent! Yay! Problem is, you've already been rejected by many publishers. This makes it more difficult for your agent, because they can't very well submit to publishers that have already rejected you.

Click to expand...

Thank you, Toothpaste. This was my reason for asking the question.

Agents exist to sell your manuscript to publishers. If you've already exhausted the publishing pool before you land an agent, you've shot yourself in the foot.

On the other hand, say you're lucky enough to get publisher interest. You can use that leverage to get an agent, who can then help you negotiate your publishing contract. It's happened, just not often.

blacbird said:

Think geologically.

caw

Click to expand...

haha... so true