How long to wait before counting it as a rejection?

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zanizh

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Okay, I have a lot of my work out there simultaneously. I generally wait six months with no word before I count it as a rejection. But now I've happened upon a publisher that will not take simultaneous submissions. I really want to submit to this publisher but now I have to wait out the "no news" thing to make sure no one requests a partial before I send it out. Would three months of no news be considered a rejection? I don't want to wait a full six months before sending it out again.

Thanks for the help.

P.S. BTW, I did search for this existing in the forums but all I found was the purgatory thread. :)
 

Maryn

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Does the publisher's website indicate a typical response time? How about websites where writers share their experiences? That standard wait time seems to be about twice the stated response time, but that gets tricky when you have no idea what that is.

To me, three months seems short. A wait of eight weeks on a query for a novel is not unusual, so four months would be twice that. I'm assuming that since you're sending the work itself, maybe it's a short story or a non-fiction article?

If you would share the publisher's name with us, maybe somebody here has direct experience with turn-around time. The last exclusive submission I made, a short story to Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, it took them five months and three days to reject. (Stated response time was 90 days.)

Maryn, not much help but trying
 

zanizh

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Oh, no. It's queries and/or sample chapters. I currently have the novel in question submitted in one form or another to five publishers, one of which was sent out today. The earliest one that I haven't received a word from was sent out to AV Publishing on 2/2/09. Their site states that if no word is received in 3 months then submit a new query (meaning for a new work; they were adamant about not getting multiple queries from one author). It has been over three months now. Then there's Ace Science Fiction - 3/17/09, responds in two to three months, Aspen Mountain Press - 3/17/09, supposedly responds to queries in one month, Antheneum - 5/7/09, responds 1 to 2 months and Avon - 5/18/09 (today), they don't specify when they respond to queries. Can you tell I'm working through the "A's" in the Market book? LOL.

I'm usually a patient person. I've been doing this too long not to be. But I've become addicted to having at least three to seven queries/chapters/whatever out at a time for each novel. Half of the agents or publishers I query don't bother with a response (even if I include a SASE) so I usually wait six months before writing them off as a rejection. This is the first time in awhile that I've come across a publisher that specifically states, "No simultaneous queries" that I really want to submit to.

Not sure I can write off any of them as a rejection yet since response times usually lag further then what most of them state. What would you do?
 

Clair Dickson

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I'm gonna say it depends on the publication and their guidelines. Depends on if you want to risk burning a bridge. I'd leave a no sim. sub place until very last myself. I'd rather exhaust all options before tying up with one.
 
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dgiharris

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Personally,

I wouldn't count a query or sample chapters in the 'simultaneous submission' category. Only requests for full manuscripts.

Probability is so low that I believe it is worth the risk. I mean, publishers reject 98% - 99% of the works. So the odds of you getting two simultaneous acceptances for a book are 1 in 10,000.

Granted, I write short stories and have so many in the pipeline that I don't mind waiting becuase I'm working on something else. But as for when I finish my book. I plan to research and submit samples to agents/publishers that accept simultaneous submisisons, but also to a couple that do not (if need be).

That is a risk but it is one i'm willing to take. I'm not going to wait 5 years becuase each publisher doesn't accept simultaneous submissions. But that is my choice and many writers will frown on that. Granted, I will try to be as 'smart' about it as possible. Sending things out in batches of 3 - 4 and staggered. And of course if I did get an acceptance I would immediately inform the others to pull my work out of the submisison pile. Also, working on something else will help keep me from flooding the market with my submissions.

Again, this advice is counter to most. If you take the risk be smart about it, do your research and don't break the rule unless you absolutely have to. THere should be enough agents/publishers that do accept simultaneous submissions that you shouldn't have to.

Mel...
 

Wayne K

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Until I see the words "good luck in finding representation elsewhere." I don't give up hope.
 

CACTUSWENDY

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As soon as I send them out...I figure they are rejected.....lol
 

waylander

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Publishers can take literally years to reply to unsolicited sample chapters. You sim sub or die waiting
 

KTC

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I count it as a rejection the instant it drops from my fingers into the mail slot. I have never been wrong.

caw


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zanizh

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LOL... thanks, guys. I think I'll wait a week or two before I send that next submission. I can see where Wendy and blacbird would look at it that way, as I have often thought that way myself. I mean, ideally, if they like it, they will waste no time in letting me know.

I'm thinking of throwing some kind of party for my 100th rejection. I'm at 65 currently. Would you guys come? BYOA.
 

scope

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I ignore publishers who do not accept simultaneous submissions. I can't imagine being out with only 1 submission and having to wait on them before I can in good faith do anything else. For me, the publishing world is full of enough aggravation without that.
 

zanizh

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I ignore publishers who do not accept simultaneous submissions. I can't imagine being out with only 1 submission and having to wait on them before I can in good faith do anything else. For me, the publishing world is full of enough aggravation without that.

I agree with you on that... to a point. But this is a prominent publisher so if I didn't try, I'd be stupid. I wouldn't have taken much notice if it wasn't one of the great ones. (Daw - Penguin)
 

Phaeal

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I'm wondering why you're submitting to the publishers rather than to agents. Or are you subbing to both groups? As I understand it, if you've subbed to a publisher and then get an agent, the agent can't resub there.

My own plan is to submit to every agent in the universe before I torture the publishers direct. I only have so many thumbscrews, don't you know.
 
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zanizh

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I'm wondering why you're submitting to the publishers rather than to agents. Or are you subbing to both groups? As I understand it, if you've subbed to a publisher and then get an agent, the agent can't resub there.

My own plan is to submit to every agent in the universe before I torture the publishers direct. I only have so many thumbscrews, don't you know.

I tried to pawn off my novel to a great number of agents. Had a couple of partials requested but nothing ever came from it. Most of them I never got a response from so now I'm working to annoy the publisher directly. I'm gonna start back at the top of the agent's list to try to pawn off my next novel. Maybe by then someone will remember my name and say, "What the hell, let's see it."

I don't care how I get my foot in the door (within ethical reason, of coarse) so it doesn't bother me to leave the agents behind and go for the publishers at this stage.

Whoo-ya.

ETA: Love your siggi, btw.
 
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