Querying a publisher on a second book while they’re considering the first

Julie Worth · Nov 27, 2006

If you have a requested full out with a publisher who is known to be incredibly slow at reviewing submissions, and you have a second book that would also interest them, would it make sense to query them on it now (as I’m itching to do) and possibly shave six months off the review process if the first book is rejected?

jkorzenko · Nov 27, 2006

Julie,

This is what I've learned -- take it as you will. It is better to wait for a response regarding your first submission prior to submitting your second. The reasoning is this: if your first is rejected, the publisher could very well address issues that are also in your second submission. If you've already submitted that second ms, then you have no ability to correct those issues.

J.

victoriastrauss · Nov 27, 2006

You're also putting yourself in competition with yourself.

- Victoria

Carmy · Nov 27, 2006

Good point, Victoria.

I've been tempted to do what Julie wants to do, so I'm glad you added the caution.

Julie Worth · Nov 27, 2006

jkorzenko said:
Julie,

This is what I've learned -- take it as you will. It is better to wait for a response regarding your first submission prior to submitting your second. The reasoning is this: if your first is rejected, the publisher could very well address issues that are also in your second submission. If you've already submitted that second ms, then you have no ability to correct those issues.

Good point. In fact, before I submitted the requested full, I fixed a structural problem noticed by another publisher who had considered and passed on the same book some months before. For the second book, I'm contemplating sending in a query and three chapters, which is all this present publisher will accept, and which take 9 months to surface in their slush pile.

Julie Worth · Nov 27, 2006

victoriastrauss said:
You're also putting yourself in competition with yourself.

- Victoria

Even if the second book is very different from the first, even if the query and partial take 9 months to be considered?

HorrorWriter · Nov 28, 2006

Julie,
I would wait for the first response and continue to write something else. Polish your 2nd and work on something new while you wait for your response. Don't submit two manuscripts at once, even if they differ. Good luck!

victoriastrauss · Nov 29, 2006

Julie Worth said:
Even if the second book is very different from the first, even if the query and partial take 9 months to be considered?

Yup. It may seem awfully linear of them, but publisher do prefer to consider one manuscript at a time. If they buy Novel #1, you can then offer them Novel #2.

Also, given the timeframes involved in publishers' responses on unagented manuscripts, it would seem to make sense to spread your queries over as wide a range as possible.

- Victoria

Julie Worth · Nov 29, 2006

Huh, it’s not like everyone to agree, so I guess I’ll take that advice. It also occurs to me that I might not want them to know about the second book. What if they bought the first book and I used that to get an agent who wanted to sell the second book to another publisher for a lot more money? (A happy fantasy.)

jkorzenko · Nov 30, 2006

LOL, Julie. I like your fantasy. But you're making the right decision.

Querying a publisher on a second book while they’re considering the first

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

jkorzenko

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

Carmy

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

HorrorWriter

It's a new dawn. It's a new day.

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

jkorzenko