Angry Robot 2017 Open Door

PeteMC

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It's that time again - Angry Robot have just announced on Twitter that they're holding an open submissions period again this year, from 1st November through 31st December.

Details and submission guidelines should come out on Monday, but I wanted to give you guys a heads up. I have three books out with Angry Robot (see my sig) and I signed with them through the 2014 Open Door well before I had my agent, so it really does work!

Anyone here thinking of submitting?

UPDATE - Links to Announcement and Guidelines:

https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/2017/09/open-door-2017-send-us-your-novel/

https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/open-door-2017-guides-faq/
 
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Laer Carroll

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Their guidelines for open submissions are probably going to be very similar to their regular submissions, though we need to double-check their coming announcement to be sure.

https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/submissions/

They're fun and I love their books, but I don't write their kind of stuff. So, no.

Not sure what your kind if stuff is, but I've bought several of their books over the years and read the blurbs for several more, both SF and fantasy. My impression is that their stuff is fairly eclectic in both content and style. So I'd suggest few people select themselves out of submitting their work if you really believe in it. Especially if you've got feedback from readers you trust who complimented your work. And if your work is not picked up, well, we all know this is a tough business and that we have to keep working at it.
 
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Filigree

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Don't get me wrong, I love Angry Robot. But I'm writing more in the erotic romance area of SFF right now, so a lot of my work won't fit their readership. AR can also take months to reply yes or no, and I have a solid offer for the current mms that should see it published next summer.

As for 'just keep working at it', I've been doing that for three decades.
 

sideshowdarb

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I may consider submitting, thanks for the heads up, PeteMC. What would you say your experience has been with them?
 

PeteMC

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I may consider submitting, thanks for the heads up, PeteMC. What would you say your experience has been with them?

They've been really good to me - they're great to work with, and very passionate about the genre. Money is paid on time, editing and covers are top-notch, and they have extremely good bookstore distribution across Europe, North America and Australia.
 

Laer Carroll

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Peter, clicked on your website link in your sig. It's terrific, an example for every author. Simple, easy to get around in, and to my sensibility elegantly beautiful.
 

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Not sure they want my stuff either (I think it's a bit literary/experimental for them), but I might as well give it another go.

Thanks, Pete!
 

PeteMC

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Peter, clicked on your website link in your sig. It's terrific, an example for every author. Simple, easy to get around in, and to my sensibility elegantly beautiful.

Hey, thanks Laer! Weirdly enough I designed it after reading a post of yours on SFFWorld on building websites a few years back, so I'm glad it passes muster :)
 

Harlequin

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Thanks for this.

I need to hear back from Edge first as they currently have a full (no simultaneous submissions) but I'm sure I'll have my rejection in hand by December 31st, and can try for an R from Angry Robot.

Just being paranoid--they're not going to close early if too many subs, are they? >.> I'd prefer to squeak in as late as possible... get in as much revision as I can, and all that.
 
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Taylor Harbin

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I can't even get on their website for some reason. My computer keeps trying to download something no matter which link I click...

As for submitting...maybe, but leaning towards no. The only book-length manuscript I have on hand right now is barely 40,000 words and I've yet to hear back from readers.
 

Cobalt Jade

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PeteMC, in hindsight, would you rather have submitted to them through an agent? I would submit, but I'm afraid of getting stuck with a bum deal.
 

PeteMC

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Thanks for this.

Just being paranoid--they're not going to close early if too many subs, are they?

No, I very much doubt it. They never have done before.

Likewise - I think their website's broken.

Their website has been taken offline for an upgrade, according to their Twitter this morning.

PeteMC, in hindsight, would you rather have submitted to them through an agent? I would submit, but I'm afraid of getting stuck with a bum deal.

To be blunt, yes.

At the time I didn't have an agent, but I do now. The whole point of this exercise is to open submissions up to unagented authors, though. I didn't get a bum deal by any means, but if you can get yourself an agent then do so.
 

sideshowdarb

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Thanks for the additional info, Pete. I'm curious - what was the transition for you in finding an agent? Did you seek one out with the deal or did it happen with another book? Did the AR contract help you finding the agent?
 

PeteMC

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No, it was another book which I queried around (which is now sold and coming out next October from Ace/Roc) - my three with Angry Robot were all unagented.

Did the AR contract help with that? Hard to say - having a publishing history and an established (if small) fanbase certainly didn't hurt, but ultimately it was the new project that my agent took on rather than my history.
 

EMaree

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PeteMC, in hindsight, would you rather have submitted to them through an agent? I would submit, but I'm afraid of getting stuck with a bum deal.

From the new FAQ, a wee bit of reassurance:

The reward will be the offer of a book contract, to publish your novel (as physical book, ebook and optionally an audiobook) in the US and UK. This will pay you a professional advance and royalties, and it will be a standard AR contract. If we do offer to publish your novel, you are more than welcome to then sign with an agent to oversee arranging the final deal, or sign with us directly if you prefer. This is not work-for-hire and you will retain all rights to your work.
 

Filigree

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Interesting and good to hear. The one agent who still has a full of Current Project, also has ties to AR. The full isn't erotic romance SFF, so it might (if I squint hard enough) be eligible. We'll see what happens over the next month.

Upon reading the guidelines, no, my work won't qualify. The romances, sweet to erotic, are as integral to the stories as the space opera or fantasy settings.
 
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