I've been trying to publish a political satire book, and now it's probably too late...

pattmayne

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I finished a comedy novel last year and I've been sending it to publishers. They demanded "no simultaneous submissions," and like a fool I obeyed them. Months later I got my form rejection letters.

The book is absurd comedy but it's "A Political Epic" and I wanted it to come out before or during the 2020 election campaign. At this point, that seems very unlikely.

I considered self-publishing, but I don't have the money to do it properly. I'm using a pen-name for my comedic novels and I don't want to spoil the pen-name with low-selling self-published books.


I love this novel and I'm very happy with how it turned out. What can I possibly do with it now? Should I just keep sending it out regardless of the timing?



Matt
 

cornflake

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I finished a comedy novel last year and I've been sending it to publishers. They demanded "no simultaneous submissions," and like a fool I obeyed them. Months later I got my form rejection letters.

The book is absurd comedy but it's "A Political Epic" and I wanted it to come out before or during the 2020 election campaign. At this point, that seems very unlikely.

I considered self-publishing, but I don't have the money to do it properly. I'm using a pen-name for my comedic novels and I don't want to spoil the pen-name with low-selling self-published books.


I love this novel and I'm very happy with how it turned out. What can I possibly do with it now? Should I just keep sending it out regardless of the timing?



Matt

Is there a reason you were sending it to publishers not agents?

There's very little chance of getting something trade published in the fiction world under a year. That's fairly unheard of, especially as you don't even have a deal for it yet.

Does it matter if it'd be published after? If you've sent it to publishers it may not be worth it to look for an agent at this point, so I'm not sure how small a corner you've boxed yourself into.
 

pattmayne

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Is there a reason you were sending it to publishers not agents?

Because agents would add another few months (at least) to the process, and small publishers seem like slightly lower-hanging fruit to help me build my portfolio/resume for when I go seeking an agent.

Does it matter if it'd be published after?

I don't mind, but I thought I would catch publishers' attention specifically with this political-themed book, and I assume now that they'll be less interested in "a political epic" after the elections.

If you've sent it to publishers it may not be worth it to look for an agent at this point, so I'm not sure how small a corner you've boxed yourself into.

I'm not looking for an agent for it. I just want to reach an audience. I'll be looking for an agent for the book I'm currently writing.
 

RookieWriter

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I finished a comedy novel last year and I've been sending it to publishers. They demanded "no simultaneous submissions," and like a fool I obeyed them. Months later I got my form rejection letters.

The book is absurd comedy but it's "A Political Epic" and I wanted it to come out before or during the 2020 election campaign. At this point, that seems very unlikely.

I considered self-publishing, but I don't have the money to do it properly. I'm using a pen-name for my comedic novels and I don't want to spoil the pen-name with low-selling self-published books.


I love this novel and I'm very happy with how it turned out. What can I possibly do with it now? Should I just keep sending it out regardless of the timing?



Matt


Keep sending it out of you want. I would. The timing doesn't have to be perfect for the book to be great and to touch a lot of people. I mean, if you stop sending it out now then what's the plan for it?
 

frimble3

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Late for this election means you'll be in plenty of time for the next election. Keep on going.