And the wait goes on...

Hey all. I'm new here so sorry if this has been discussed before.

I have self-published a few novels because of the wait time from submitting to requesting a full manuscript to acceptance to publishing (we're talking years here). That said, I'd love to be picked up by a publisher to help with advertising and getting me into stores. The problem remains that wait.

It'll be 3 months on June 5th since I met 3 publishers at a conference and submitted my story. 1 has declined, but I'm still waiting on the other 2.

My question is what is the etiquette for waiting until I reach out to them? I know some publishers list their response times but these 2 do not. In fact, 1 publisher has since closed to unsolicited queries due to the volume of slush pile to go through.

I have since started reaching out to agents, but I'm curious about these 2 publishers. Is 3 months too soon to inquire about the status of my manuscript?

 

Way back when, I submitted to a couple of publishers and one took about three months
and the other took nine. Both said no, but I had a few things to sort out anyways.

So I e-pubbed it after I got it fixed up. But IDK if you can find out how long it takes
on average from the places you sent it, they usually have a time frame posted somewere
about the submission guidelines page. So if the places you have sent it off to have
websites with a sub page you might find out how long it will take before they say yay or nay.

On the agent end, I haven't a clue.

 

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If your name is not Rowling or Patterson you have to do all your own marketing.
Being in stores is a risk for a publisher so they want to know you have a following and will promote the book yourself.
If your other books did not sell then your chances are slimmer that the publisher will take a chance on the new one.

Did you just send an mss or did you send a proposal package in the format that their web site says they want.

I would feel free to inquire after three months.

I would always include an SASP with a place for them to enter how long they want to have to review the mss before you contact them, which also acts as a receipt that they got it.

Many publishers just trash unsolicited mss. Others may put them in the slush pile for an intern to read someday. Most wont look at them unless they came via an agent, as they have pushed the time and cost of vetting mss back to the agents who will probably want you to pay for the editing before they even look at it these days.

I suspect they accepted all or most of the mss at a conference just so they didnt have to say no to anyone immediately.

Have you read all of WM to learn the culture of the business and to verify that a publisher or agent is right for your type of book.

 

Are these fairly small publishers? Those tend to move faster than the big guys do.

In either case, I wouldn't say three months is an excessive wait, but I also wouldn't think it would hurt to nudge at three months.

Best thing in my experience, though, is to get totally immersed in your next project and forget about the old one entirely. The waiting will make you crazy if you're actually waiting, but if you're moving on with other stuff, it's not that big of a deal.

 

Three months isn't terribly long with respect to waiting. Consider that a quick turn around/rejection means they are not interested. If there is an interest, the manuscript is often bumped up the line for more careful consideration, and this takes time.

Reading slush is a time consuming and never-ending process. It was one of my responsibilities as an editor for a small magazine/ezine a few years back. If you've researched this publishers and believe it would benefit your career and increase visibility/readership, waiting is part of the process.

The best thing to do is to work on your next novel while you're waiting.

 

The usual advice is to nudge at three months for a partial, six months for a full.

Have you submitted a novel you've already self-published? Most reputable publishers won't buy manuscripts that've already been published unless they sold really well. Some very small presses will and, very occasionally, bigger ones. But you're better off writing something new.

You should also query agents before submitting to publishers. If an agent is interested but then you tell her you've already submitted to three publishers that would've been on her list, she's probably going to be a lot less interested.

It sounds like you're in a real hurry to get your books out there - why? You say you want help with sales, so it sounds like people aren't gagging for your books to be released. Isn't it better to wait two years and release a fantastic book which has been professionally edited and marketed than to release something in a hurry and lose it in the slush pile of Amazon?

I mean, I feel you, because my book was submitted in February and I'm also waiting (and waiting and waiting) for replies. But I have to keep asking myself what's the hurry, and I don't have a good answer.

P.S. Please ignore joe sixpak's post. Most of it is completely incorrect.

 

I guess I'll try to follow up on a few things.

@Cave Troll I did check their websites but neither list response times. It's not listed for these particular publishers.
@joe sixpak I don't know...I think my book being blasted out to thousands of followers for a publisher is better than my few hundred. Sounds like marketing to me.
@BayView Yes they are small. One is quickly becoming very popular and the other is fairly new.
@TWErvin2 Of course I'm working on my next project, but as a self-published author, I have readers waiting for more of my stuff. I'm walking the fine line between trying to get this book (with"series potential") published and wanting to get it out to my readers
@Tenderiser No, this book isn't self published. It's brand new. I self-published my first trilogy to 1) build an audience and 2) cut down on time from completion to published. Also, as far as rushing...self-published authors HAVE to rush out material. They don't have the luxury of releasing 1 or 2 books a year or they do risk getting lost in the slush on Amazon. Independent authors put out 4-5 books a year (some up to 10). That's how they make a living. That doesn't mean they can release trash. It has to be polished. The successful ones realize that.

Anyways, I'm just trying to figure out if I should reach out to the publishers after 3 months. I'm trying to decide if I should wait if there's genuine interest or release it independently.

 

Yeah I know, but that's a circular argument - you have to rush because you decided to self-publish, which you did because you were in a rush. The main reason for all your decisions seems to be time, so isn't it worth considering whether time is as important as you think it is?

I would wait, but then I'm not in a rush. If you're not prepared to wait then definitely nudge, and if you don't have a response in another month or two then write and withdraw your MS from consideration.

 

I've just turned around (within a week) my latest batch of slush reading - short stories for an SF/horror magazine.

All the stories had been received by the magazine in February...three months ago.

 

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If your reason to traditional publisher is to get their marketing help then you are confused about how the business works.
You will do all your own marketing. They won't sign you unless you have a following and can show how you will market your book for them.

 

This has not been my experience with my publisher at all. They have done loads of marketing on my behalf through ARC's giveaways, social media promotion and trade show booths. They also paid the entrance fee and submitted my book for an awards competition that I didn't even know existed, which I wound up winning/placing in that generated a big spike in sales for Q4 2016. All I've done is set up a Twitter account and a bare bones Wordpress blog. I've yet to meet an author whose published with them who hasn't reported the same treatment.

Also, the only "following" I had before they offered me a contract were a handful of folks from when I published for free on LiveJournal. I've sold a hell of a lot more books than can be attributed to those people.

I'd be lucky to sell 4 or 5 books as a self-publisher, as I don't have the time or energy to invest in marketing. It's one of the many, many things my publisher takes off my hands and pay for in return for their share of the profits.

 

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That was then. This is now. Publishers are looking for authors with a following who will do their own marketing.

 

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If they sign you they will do some marketing of course. But you are responsible for selling your own book.
Now if you were vanity published they will gladly spend your money to do promotion.

Who is your publisher and what was your book. And how old was that deal.

 

My publisher is Less Than Three Press. I signed the contract for my first book in 2015 for a 2016 release, and my second in 2016 for a 2017 release. They are not a vanity press by any stretch of the imagination, as none of their authors pay them a dime - they get a set split of book sales (generally 60%), period, like other traditional publishing deals.

ETA: The name of my first book is Under the Knife. The second yet to be released is From Blood to Roses.

 

My publishers continue to do promo on my behalf. Ads, blog tours, giveaways, setting up interviews, ARC distribution, etc. With the Big Five, I also got the boost of having my books included in their glossy promotional brochure on the same page as a novel by Nora Roberts. They have salespeople who promote all their new releases to bookstores. etc.

 

My God, it's almost as if publishers are marketing books because when they sell more books they make more money. Who'dve thunk it?

 

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A smaller press may do that. The big traditional publishers do very little these days.

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Big publishers market the megahits like Harry Potter or James Patterson. They expect to make little and even lose on new authors so they spend less money trying to sell those books.

They want to make money. But most books break even at best. They rely on the best sellers to carry the rest.

 

I've never sent a snail-mail submission in my life.

 

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They appear to be small but not a vanity press scam.
Being small they may take longer and do some things differently.

Their staff seems to be 3 people who also publish their own books through LT3P.
I would guess they are just overworked which is why the delay.

Their web site says
If you recently submitted a manuscript and have not heard back, we are processing all submissions in the order we received them, and will reply within 4-8 weeks of your receipt of submission. (If you did not receive the auto-confirmation receipt, please get in touch and we can confirm whether we received your submission.)

If you are an author who has previously had a manuscript accepted by LT3, contact Editor in Chief Samantha Derr at derrs@lessthanthreepress.com or Acquisitions Editor Amanda Jean at ajean@lessthanthreepress.com with any new submissions.

 

What delay are you talking about?

And why do you think small publishers are slower? In my experience it's the reverse.

Seriously, what are you ever talking about?

 

Dude, I am not the OP of this thread. I never experience any delay communicating with Less Than Three Press. They accepted my first book within three freaking days of submission. WTF are you talking about??? Why are you telling me things about my own publisher which I'm highly familiar with?

 

But a "small press" like LT3 is still a publisher, and a traditional publisher at that. I sign a book contract; they pay me royalties and take a cut of my book sales in lieu for services such as marketing, cover art, professional editing, etc. If you only meant the Big 5 than say that, though it sounds like @BayView is happy with her experience when she published through them.