Experiences after submission to publishers??

[Dontrocktheboat]

Hi, just canvassing experiences really - after the euphoria of having an agent and months of revision my agent has now submitted to various editors at publishing houses, many of whom she has spoken to in advance. The trouble is, I now have no idea what to expect - it seems from googling it could take weeks/ months/ years for anyone to make an offer on it, maybe never! It's a bit disheartening to realise having an agent is not necessarily end of the process...

If anyone who has been at this stage is happy to share experiences, it would be much appreciated!

Kaybush I've never heard that rumour before! I don't believe it for a second. If you're really concerned though, every time you work on your book, email the latest draft to yourself at the end of the day. That way you'll have a dated record of when you've worked on it in your Sent box, thus proving when you came up with the idea.

I think rumours about publishers stealing ideas from rejected authors are perennial and very unlikely to be true.
People don't realise how common it is for ideas to be in the air and multiple people to come up with them at once. I remember someone (might have been on here) who believed it had happened to them but the lead-in times made it impossible - it was something along the lines of a novel like theirs appearing a few months after their manuscript was rejected.

I think I read about the synopsis stealing on a US author's blog (not very well known), although I recall the writer saying she had heard of this happening a lot, rather than experiencing it herself.

So maybe it is just rumours as you say!

Nearly all publishers websites ask you to write the whole book, but to submit just a chapter plus plot synopsis to them for review.

I read recently that what they then do is take your idea and give it to one of the established writers on their books to write as their own, giving them a bigger guarantee of success.

That's nonsense. It just wouldn't happen. And even if it did, the established writers would then only have an idea. And ideas are the easy part. It's writing it all in a strong way that's the hard work.

And even if a writer was willing to steal someone else's work like that, so what? Assuming it's fiction we're talking about, their book would be substantially different to yours as it would have been written by someone else.

Also, an editor who tried this out would get sacked. People would find out. It's unethical.

(I worked in publishing for quite a while. I promise this isn't going to happen so long as you submit to good agents, and good publishers.)

Happy to dm!

ontherise I always say that ideas are two a penny.

It's giving them legs that's the hard part.

That's a good point about ideas being in the air Countess - a bit like all these people who come up with a unique baby name only to find everyone else has same idea at same time!

Still waiting....

You get it a lot in films eg. There were three films about Churchill last year. I remember when it was all Robin Hood. Or cartoon insects.

Also who hasn't told a mate about their story, and their mate says excitedly, "Oh, it sounds just like that book I read...."?

It is, as PP have said, in your unique execution of the idea.

This is such a reassuring thread to find!

I was signed by an agent in June, revised the MS a little, it was submitted to around a dozen editors at the beginning of September when people were back from holidays and book festivals and so on.

And since then, crickets.

Being the most impatient person in the world, this is hugely frustrating. Also, I have a massive case of imposter syndrome and am convinced that my novel isn't actually any good and that my agent only took me on because he felt sorry for me. I know that's not the case but...

I bumped into a writer friend in the supermarket the other day and she actually laughed when I said that I'd expected a faster response. She said that it was likely to be after Christmas and then some because editors have to take prospective purchases to acquisitions meetings and get everyone else on board. Plus they have to juggle schedules to see if it will fit.

Having been in the booktrade for a decade I knew this deep down, but it was reassuring to have someone who's pretty successful tell me to chill out.

So I am trying (and occasionally succeeding) to put the first book out of my mind and, as my agent suggests, write the next book.

It's so good to hear that other first-timers are in the same position and that I'm not the only person obsessively checking my emails and fretting. Hope we all hear back soon xxx

Hi Burning, great to hear from others in same position! Have you had any responses yet? What genre is your book?

I think my agent is actively pursuing people, so that's good! Just had another rejection though - frustratingly they liked it but too similar to something else on their list!

I don't think I can cope with waiting until after Christmas, I am already irritating everyone by stressing about it!

Dontrocktheboat No responses yet, good or bad. Obviously, no news is, if not good news, at least not necessarily bad news, but I'd like some feedback of some sort. My agent is following up, gently, so we'll have to wait and see if that works.

My book (and its sequel which I'm supposed to be working on right now...) is crime fiction, set in Edinburgh in 1920. Yours?

I know that i'm driving everyone mad by fretting about this - my husband and son can't bear the thought of this dragging on for much longer! And my poor agent...

Hi Burning, mine is literary fiction I guess (for want of any particular genre!) Yours sounds intriguing and also with good, atmospheric setting.

Yes I am driving people mad too. Trying to believe also that no news may not necessarily be bad, and I guess editors need to consult various people before making a decision.

Fingers crossed we both head some positive news soon!

I am thrilled I've found this thread - I am in the same boat, except this is my second round of submissions - eep! My agent submitted beginning of September and not heard a peep since! I keep hearing that 'no news' is bad news or good news depending on whose blog / article I'm reading - the contradiction is playing with my head!! Do any other published authors have more insight with timings / put weight behind the 'good news' or 'bad news' perspective?!! I keep reading that if editors are interested they get back within a couple of weeks ( they did respond in that way on the first round but think agent heavily nudged then and is perhaps taking a different approach now) Any advice welcomed!

Hi Lovetowrite, welcome to the thread - great to hear from more in same boat! When was your first round of submissions? Did you get much back from them? What genre are you writing in?

Hi Dontrocktheboat, my first round of submissions was back in April - I am writing accessible literary / bookclub.

Had v quick responses after agent nudged - within 2 weeks. The rejections/ feedback were v. positive, and interestingly all said similar things, so have revised accordingly. Several said they wanted to see revised version so has gone back out to those.

However, haven't heard a peep (been over three weeks now) Agent is perhaps taking a different approach - not nudging etc, but can't help reading into it as I don't want to ask too many questions as agent said they would be in touch once they had news. How communicative is your agent - do they ring / email often?

People don't realise how common it is for ideas to be in the air

I remember when we were children my dm wrote a story for us over several weeks about a mad scientist who accidently shrank his kids.
About 2 years later "Honey I shrunk the kids" came out and was remarkably similar pretty much all the way through, to the point when dsis watched it she kept saying she'd seen this part before, or that part.
I guess if she'd written it to submit then we might have thought they pinched it. As it was she laughed and said that if she ever tried to publish it she'd probably be accused of plagiarism!

Please be nice to your agents and try not to bug them and obsess all the time. Bear in mind they have 200+ writers in the same boat. Don’t call them in the evenings and weekends. It is your pet project new book submission but to them it’s one of many. They will be super excited about it, but aren’t a therapy service.

Publishing is v v v slow. It will either happen immediately with a bidding war or a long slow slog. Especially with lit fiction. Not much money in it.

Think in terms of months and years, not days and weeks. Once the book is finished forget it and start the next one. And in a nice way, get over yourself, you aren’t the next Atwood, not without a LOT more effort than one submission.

That sounds so mean, but I am trying to give you a better perspective.

Good luck and I hope you get an amazing advance !

Hi Lovetowrite, I don't see the point of asking too many questions either (so most certainly am not bugging my agent and am obviously aware she has other writers on her list and I am just one - pretty sure nowhere near 200 though, I don't really see how that could be possible for a reputable agent).

At present I think she has been nudging people, so she has been emailing responses, however I can see how that may not be a strategy to maintain interest in the longer term.

JapaneseteaI assume that anyone who called their agent incessantly, whether or not at evenings or weekends would be a complete nightmare to work with and hopefully in the minority. Personally I would email, and don't even do that too often, phone calls have been arranged over email generally with a clear agenda and a time planned.

Obsessing on this kind of forum is, I guess, a way of channelling angst without bugging people who are obviously busy and doing their best in a difficult job.

Advice re getting on with something else is sensible though - I am hopefully moving from contemplation to action stage on this one.

I don't think anyone on this thread sounds up themselves, the opposite if anything. There are many situations in life (some much more critical) when waiting is hard and it is natural to seek support. And surely even the next Atwood has to start somewhere (I don't think that is me but it could quite easily be someone who is still at this stage!)

And thanks, I am hoping for an amazing advance too! (Seriously, am banking on giving up my day job...)

Oops that should say NOT banking on giving up day job!

Dontrocktheboat - agree with everything you've said - I am driving family /friends mad with the obsessing, so amazing to share the angst with people going through the same thing!

I am new to Mumsnet - is there a way to privately message? Might be an idea further down the line so we can angst to our hearts content...!

Hi, yes you can pm people, if you click on the little person icon on top right when you are logged in that will take you to a list of options with an inbox option then message.

Yes may be a plan to take ths angsting out of public arena, rather than risk irritating everyone on mumsnet as much as I am currently irritating family!

Nothing will happen before Frankfurt. A few days after Frankfurt you may have some verbal responses via your agent but nothing concrete will happen for weeks afterwards.

I've been an Illustrator for 24 years, so not an author but I have a very high profile literary agent. In my experience, lots gets said after Frankfurt (good or bad) then people return to their offices and follow up all contacts/meetings in writing etc. At this stage things can move forward but often positive discussions can often get forgotten about and die.

Patience is the key.

Absolute Write used to have a thread for people in submission purgatory.
In my still limited experience, so much of one's life as a writer will be spent with something out on submission somewhere, it's vital to move on to the next thing mentally or you're going to spend most of your life on edge.

I did find, though, that the biggest problem with keeping calm was not my own expectations but that of lovely friends and family who don't know much about the game and are convinced you're on a path to inevitable fame and fortune and say 'of course you will get a publisher' because they really want it to be so. For your own sanity it's best to talk mainly to other writers about this.

With this second round of subs, I didn't tell anyone about it other than dh. So much easier not to see their hopeful eyes all the time. my own hopeful eyes are annoying enough.

My mss's progress was, I think, exceptionally slow: the agent moved companies and we had to wait three months for that and then the editor who was interested moved, so another three months. There is a lot of movement!