Waiting, Or; Sending a Book Out

Joined
Mar 22, 2002
Messages
15,742
What happens when you send a book out to the publishers?
Why, nothing does.

I sent my fantasy book to DAW, because I remembered them from a time when I read Fantasy and SF daily. Their website had promise; don't sent us the first three chapters or a query letter, it said, send the entire manuscript. You don't need an agent.

I followed all their instructions, including a SAS Card so reciept of my manuscript would be acknowledged by them. That was three weeks ago. Never got the card back. So, do they have the book? I wrote them an email. No answer.

I could call them.
"This is very important. I have reason to believe at least one, and possibly more of your departments at DAW Publishing has lost all electronic and surface communication with the outside world."

Come in Ragoon, Ragoon, come in.

Somewhere in a dark room there's a pile of boxes and large stuffed envelopes containing manuscripts no one wants to look at. My book may be there.

Or the Damned Zombies may be feeding on clerks brains in a suboffice of the small publishing house, snacking while reading.

As the Zombies read more, and eat more, they become smarter. They have plans on working their way up the sub structure, all the way to the top. To the editor's desk. Where the best brains are.

>>>>>>>>>

So waiting is waiting, on this the day I'm waiting to hear news Yvsa is out of surgery and still a feisty old fart.


munk
 
Maybe calling would help? I really don't know. Or you might look into another publisher, but again, I really don't know.

Waiting sucks. Hang tough.

Chris
 
You know, just as there ought to be at least once you can tell the Highway Patrolman, "But Officer, my wife's having a baby." So once in your life you should be allowed...to send in Nasty.



munk
 
After you see it once, you don't want to ever call again...
 
....you don't send in a Nasty lightly, because once he's sent, you can't call him back.

And as we've all learned painfully in life, some things can't be taken back, and once they're done, you live with it.
>>>>>

But, on a cheerier note, it's nice to believe you have friends who would 'go in' for you.

munk
 
Yes Tom, it's on back up disk.

For a moment I thought you talking about sending Nasty in, now, that was an interesting thought; a backup nasty



munk
 
Well, failing nasty, you could send a LAWYER!!! >> Tom


Well, yes. But we were talking about retribution, about punishment. About Pain. I think sending a Lawyer is over the top. That's tampering with someone's soul.



munk
 
BTDT, Munk. Payshents.

Mostly a couple dozen articles and three textbooks, and The Wait ranged between four weeks and a couple years. The latter with a few articles, and in fact two of them I had since sold to a different publication.

Payshents. It's nerve-wracking, but all part of the game.

Noah
 
I just want them to send the card I enclosed per instructions that acknowledges they recieved the book; otherwise I'm waiting for nothing.
They may not even have the book.

You know, it's funny; the only story I ever sold had been at the magazine so long I'd forgotten about it, and when the acceptance letter arrived I thought it was a joke. That was the first story I ever wrote for publication. I sat down and said to myself, hmmm, now, what does a magazine story look like? And wrote it. When I wrote this book, I sat down and thought, 'what does a fantasy novel look like?


munk
 
Many publishers don't ask for the whole book they want a summery and a chapter outline with a few samples. It takes a few weeks to get a response and then it's often just we received your submission thank you for considering (name of publisher).
 
I know, Azis, but DAW isn't like that; they specifically say no query letter and no sample chapters and they want the entire book. I liked that about them.




munk
 
One idea is to try electronic publishing on one of those net book sites and then promote it. Once you have some sales you can send your book with a proven sales record to the publishers.
 
Munk,

I think if you've done the work, and have a manuscript, that nowadays with the multitude of publishers out there someone will publish it. The bigger houses will sell it better, however. I know the waiting is hell. Maybe you should send it out to several houses simultaneously. I think the grappling you are going to do with whatever editor you get assigned is going to be worse than this waiting. He will be the ultimate enemy to your ideas and your work. If a big house gets it you'll be traveling and promoting rather than chopping with Khuks and raising sons. My buddy knows of a website that will bind it in a leather cover for you. I'll e-mail him and get the address.

Andy
 
Thanks, but I don't want it in leather. Multiple submissions are restricted by many publishing houses.

I don't mind waiting. I just want to know they have the book in their hands.


As for waiting- what will be will be. I should not be in a hurry to either be wonderously surprised or disapointed. I think it more rational to expect disapointment, though.

munk
 
I've heard that it's typical for publishers to only want the first chapter and a summary, but also that it's extremely unusual for them to look at unsolicited submissions. Probably these guys want the complete manuscript to filter out the people who think it'd be cool to write a book but aren't serious and will never finish.

They probably just screwed up on dropping the postcard in the mail. It might be under someone's desk where it fell. And they probably don't care too much. They probably figure they get more revenue from bookstore / supermarket chains than from new authors and focus their customer service efforts accordingly.

Next time ship UPS or something else with a tracking number.
 
Back
Top