I am still waiting for my fulls to come back. (rated by favorite) Publisher #1 has had it 4 weeks. Publisher #2 has had it 8 weeks. Publisher #3 has had it 8 weeks. Publisher #4 has had it 6 weeks. Should I contact the least favorite first? If I do and maybe (hopefully) get a contract I can bump the best one? Or should I just ask the best one on the list first? Or should I keep waiting or I will ruin it all? I want to play my cards right here and don't know what to do. I don't want them all declining me cause I was too anxious. Or worse, remind them they didn't like it after all.
Do any of the publishers say how long you can expect to wait? 4 to 6 weeks is nothing to be worried about. Even 8 weeks is not that bad, especially considering that it's the holiday season.
I don't know about the US but in the UK most say if they haven't contacted you after 12 weeks. Also do you put the date of submission on them ? I had an agent phone me and ask me would I like advice and she said that was useful in getting your manuscript seen earlier as it would catch the eye and agent/publisher feels they should deal with it if they have had it that long.
Yeah I'd just wait. Doesn't seem too long in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes it takes months or more...
Am I allowed to post URLs? Assuming I'm not but that I'm allowed to point to things, the blog Author! Author! has an article titled "How long is too long?" that seems relevant. And, her most recent post points out that January is a really really busy time for agents. ChickenFreak
Try to concentrate on something else for now, to take your mind off it. I'd give it up to 4 or 5 months before getting concerned. Have you sent it out to any agents?
better to wait months!... response time from publishers is often 6 months to a year... bug them and you risk being a pest who'll be ignored on principle... but i'm curious about which publishers requested the full ms, since most will want an exclusive submission... or is this non-fiction and no one requested it, you just sent it with a proposal?
This is actually a novella so agents won't touch it. All the fulls requested accept simultaneaus subs, as long as they are contacted if it gets accepted.
What do you hope to accomplish by asking after less than two months about the status of your full MS submission? Will it urge them to read it faster--bump it ahead of others in the stack (queue)? If they're giving it serious consideration, passing it on to a second reader/editor, will being impatient make a positive impression and motivate them to say "Yes"? Things in publishing move very slowly...some would say glaicers move faster. If you've targeted your MS to markets that would be favorable to it...then let it ride and work on writing something else. What have you got to lose compared to what you've potentially got to gain? Waiting isn't fun, but it is part of the business. True. Waiting gets easier if you're busy working on the next project. You'll get used to it. Look at their guidlines and at least double what they say is a reponse time. Getting rejected is easy--and faster, than a work being given serious consideration. Good luck and wishing you success. Terry
