It is finished. Well, the book that is. I received the book fully edited from my editor last week and I’ve been reviewing it and making sure it’s exactly how I want. I believe at this juncture, it is.

So, what’s next?

As mentioned in an earlier post, it’s the query process. I’ve decided to forgo looking for a traditional publisher as it can take years (literally) before your book ever hits the shelves. This is assuming you are on the faster end of things, which is doubtful for a debut author. Indie-publishing will be significantly faster.

The downside to this is the availability of indie-publishing houses that are currently taking submissions from unagented authors. Often, they have submission windows where you can submit your query or your manuscript for consideration—perhaps only a week or two, possibly a month. Many publishing houses are currently closed to submissions, which means I need to wait and check back frequently.

Thankfully, I found about half a dozen that are currently open, several who have had quality success for their books. The negative? Well, only 6. People have received 20-100 rejections before they are accepted and taken on by a publisher. So my chances right now are quite limited.

And I’m okay with that. I know I’m not the next Stoker or King in the world of Horror. I’m gonna try my hat and see what happens, leaving self-publishing as a viable option that can still be successful.

Some of you might be wondering what it looks like to submit your work to an indie-publisher, and I wish it were an easy answer. Some want you to email them, some want you to use a digital form of their own, others a digital service that’s outsourced. Each have different request requirements. Some want a query letter and synopsis. Others want a biography of you. And others want either a partial or full manuscript on the first submission.

That might look simple, but they all have different requirements for each of those items. One might want a 250 word query letter, and others 200. Some want a 500 word synopsis, and others want 250 or 800 words. Some want your manuscript with this specific formatting, others with this format (akin to MLA or APA style of papers in college). All that means is its hard to reuse material from one submission to another. I have to tailor each one, rewriting, shortening, lengthening things and filling out 20-30 question forms. Heck, some even wanted your intended marketing plan. That means each individual submission can take 1-2 hours (or even more) to get organized and sent off.

That was my task over the weekend (and even on Monday & Thursday). As far as I can tell, I got all my query packets arranged and sent out. It was quite the task, but hopefully it will return some good news … eventually. Many of these publishers have dozens to hundreds of submissions to review and it could take up to 6 months before I get a rejection (if I’m lucky). Some literally say on their submissions pages “if you don’t hear from us in X months, please consider it a rejection”. I got my first rejection yesterday afternoon.

So here I am, with my little excel sheet set up with who I submitted to, when, and what was sent in their packet. This will help me track who I have contacted and haven’t as well as the current status: out, rejected, ghosted, or accepted. My editor feels very positive about the novel as do all my beta readers—so keep those fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I’ve started outlining my next book. A gothic novel taking place at a manor in the UK country side during WW1. Or will will I pick my Salem Witch Trial story? Or perhaps something completely different … you’ll have to keep coming back here to find out! Till next time, stay spooky.

Update:
As of today (June 8th), I've submitted to 18 Indie-Publishers and have recieved 2 rejections.

Post Comments

No comments for this post