I was just talking with a senior editor this last week and we were talking about submission turn around times.
I know that many of you are disgusted by the time that it takes for people to get back to you as a writer but hey, we are busy. I know you think that editors and editors do nothing but hey, we are busy.
Here was the editor's comment and I want you to think about this...
I am frustrated that writers want us to read things quickly and respond quickly instead of REALLY reading your story.
In the case of my writer, she could have easily rejected it, but she took the time. She took a lot of time and this is for someone VERY busy. We are still in the running.
So, do you want to wait, or do you want a quick response.
Hmmmmmmm??
Scott
I think some of this comes from a combination of the Internet/e-mail and not knowing exactly what goes on behind the scenes at an agent's office.
ReplyDeleteMost of us probably have e-mail at work. A lot of people get that e-mail and jump on it immediately (a big time waster, by the way), so the person on the other end gets a response right away. These people might have a Blackberry or some other method of receiving e-mail at any time. There's even a local advertisement that has a small business owner who loses business because he doesn't respond to e-mails immediately. People seem to forget that a submission of a manuscript or sample chapters isn't a quick answer (or if it is, it's probably a rejection) becaause it requires time to look at the file.
The other half of it is that I don't think a lot of people understand what a typical day is for agent. They may even be equating it to like their own work where there are a lot of people doing different jobs and don't realize that the agent might be the one who has to open and go through the mail instead of a secretary. I also don't think they truly get the amount of material that comes in each day and needs to be read.