Responding After Requests?

So, you got a request from an editor or agent. You have been wishing for this for some time. Now what? 

Well, first of all, if you pitched, you should have been ready to submit. Unless you were pitching a non-fiction project, or the request came from a contest, you should be 100@ ready to move on. There are no exceptions to this rule. But, with that said, let's still talk about that response, and more importantly about that response time. I want to talk about several different scenarios here (and in no random order).

You get a request and the editor/agent has some suggestions. They have some ideas about either what they would like to see, or some things they might be concerned with. After reading the response or listening to the concerns, you have some thoughts running through your head. Maybe you like your story as it is and you don't want to change it. OK, that's fine. Maybe you see those ideas but are unclear how to approach the changes. OK, that's understandable. Maybe you see those ideas and know you can do it but it will take a while to make the changes. That too is fine. So, what do you do?

Let the agent know. Respond back. Send them the material but let them know your opinion and your thoughts but keep it professional (especially with the first one). Remember, we only saw a glimpse of your story. We only heard a pitch from you. We never saw the writing. If you send a query, we will NEVER request more material if we don't see something we might like. If we listen to a pitch, we will tell you no if it is not right.

For myself, when it comes to pitches, I will say no if it is a definite no. I won't leave you hanging. If I do request, I always tell people what I am thinking. And get this. I tell almost everyone the thing that might be concerning to me in the pitch. This includes the stories that sound amazing in the pitch session. It might sound amazing but I will still note, "Hey this sounds great, but if I have to reject this project, it will come down to [insert what I am thinking]". Look, that is just my approach.

Here is another approach. You submit a project, get a request AND THEN find someone else you want to send your project to instead. That's fine by us. Just let us know. It doesn't take much but send us a quick note to tell us. Remember, if we requested, we were looking for something and MAYBE, JUST MAYBE your story was exactly what we were looking for. MAYBE we had a slot available for you and we were waiting for it. Tell us so we can move on. It is a simple common courtesy. 

You might ask, why I am bringing this up? Between 2 recent conferences, I have had roughly 43 pitch appointments (a couple were no-shows). Out of those appointments, I have received around 10 submissions. As I went back to write this blog, I looked back at my notes for those stories, I saw that some of those stories I had liked the ideas and the solutions were easy fixes. 

Let me tell you another story. I remember sitting at a National convention. Deb Werksman from Source Books and I were chatting before the pitch session and she had literally told me about some projects to keep an eye out for. Just casual chit chat. In that next session, this author came over to me with just that story. It was a longer pitch session so I was able to dig deeper and ask her a lot of questions. The author knew her stuff. This story was awesome. This author was not a one-hit-wonder. This was perfect. I asked her if she had that story with her. She did. It was on her computer in her hotel room. I told her to send it to me so I could read it on the way home to Seattle!

To this day I have NEVER seen the story. Deb Werksman had NEVER seen the story. This author has NEVER published the story. 

Again, when we request, it DOES mean we want to see something. So send us something and if there is going to be a delay, then let us know. Please!

Publishing Is A Hurry Up And Wait Business

Why do so many authors rush to self publishing? And I do mean, RUSH? They are impatient when they hear that their first book is not picked up immediately by a publisher or they hear that it will take "forever" for their book to go through the process of getting to become the book we see on the book shelf. They just don't get it. "Come on people!" they scream! "I emailed this book to you, I can read this book in 3 hours and I can edit it myself in a day or two, why can't you get it on the shelf? Besides, you have all of this A.I. tech and all of these underling interns, it should be easy to get my book out there!" 

But here is where the authors are forgetting A LOT of things. Did they write that book in 48 hours? For some of these people, it took months to write. Even they had numerous people (some good and some not so good helping them edit it). But when it gets to the editors and agents, our job kicks in and we are here to make it the best possible book out there so that you can have the BEST product out there for your readers. YOUR readers demand excellence.

Could we simply slap on some cheap A.I. generated cover made on Powerpoint or Google Slides and call it quits? Could we simply trust grammar checker and spell checker and hope for the best? Could we just sent it out to Officemax or some random printer down the street and say "print me a few copies?" Yep!

But is that what you want?

I don't think so.

As an agents, we get your book and take the time to make sure it is ready to go out to the editors in great shape so you "hopefully" don't get rejections for bad writing. Note I said for bad writing. Is there a chance we get a pass on your book? Sure. We just don't want it for bad writing. Maybe they have enough of that style at that time. Maybe they are having a hard time selling that genre "right now". 

Remember also, there are A LOT of writers out there and a few of us. Let me just give you a small sample. Here at Greyhaus, there is just me reading all submissions coming in. I am also editing the manuscripts for all of my authors, providing "free" critiques to writing groups to help them out and sending out those manuscripts and following up on those proposals for my authors daily. When I read your submissions, it is "between all of that work". And yes, I am getting submissions directly to my agency AND through Query Manager. Editors, such as those at Harlequin, are often in charge of over 30+ authors, reading numerous submissions coming in from Submittable, submissions coming from agents, AND, there are often only 2-4 for each line. If they are lucky, they might have an intern. 

If you want to know why things move slow, that would be it. 

But at least you will get a good product.

Or you can rush it, do it on your own and see what happens. You will have to pay out of pocket, but...? Personally, I am someone who would be into "send it to me quickly, and I will get to it ASAP but at least I have a better chance at a better product!"

Pitching and Submissions - An Interesting Phenomenon

I haven't talked about this for a while, but after the last 4 conferences since June, it seemed like the right time to bring it up. It is actually something that I discussed with editor Leah Hultenschmidt early on when I started Greyhaus. We were talking about the number of authors who pitch to us and the number who actually submit their stories to us. I had noted, at that time, how shocked I was at how many never submitted their stories after I had requested more material. Leah had thrown out a percentage (which of course I cannot remember now) that was staggeringly high, that she had actually tracked that never do submit after pitches. 

Well that number still continues today. And that, my friends, is a shame on several levels. 

First, I think about the fact that so many authors fight for chances to talk to editors and agents, or at least they say so on social media and with their friends. Here is their chance to get their story in front of the eyes of someone who can make their career! Wow! They spend hours practicing that "elevator pitch" so when they meet them in a lobby, or are sitting at a table during a luncheon and are asked about their story, they can tell them all about it and get that request. This is their chance. 

And yet... they don't follow through. Let's talk first about the elevator pitch people. They avoid the editors and agents like the plague. "Oh, I can't bug them,'" they now say when given the chance, even though the editors and agents will say on their social media and on editor and agent panels, "come talk to us." At those luncheons, they don't invite the editors and agents. Only after they sit down at a table, will someone then say, "hey why don't you now pick up all of your things and come over and sit with us." Thanks for the after thought.

Now to another level. These authors signed up for a pitch session and are not ready to submit, or THEN they find out more about the editor or agent and decide not to submit. This, I am sorry to say, is not cool. You just took up a slot for someone who did want that slot and who was ready to pitch. You should have done your research and you should have been ready. 

But let me turn the tables and let me give you a view from an agent's side of things. We are looking for specific things. You sit down and pitch us a story that we are looking for at that moment. Maybe I just talked to an editor who told me to go and find something. I will tell you (HINT GEORGIA ROMANCE WRITERS) editors tell me to look for certain things and if I hear something, I will request a project because the editor wanted it. I you wait, I can promise you, that slot the editor had open is probably gone by now. Think of it this way. Have you ever seen someone post on social media of tickets to an event. You, however, decide to wait until you get home to discuss it with your significant other. Of course, when you do get around to reaching out about the tickets, they are long gone. Why? You waited.

OK, here is the last piece of the puzzle. It comes down to professionalism. If you change your mind, that is fine. Just let us know. At all four of the conferences, I listened to stories where I said I liked some things but I asked if they were either open to some things, or had some additional questions. What I told them to do was to submit the stories and in the email, let me know their thoughts. If they decided to stick with what they wanted to do, or if they decided to pass, just let me know and their would be no hard feelings. I just needed to know so I could "close the file" so to speak, on my end. 

Have I heard? No.

Editor Adrienne Macintosh sat with me on a panel recently and said something I think all of us say. We are not out to say no to projects. We WANT TO ACQUIRE! We ARE LOOKING for your stories. We WANT to work with you. 

But we can't if we don't hear from you!

Educational Courses Are Finally Up And Running!!!!

I have two week long classes set for Plotting Your novel set and the 6 month mentorship is also available. Up next will be Query Letter Writing and Synopsis Writing.

I also have planned some single day courses so stay tuned!