anyone else on submission?

[rogber]

This part of the forum seems pretty quiet compared to the agent section. Is anyone else out on sub right now and how is it going?

My experience of sub so far (first time for me) has been brutal, can only agree with those who say it's worse than trying to find an agent, the flip-flopping between hope - so close to the goal at last - and despair - fear of not clearing the last hurdle.

Found an agent for my novel at the end of winter, was over the moon. After relatively minor edits, manuscript was sent out in spring and the agent (at a smallish agency, but with a solid track record) was very optimistic.
Result 3 months down the line: half of round 1 publishers have passed, the other half no reply so also starting to looking like a pass.
Now preparing for round 2 and I desperately want to stay hopeful but it's so hard not to get pessimistic at this stage.

Anyone else going through this and how are your experiences?

[AnUlstermaninIdaho]

Hi Rogber,

Yeah, I’m on submission too, and by the sounds of it, we’ve had fairly similar experiences. I got picked up by my agent around the end of February. Like you, this is a small agency with (I think) a decent track record. My revisions were also pretty quick and since then, I’ve been in the trenches for almost three months. One area where we differ is the approach my agent is adopting. We are doing very small, very targeted submissions and submitting to another editor quickly if there is a rejection or no response. So far, I’ve had one pass it on to a more suitable colleague and another request the full manuscript.

This may be a question for anyone who has more experience of being on submission but when I see estimations of how long before a response (if any) it typically refers to the point from which the agent submitted. Does anyone have any idea how long it typically takes for a response after the editor has said they was to read? Or, like all aspects of this process, is it foolish to even think of being on submission in such human terms as “time”?

Looking forward to charting your progress more Rogber. Keep that chin up.

[rogber]

Now nearly 5 months gone, all round 1 publishers (all of whom were Big 5 imprints) passed. Lots of "really strong work, but not quite right for our list" comments. But a pass is a pass.
Now about to send out round 2 to a mix of remaining big imprints and indie. Fingers crossed but hopes much more tempered this time.
In the meanwhile doing as everyone advises and working on a new project but it really doesn't make the process easier.
Any news from others?

[mdavis97]

Submissions is such a weird world... I'm learning that nobody talks about it when they're there. It's feels taboo or something. Found this forum after hours of combing the internet and it's 4 months old! Anyone still out there?

Seriously, I'm hoping submissions went well for both of you. I'm in a similar situation- picked up by a small agency with a good track record, quick round of revisions, off to editors. I've only been on submissions for three weeks and I've gotten three rejections. One weird thing my agent is doing is that she's giving the round one editors only a month to respond, and as far as I can tell, that's not normal. But I don't know.

Any updates on how it's been for you guys so far?