The Pain of Waiting while Querying and on Submission

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In an email exchange with my agent, just before the Easter break, she said things were likely to slow down with editors that were reading my manuscript. SLOW DOWN? Is it possible for the publishing industry to slow down any further? This got me thinking about the massive chunks of time, us authors spend waiting. Waiting to be signed by an agent, waiting to get edits, waiting for email replies from agents (not my agent, she’s an angel when it comes to communication), waiting on submission and to hear back from editors in publishing houses, waiting for feedback on second reads, waiting for the results of acquisition meetings, waiting to get a contract, waiting for publication, waiting for your next book deal. It quite simply never ends.

With all the waiting, I want to share my own experience of dealing with it.

Sometimes, I deal with it relatively well but most of the time it’s like living in this state of limbo with absolutely no control. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that you need to reconsider what you view as an acceptable amount of time for a response. If you're cold querying agents, it can take up to six months to get a response and sadly ghosting is commonplace. Read my blog about it here.

Once you've established contact, add a minimum of one month to whatever timeframe you consider acceptable to get any further updates, and even then, it’s likely to be longer. This is simply the reality, especially when you’re starting out. Agents and publishers will always prioritise their existing clients, as they should. Reading queries and submissions is an important part of their job but not the most important.

Also, agents and publishers are real people, with real lives, busy jobs, spouses, children, pets, all the things that take up time outside their work. From what I gathered while querying agents, most of them do their manuscript reading in their ‘free’ time. In my mind, I compare this with the time I try to steal in order to write. I desperately want to write but I have my ‘real’ job to do, I have to spend time with family and friends, take my dog to the vet, shop, sort out the car insurance, book flights home to Ireland, deal with the hundred or so builders that are currently invading my house. Agents and commissioning editors are as time-starved as everyone else, so try not to sweat it when you don’t hear back from them in the timeframe you're expecting.

Here's a Real Life Timeline of Being on Submission

Feb 10^th – My agent submitted to a commissioning editor at a publishing house that I would literally give a kidney to be published by, and with whom she has an established relationship.

Feb 27^th – The commissioning editor replied to say her list is currently closed but she’s passed my manuscript to a colleague of hers and says this other editor is reading it. (I took this to mean she was reading at that time).

My agent nudges (not sure of the exact date)

Mar 19^th – The editor who I thought had been reading my manuscript since Feb 27^th emails to say it’s almost at the top of her submissions pile, she’s going on holiday and hopes to start reading it the following week.

Agent nudges again (not sure of exact date)

Apr 23^rd – Commissioning editor emails with an apology and to say she still hasn’t had a chance to read it as she’s been snowed under with edits for her existing clients but will get back soon.

Up to the time of publication of this blog, there have been no further updates.

Now here’s the killer – this is an example of LIGHTENING SPEED in the publishing industry. Never mind the stories that are constantly picked up. We’ve all read the headlines – Pre-empt offered within twenty-four hours of submission etc. Yes, this absolutely does happen but despite the massive amount of coverage these stories get, they are in the minority.

For proof, look at Kailei Pew’s stats on how long it takes authors on submission to get a book deal. Kailei has written a whole series of blogs on the submissions process but check out the first one, Going on Sub, where she shares stats based on a survey of 101 authors. The results are eye-opening, only about 16% of the authors surveyed received an offer within 1 month, and just over 19% in one to three months. Those respondents who had not yet sold a book had been on submission for three months to two years with the average around 13 months, and that's before you even consider how long many of these authors waited to secure an agent before going on submission to publishers.

It makes for great, if slightly upsetting reading, especially when you consider, Pew's blog is from 2021 and the world of traditional publishing has become even tougher and more congested since then.

How to Deal with all the Waiting

Take a break from social media - Seeing constant posts about the success other authors are having isn’t always helpful. While we all need to celebrate each other’s successes, it’s okay to take a step away and forget about the publishing world for a while.
Keep busy – ideally write your next book but do anything you need to keep your mind off waiting.
Congratulate yourself – you’ve finished a book and that’s something you should be incredibly proud of. You’ve worked hard, put in the time, the effort, honed your writing skills and displayed the phenomenal discipline needed to complete a full manuscript. Most people never do that, but you have, so well done.
Keep writing - again... write your next book. I can't overstate the importance of this enough. Not only will it keep you busy, but when that call from an agent or editor does finally come, you'll be a far more appealing prospect if you already have another book to offer.
Stop Refreshing your email – this is guaranteed to drive you insane (and I absolutely don’t take my own advice on this one!). Put a limit on the number of times you check your email each day. Two is ideal, three is bearable. Otherwise, you won’t get any work done and you'll become obsessed.
Read – the best way to reconnect with your love of writing.

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