submission strategy (no words today)

[ritaxis]

I didn't realize I was doing this when I did it, but since the fate of my work was mentioned in a place I wasn't comfy with it being mentioned, I started thinking about it and I realize that I have actually a strategy going.

First of all, I'm over kind words of encouragement. I'd just as soon not read another single kind word of encouragement from another editor ever. "Yes" or "No," and it's okay if there are a couple of suggestions for improvement thrown in, but I don't care to ever read "And please do send us your next one," because I'm going to do that anyway when I stop sulking and finish the next one. So, honestly, I don't need the personal touch.

Secondly, I'm currently thinking that sending your material directly to a specific editor, unless the house's guidelines clearly say to do that, can be self-defeating. If the editor is prominent enough for me to know their name, then everybody who's just like me knows their name too, and is sending in manuscripts addressed to that same poor individual. Which puts the editor's assistant in the position of having to decide whether this envelope really has to go on the editor's overpiled desk or whether it can, really, go to the slush readers. That's an extra step. I damned well want my submission read, and I don't care whether it's read by someone whose name I know or whether it's read by a reader that person trusts to find the right manuscripts for the house.

So, I'm sending things in over the transom. Except -- when I don't think I understand the submission landscape at a particular publisher, I query. I try, anyway, to do things the way they want them done: some of the rules for some of the publishers seem like somebody's being a fussbudget, but most of them sound like somebody's trying to sort out chaos and streamline the process so they can get on with publishing things they can market.

I think that this is making me a little less crazy and fragile about the whole thing. Not much. But maybe enough to get on with.

No words today because the nice fellow is home and wants to play, and Frank has come over to eat and bathe (our bathtub is much nicer than the shower and tub at the dorms) and he wants to show me what he's been writing (game stuff). And also I am still sick -- 6 days so far! Anyway, I have the consolation of being pretty sure it's an infection and not the Craterellus. There's always the chance, with wild mushrooms, because you only eat them fresh for a couple of weeks a year, that you could have an unsuspected sensitivity to something yummy. Like people who eat sweetbreads with mushrooms on New Year's day and it turns out the dish is just too rich for them and they forget every year. But reacting to Craterellus wouldn't still be happening three days after the last bite of them.

Comments

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

Have you considered subbing to agents first?

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Every so often I try that. My experience is that agents don't really want to hear from me until I've sold something.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

You want names of less well known editors who are cool?

2muchexposition and casacorona and alg...

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Um, but why? I mean I always like knowing cool people. But. Both the books are sitting in slush, going through their process, and it hasn't been all that long yet -- since the end of November for Chuy, and the end of December for Mike.

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about this, and I think I get your point, that there's a process and your sub should go through it. Because it's only fair.
I don't think I agree though, because if you can get an advantage in getting it to the top of the pile, through networking or some other means, I would think it's the way to go. The way I see it, if your sub is of publishable quality, by getting it to the top of the pile, you're doing the slush readers and/or editors a favor. They want to find publishable stuff as soon as possible, right?
(I think there may be an error in my logic, but I'm not sure what it is ..)

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

The only error in your logic is that it addresses a different concern from mine. I'm not trying to be fair to anyone (except in my judgement). I'm calculating my odds. I want my manuscript read and if the publisher trusts the slush reader I'm willing to do it too rather than wait around for the editor to plow through the pile of known authors that's falling off his desk. I've done it the specific-editor way, and I'm ready to do it this other way now.

If I thought, for example, it would help me at all to drop a line to the people papersky mentioned, I'd do it. I would do all those strange things you read about clueless writers doing, like the colored paper and stuff, if I thought that it would help in any way.

Just currently, it looks like this is the fastest and surest way.

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok. Now I get it. Thanks for explaining.