Hi

I know there probably aren’t any simple answers to this one, but here goes…

I approached a small-medium publisher directly about my novel. Then got an email from a reader saying that they had notified all their rejections for the month but that mine had not been rejected but had been put aside for ‘further reading’. They ‘didn’t want me to get my hopes up’ and would let me know a decision ‘soon’ (actually, I'm not even sure if this means my novel made the first cut!)

I bottled it after 2 months and sent an email to the reader asking if there had been a decision and I heard nothing. I’m now approaching the three month mark – is it worth emailing again (or email someone else in the company)? or should I just forget this one? – anybody had experience of this?

(A further problem is that the reader has a blog on which I read about all the hobbies she has been doing that week and then think to myself ‘she did that instead of reading my work!’ – ok, that’s just me being pathetic but waiting kills me sometimes!)

Thanks

Livi

Aw, sympathies...
If I were you, I'd forget about it, move on to the next thing, next submission. That way, if you get good news it will be even better as coming out of the blue. Don't torture yourself over and stop reading the reader's blog!

<Added>

over 'it'.

Hi Livi,

Sympathy. And LOL with recognition at teeth-gnashing because said publisher is blogging about wretched jam making or surfing when they've promised to read your book.

It does sound as though you've put all your hopes into one publisher. They've obviously shortlisted it so why not send it to ten other places too, and some agents while you're at it?

Thanks.

Yeah - I know you are both right. Thing is, I'd actually given up on the novel for a while (I've already tried 30 or so agents and already had 2 full reads but been turned down eventually) this was kind of the tail-end of my efforts.

I'm actually working on #2 at the moment, but it doesn't help having a pc at work, where I can easily flick on to WW when I am bored (or become a cyber-stalker!)

thanks

Livi

Livi
Huge sympathies! Is such a corrosive sort of feeling, isn't it? I'm waiting at the moment too and keep 'trying not to think about it' which is frankly pointless! Everyone's advice about writing something else is spot on though. You have to somehow direct your energies into your other projects. I do feel for you though! What torture to be able to read a blog about someone who isn't reading your book! I don;t think I would be able to resist it either!

Sympathies. If she's the reader then she's probably not the one who is responsible for making the decision and she's referred the mss to the commissioning editor, and it's waiting on the editor to find time to read it.
Also there are probably monthly or quarterly meetings where they decide on these things. In the current economic climate some publishers have deferred these meetings, so all in all I think you just have to wait - I'm afraid nothing happens quickly in the publishing business.


- NaomiM