Recap of Jennifer March Soloway – Navigating Publication: From Query to Submission to Acquisitions to the Book Itself
by Bill Baldwin
Recap of Jennifer March Soloway – Navigating Publication: From Query to Submission to Acquisitions to the Book Itself
by Bill Baldwin
We welcomed Jennifer March Soloway to our October meeting—and what a wealth of information she provided us!
Traditional publishing is a long, collaborative journey that begins with a polished manuscript.
Think of it as five steps:
1 – Get an agent. Your agent is a consultant/advisor on the road to publication
2 – With the assistance of your agent, prepare your manuscript for submission. Then, hopefully:
3 – Wait patiently (while considering how to improve your work).
4 – Receive an offer!
5 – Accept!
This might sound oversimplified. Yes and no. This is the outline; the challenge is in the details. These five steps require lots of specialized work: hard to summarize (but Jennifer’s handouts elaborated).
Only submit your best work. Learn how to do this.
Learn how to tighten your prose. Avoid repetition (adverbs, gestures, descriptions). Look for patterns. Review dialogue. Save cut sections for later use.
Get the opinion/suggestions of multiple readers; best done by joining a critique group.
Learn how to find an agent, then submit your best work. Customize your query letter for each agent. Send your submissions in rounds. Pace yourself. Monitor and rethink your strategy.
Look for agents that represent comparable books. Consider the type of agent you are looking for.
Learn how to write a pitch, a positioning statement, a logline.
When an agent offers to represent you, know what to do!
Speak with any other interested agents. Choose the one you trust and feel comfortable working with.
Prepare the project for submission. Collaborate with your agent on strategy.
Your agent will help strengthen the manuscript, shape its pitch, and find comparable books that clarify its audience and place in the market. The agent will approach editors who seem like a good fit. A slow response does not mean the book has no chance. Editors may provide useful feedback. Revision can make a remarkable difference, even after earlier rejections.
What are the components of an agent’s submission? It’s not like a query!
You need to prepare a sub list to target editors who might like the project. Edit you submission based on individual editors. After you’ve made the submission, “Hurry up and wait!”
How long should you expect to wait for a response? That depends on prior factors.
If things don’t go well, what strategy should you follow? Just because no one makes an offer immediately, all is not lost! Sometimes no news is good news!
Once you have an offer on the table (even if the project is still out to other editors), you have some new challenges and terminology to understand:
When three or more editors are interested, you have an “auction.”
An editor can make an offer that they believe to be good enough to prevent things from going to auction. This is called “preempting”.
When negotiating a contract, the big terms are negotiated first, then the details.
Once the offer has been accepted, the process moves to the “fun stuff:” meeting the editor and team. Then more fun stuff: celebration and promotion!
After an editor accepts your book, the agent negotiates the deal, including the advance, royalties, rights, and terms. A publisher with a good plan may be a better partner than one simply offering more money. The editor will work with you on revisions and helps you to connect with readers through events, local bookstores, libraries, and preorders.
Most important for a writer, regardless of the outcome: Keep creating!
Continue reading the categories you write, research the editors and publishers of the books you admire. Keep writing, keep polishing your craft, and find the agents, editor, and publishers who believe in your work.