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Showing posts with the label simultaneous submissions

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Know Thy Publisher

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  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  This week's conversation points out the reason why many authors get rejection after rejection with only the note that "it is not a fit for us." Chances are that is really, truly the reason, and it means that the author did not do his/her homework. Authors should only be submitting work where there is an apparent "fit." To do otherwise is a waste of the publisher's time and a waste of the author's time, efforts, hopes, and, often, money. So, how do you know that there is a potential fit? Check out the kinds of books that the author publishes. It is amazing how many fiction submissions we get. We do not publish

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Does Pitting One Publisher against Another Improve Your Chances of Acceptance?

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  It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic addresses effective communication with acquisitions editors. Does it make sense to p it them against each other? To create a sense of competition in order to get one of them to move? Here are the ways in  which authors have tried to tempt me to offer them a contract by alluding to another publisher -- and my reaction and response.  Just a note to say that the book submitted to you is being seriously considered by a United States Publisher. Please let me know how you would like to move forward. My reaction: The author comes across as pushy (trying to take the upper hand), arrogant (assuming that I would e