What happens after you get an agent and your novel is ready to be submitted to publishers? The latest WLT symposium session focused on demystifying the submission process.

Presentation 6: “The Submission Process” with Samantha Fabien, Root Literary Agency

1. Be present on an editor call. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Let the agent ask questions.
2. Publishing is a business. You need to leave your emotions out of it.
3. The words publisher and editor are often used interchangeably, but technically, publisher is the business (Penguin Random House) and editor is the employees.
4. She sends out one project at a time to multiple editors.
5. While your novel is on sub, keep busy. For example, start writing your next story, refill your creative well, and build up your social media following and community.
6. Once there is interest, she will follow up with the other editors she sent the project to see if they are interested in making an offer as well.
7. She suggests not reading the reviews, good or bad.
8. Every book and experience is different. The duration of time you are on submission is not an indictator of whether your project will or will not sell.
9. If you receive a pass from a publisher, take it with a grain of salt. There are many factors why they rejected it. It could be due to timing, trends, or taste, among other factors.
10. If you receive several passes with the same comments, it might be worth making changes. However, avoid making changes to something that you feel is essential to your story.

Bonus takeaway: In an offer, the highest amount of money does not mean it is the best option; there could be other factors or terms that could make a lower offer the better choice.