Good publishing takes time. Time to write well. Time to edit well. Time to find the right agent. Time to find the right publisher. Time to edit again and re-write. Time to design well. Time to market well.
While there can be a lot of activity it still feels like “time” is another word for “wait.” No one likes to wait for anything. Our instant society (everything from Twitter to a drive-thru burger) is training us to want things to happen faster. Business experts claim faster is better (see Charles Duhigg’s book on productivity Smarter, Faster, Better). Many years ago I wrote about how long it takes to get published which gave an honest appraisal of the time involved in traditional publishing. Reviewing that post from half a decade ago reveals that nothing has changed!
A successful author learns how to wait well.
Waiting for the Agent
Why can’t agents respond faster? Don’t we just sit around all day and read? We try our best to reply to submissions within eight weeks and are relatively good about that. But if your project passes the first review stage and we are now reviewing your entire manuscript remember that reading a full manuscript is much more demanding than reading a few pages in a proposal.
If you are already represented all I can say is that agents do their best to be responsive to your questions and phone calls. Crisis Management is part of our job description. Remember that one of the first things a First Responder must do is triage. Some issues are more critical than others which can create consternation if yours is next in line instead of first.
But if your agent is unresponsive that is a conversation for another blog post.
Waiting for a Publisher
After working hard to get your proposal just right we send it out to a select list of publishers. Then we all sit back and wait. It can take 3-6 months to hear an answer from a publisher. The longest our agency waited was 22 months before we received a contract offer. No kidding. Just shy of two years. [Both I and my client had already moved on, thinking the project was dead.] But that is truly the exception. I believe that if we don’t receive some sort of answer within four months it is probably not going to connect.
That record was recently surpassed by a client who was contacted by a magazine asking to publish a poem she submitted twenty-six years ago…in 1990. You read that right. I wrote about it in October in case you missed the article “How Long Should You Wait for an Answer?” In 1990 I was still working as a bookseller and never dreamed I’d be a literary agent. Evidently this magazine keeps great files and a new editor must have been going through the archives!
Waiting for Your Contract
Once terms are agreed upon it can take quite a while to get the actual contract issued by some publishers. Many can take as long as two months to generate the paperwork. We once had to change the date of the contract because it had taken so long to create the paperwork that the due date for the manuscript was earlier than the actual date on the contract! This delay can be excruciating. Ask your agent what is typical for the specific publisher you are working with. That way your expectations will be set.
Waiting for Your Editor
You met your deadline. And then you wait.
Months.
And you begin wondering if anyone is reading the manuscript at all!
This is actually quite typical. The publisher needs to have the manuscript in hand to know that it actually has been written. But don’t think the editor is sitting at their inbox, on the due date, with rapt anticipation of receiving your contracted manuscript. They manage their time in order to keep things in the queue and moving along. It can very frustrating to wait. The key here is to be in communication with your editor. It is okay to ask! Or talk to your agent to see if they know if there is anything going on that is preventing that editor from working on your book.
Waiting for Your Marketing and Publicity to Kick In
The new author is so excited about their new book that they want to start chatting about it the day after they turn in the manuscript. A great athlete or sports team wants to peak at the right time, never too early. The same with book promotion. If you begin tweeting and creating Facebook posts, without inventory online or in stores, to back it up the window of sales opportunity closes.
“But e-books solves that issue because they can be ready today!” you shout. True. But don’t forget that a lot of people still buy physical books in stores, online, and off your back table at an event. The physical book is still alive and well and must be available if your publicity and marketing is to be effective.
Waiting for Your Money
When I became an agent I didn’t know I’d become a Collections Agent…not just a Literary Agent. Getting paid can take time (i.e. waiting).
Waiting for the “on signing” advance — normally the publisher will take a full 30 days before issuing the check after the contract is counter-signed and officially executed.
Waiting for the “on acceptance of manuscript” advance — this can vary widely. Just because you turned it in doesn’t mean it is acceptable. One publisher we work with will not issue an “acceptance” check until the book has gone through every stage of the editorial process and has been sent to production for typesetting. This can take months. My suggestion is that you take your due date and then add four months…that way you don’t budget for the money to come earlier.
Waiting for the advance to earn out and new royalty earnings to arrive — yes, some books do not earn out their advances. But many do earn out and the royalties eventually start coming, even if in tiny increments. This can take awhile, depending on the advance and the book. We recently had a client’s book with a small advance finally earn out five years after it had been published.
Indie Authors Wait Too
For those of you who are publishing independently you may feel like you’ve skipped most of these stages. And that is partially true. But a wise writer won’t put their book out into the market before it is ready. This means taking the time to write the best book possible. Taking the time to have the book edited professionally…not by just anyone who took an English class is school. Taking the time to find the right book cover to represent your book. Taking the time to create and execute a strategic marketing plan (a plan that is more than simply uploading an ebook and charging 99 cents). Taking the risk of investing enough money in the right places for the right results.
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At each stage the writer chaffs at the process. This is quite understandable. I once read an author’s angry screed (on their blog) criticizing their publisher for the excruciating process of getting their book out. The problem, as I see it, is that the author’s expectations were not in line with reality. Much of a writer’s angst can be avoided by understanding the process and modifying their expectations to match.
Therefore my encouragement for you is to learn how to wait. Some scientists even claim that it might be good for you (click here for the article). It is to your benefit to accept the nature of this process and embrace the agony of waiting. Anticipating the result can be as fulfilling as holding the finished product.
[A version of this post first ran in 2011.]
Informative blog, thanks for the thorough explanation.
Waiting is indeed the life of a writer, and I wrote about this some time ago in our Birth of a Novel blog. http://bit.ly/s0A8lg
“Waiting,” however, can also be seen as a spiritual practice. As people of God, and as writers, we are always in some process of waiting because I believe this is a part of our being and who we are.
“People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait. They have received something that is at work in them, like a seed that has started to grow. This is very important. We can only really wait if what we are waiting for has already begun for us. So waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something else.”
-Henri Nouwen
This reminds me of my 20 yrs in the service. On the first day of boot camp – before we were issued our weapons or even our uniforms, we learned the unofficial motto of ‘Hurry up and wait’. It was a career-long lesson.
Being a soldier is hard for independent thinkers. You don’t see what the upper level sees. You don’t understand why they make certain decisions. You don’t want to wait when you can be forging ahead for the advantage.
To the uncomprehending civilians who asked how I survived military life, I always answered the same… I played their game. I’m not trivilizing the important job of a soldier, here. What I’m saying is that in my mind, boot camp and what came after was similar to a game. You played by the rules, you accomplished assigned tasks, and you bided your time until they called you forward. Simple logistics.
Writing is the same. Almost. No one shoots at you for doing an inferior job.
Anita Mae.
Perhaps not, but it might make an interesting plot.
Thank you, Anita. You draw a clear picture of an author’s life. And BTW, thank you for those “20 years of service” to me and this great Nation. There is much to be gained in playing by the rules, creating our words as clear as possible, and looking to Adonai Elohim for open or closed doors.
L. Jane Mohline
The hard thing about waiting and what the article seems to point out is the silence. People are willing to wait for greater rewards, but they have to have enough hints to tell them that their waiting is not in vain. An author spends months working on a book because they think it will pay off in some kind of reward. They send it off to an agent with the expectation of a reward. But when there is little or no feedback, the promise of that reward fades and the waiting becomes difficult
Couldn’t agree more, Timothy. I don’t think it’s a case of just wanting to hurry everyone along. I think it’s that you just want to know where you stand and that you haven’t been forgotten. I waited seven months just to hear if an agent was going to OFFER me representation. Waiting is NOT the problem. Having no communication or being told you’ll hear when you won’t…that’s what takes its toll.
We live in a day when people can stand beside the microwave oven thinking, “Come on; hurry up! Cook faster!” We’re trained to expect instant gratification. I rejoice that I live in an era when I don’t need to write with a quill and a bottle of ink. That would definitely try my patience.
If an author craves quick sales followed by relatively quick checks, I would point that individual toward periodical writing, where you can sell an 1800-word story for $300-$475 and more. I’ve been blessed with many such sales, but the lure of novel-writing still beckons.
Rick,
I am fairly new to all of this and so far my patience hasn’t been stretched. Maybe it’s because I have read so many wonderful blogs telling me how long it takes, regardless I am thankful to be on course and going along nicely. However, I am interested in your suggestion of periodical writing, it would be nice to potentially earn some money while I am working on getting an agent for my novel. Could you give me some advice on how to go about doing this? Who do I contact and how does it work?
Thank you.
TC, short stories and articles require a different approach to writing than you’ll use for authoring novels. I call short stories the SWAT teams of literature: you jump in, you do your job quickly, and then extract again without excessive time devoted to reflection or admiring the scenery. How to begin? That depends somewhat on the genres you like to write. However, if you’ve never written and submitted short pieces, let me recommend that you study articles devoted to those subjects. Learn the meaning of “first rights,” too. If you already subscribe to some magazines, consider whether you have ideas that could be sculpted to please their clientele. Never write a short story and then wonder, “Hmm. Who might buy this?” Handcraft submissions for a specific publisher’s needs, and study the periodical’s writers guidelines diligently to avoid wasting time (both yours and theirs). Best wishes to you!
Rick,
Thank you for the information! I will look into it more. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Great post. It helps me keep my expectations realistic as I move forward in this journey.
Thanks for sharing this. It helps me in my waiting game. Really appreciate you taking the time to invest in sharing your knowledge with others.
Great post. Reminds me of speaking to an elementary school group of sixth graders as a “writer”. I asked them three simple questions: “How many of you would like about half of your job to be surfing the internet for research and being on social media?” All the hands went up. “Now, how many of you would like to work by yourself all day?” About half the hands came up. “Great. Now how many of you would be willing to work 20 years for your first paycheck?” One hand. I looked at the little girl in the front row and smiled at her. “Mikala, you might be a writer.”
That reminds me of a quote from Mark Twain, he offered a proof that a man was suited for writing, namely, his is “to write without pay until somebody offers pay. If nobody offers pay within three years, the candidate may look upon this circumstance with the most implicit confidence as the sign that sawing wood is what he was intended for. If he has any wisdom at all, then, he will retire with dignity and assume his heaven-appointed vocation.”
I would add more one more section : Waiting for the right words to come.
Great reminder, Steve. One thing I’ve learned in the past few years is patience. Waiting for the contract, waiting for the advance, waiting for “final approval” have all taught me to be more patient. The biggest lesson in patience was waiting for that very first stand alone novel contract. Theresa wasn’t far off the mark in that willingness to wait 20 years for the first paycheck. It’s been worth the wait and then some to work with the people I’ve met in these past few years. Have an awesome agent, too. 🙂
It helps to know the process.
I’m still trying to get my mind around the idea that waiting is good for me. Is that akin to eating vegetables? ;o)
I personally feel that self-publishing is the way to go. I have done the “waiting” game. And its not because I like everything “now!!” that I hate it so much, its more like this:
I do all the work. I pour my days and nights into a book, then I have to polish said work-which means more days and nights, then I have to submit to ONE place and wait. Then I have to wait for a rejection to submit to another. And another. But I cannot send more than one at time over some silly “rule” that somebody, somewhere made up. This all can take a year or more.
THEN what if I do get picked up? Then if its an agent we have to wait more to get a publisher. If its a publisher, then you can tell me whether I need to change my title, change my content, and you get a cut of the little money it would get sold for in the store. Everyone gets a cut of MY work…..the bookstore, the publisher, the agent, etc. Then I am left with very little, and considering I am the one who did all the work in the first place. How is that fair? Granted, the editor would be handy to fix any mistakes and make it sound better, but my husband and I are both writers (and both are very good at editing) we can do each other’s work for free. I know Photoshop so I make our bookcovers.
I think this whole “publishing game” is coming to an end with the rise of self-publishers on Nook and Kindle, UNLESS they start scouring the self-published works out there and start picking those up, which would be smart. Granted, this also means there are a lot of crappy books out there…writers who publish even though they can’t write very well. But who knows, somebody may like those people’s books. I mean people read James Patterson’s awful “chick lit”-which are traditionally published btw, so anything is possible 🙂
I don’t make much money self-publishing, but I do sell a good amount of books and that’s what matters. I write for other people to read, not to be rich. I think people are living a pipe dream if they think they will have the success of Stephen King (whose horror I hate-but love his fantasy) or Jodi Picoult (and one of her books stink-although the others are great). But if people are buying your books, no matter how much or little, you’re a professional writer and that’s amazing 🙂
Thanks, Steve. This article is helpful. I’m in one of those “waiting” stages. Without any communication, it’s easy to fear that the proposal or manuscript is lost in cyberspace. It would be great if writers could get even a short acknowledgement that materials were received.But maybe even that would be time consuming for the agent/editor–time that could be used for more productive things.
Is it true Steve, that this time of year the waiting is even longer?
That nothing really moves through the month of December.
Hilarey,
Yes, December is technically a “slow” month.
But we’ve already done a new deal for a client this month (and it’s only the third business day of the month).
Typically around the 19th or 20th of December through the first few days of the new year we see few decisions made at an executive level. There may be people in the office, but not enough for a quorum to make publishing decisions.
I know many editors use the “quiet” time to get caught up on an overstuffed inbox or a desk’s inbox with paperwork.
The bonus is that as I wait, I will have plenty of time to work on my next project!
LOL I have and continue to wait for many of those things, even right at this moment.
I think we all have to take a sort of Zen approach to the whole process (chop wood, carry water thing) which is to enjoy the journey and remember life is a journey and not a (series of) destinations. Always reminding ourselves God is in control, he knows what he is doing in our lives, and he has a plan and expected end for us should put us in the right mindset to “let go and let God.” I really do think that is one of the most valuable lessons he tries to teach us in this life–to trust that he knows what he is doing with and in our lives and careers. That’s a real test of faith IMHO.
I remind myself that after Moses and Paul were told their “destiny,” they had to wait many years before God used them fully and sent them out to impact their world. Sometimes God puts that calling in our hearts, but makes us waits years (for me decades) before jump-starting our writing career.
Thanks for the posts!
Ahhhhhh …..I am writing for my heirs. Perhaps I will revise my estate plan and leave any royalties to St. Jude’s !
Steve, it’s nice to hear about all the times and ways an author has to wait–not because I need a way to cope with them (although the post helps), but to assure me I’m not alone in these situations, all of which I’ve encountered. I appreciate your sharing.
“There is no time frame on God” was my tweat this morning. Your article hit right where I am. Thanks.
Writers, above all other professionals save for bomb techs, must learn to be patient. I learned a long time ago while I’m being patient, I can write another book or polish what I’ve written.
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. —Psalm 27:14 (NLT)
Steve, you are so right about indie needing patience and perseverance, too. I decided to go indie because that was the only way to keep the rights so we can use my novels to support missions. I never serve God with less than my best, and that takes time.
I don’t have to wait for committees to make decisions or wait in a queue for someone to get to me, but I have to do all the careful work of finding a skilled content editor and a cover designer (Roseanna White is mine, a client of your agency, and she is superb! She did a blog post on how she made my cover, and it’s amazing!).
Even before my manuscript goes to the professional editor, I’ve edited and fine-tuned it at least 8 times and had several beta readers and my critique partner read it. It’s all paying off. My debut went up at Amazon mid-November, and it already has 2 unsolicited 5-star reviews. I want to offer God my best. Those gave me some confidence that I am, but it’s a slow process getting there.
Patience doesn’t stop there. Platform requires perseverance. I have a blog site, but I’m targeting part of my likely audience with a separate Roman history site. That means writing articles, making crosswords, posting ancient recipes…and it’s already drawn visitors from 18 foreign countries. Some from Great Britain have even clicked through to Amazon.com, although I don’t know if they bought. I’ll be feeding and nurturing that site for years. No matter what type of author site or social media presence we have, it will be that long-term care and feeding that will make it a success.
I always told my kids, “Patience is a virtue. Cultivate it.” Now I tell myself that about my author journey.
Ha! Writing has taught me so much about the waiting process that I’ve just had a book published about Waiting (thanks, Steve!!). The book’s called WAITING FOR WONDER, Learning to Live on God’s Timeline, and much of what the writing/publishing process has taught me about waiting is wrapped up in the book! Anyway, cracked me up to see this post today!
Marlo,
Exactly!
For anyone looking for something to read on the topic of waiting, your book is applicable to all of life. Another possible subtitle could have been “The Spiritual Discipline of Waiting.”
(published by Abingdon last month) :
https://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Wonder-Learning-Live-Timeline/dp/1501820109/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480959355&sr=1-3&keywords=marlo+schalesky
I learn something new each time I read this blog. Thank you. 🙂
Penning an excellent novel is the beginning of the journey. This beginning though, is a lengthy process.
We need patience. We need to learn.
Hello,
I have a quick question about your proposal guidelines. For a fiction proposal, do I need to include an overview telling why a reader would want to pick up my book?
Thank you for your time,
Ashley
Ashley,
It depends.
The point of that exercise is to try to help the editor/publisher/agent understand how your book is unique.
A fiction proposal can skip that question and then hope the story itself is unique enough to stand on its own. The question is more of a non-fiction issue, for sure. But at the same time if yours is a Civil War novel, then why should we look at it? There are dozens of them. Or yours is an epic fantasy…but realize I see a dozen epic fantasy proposals every month.
But if you find yourself lost in the exercise of articulating the answer to the above question, then skip the exercise. That is why we call them “Guidelines” and not “Rules.”
Hope that helps,
Steve
Thank you. This does help!
Steve, while I am waiting, I have started the research for my second book. I’m not one for waiting, so I keep moving ahead….while I am waiting.
Like several others who commented on this post, I believe patience rings loud and long. The writer’s core is to nurture the art – yes, an art because it isn’t easy, for sure – of patience. I’d like to add persistence, too. That cause and effect attitude.
Thanks, Steve. I love learning from this blog.
Wow, am I late in checking this article. Maybe … I was simply being patient. Ha. OK so, I take some license with Rommans 5:3-4. But look what our endurance produces? Great characters. 🙂
Since I am from the land of The Saurus, I went from my silly interpretation of true suffering (which is what we feel like.. yes?), I plucked –because, I am learning to wait — some gems.
*visualize, wait for, prepare for, anticipate, endure, make allowance, rest in, sojourn, expect, stay, and tarry.
I pray (visualize) while I tarry. Rest while I make allowance for those who labor over the manuscript read, sojourn onto my next novel, anticipate with hope while I endure (ha ha) months. And more.
This is a great article for those of us who type their fingernails short, and try not to bit our remaining nails to the quick.
Thank you!
Claire/Cindy
ROMANS phttp. SPaG in a reply.
-c
groaaaaaaannnnnnnn
as an in-law of mine (new age, “genderless”) got a contract, his words, “It will be published in 2020.”
FAINT.
When I came to, I heard God laughing. Because, He is working patience in me (hey! I’m not praying for it, because, well I know better. But, apparently, He knows way more.).
And in answer to Hilarey, I agree. I sent mine in … August. No big deal, right? However the manuscript goes through the readers, (and perhaps editors?)and by the time it gets to the agent, it’s Thanksgiving and Christmas. So that six months for the wait turns into um, eight, maybe nine. So two things: allow God to mold our hearts into the patience He has for those He desires to come to Him (imagine that wait!)… and always send information I am going to venture a guess around the end of January.
Since I am not sitting in the agent’s office, I don’t know how close I am to the correct answer. But, the good thing is, my next novel is almost done!
-Cindy
ps I apparently don’t edit my comments. Ignore typos at will. Thank you. The Management
I learn something new each time I read this blog. Thank you.
Very informative. Big thanks for the title of a future blog–“The Agony of Waiting.”