Author Secrets #3 - Submitting Novels

Hey peeps! I recently spoke on Facebook about a book I had with Baen Books, but you guys will get more details about the story (as well as the lead up). 

SO!

If any of you decide to go the "traditional route" to publishing, the first thing you do is get an agent. You submit a "query letter" (as I previously discussed) and then wait for the agent to get back to you. If they like what you wrote, they ask to read the novel. 

Then you wait again.

If the agent liked what they read, they sign you! Yay! That means they'll represent you, and pitch your work to publishers. And when I say "pitch" I mean they send your books to acquisitions editors at publishing houses.

And then you wait again.

If an editor likes your stuff, they send it up to the senior editors!

And (spoiler alert) then you wait again.

And every time I write the word "wait" we're talking 2-6 months.

SO WHY AM I TYPING THIS? 

One of my bucket list things I always wanted to do as an author, even  before my first book hit the shelves, was to publish with Baen Books.

They're  not the biggest publishing house (people consider them middle of the  pack) BUT they publish some of my all-time favorite authors (including  Robert Heinlein, and Larry Correia). What I really wanted was to be  published alongside some of my favorites.

Years ago, my agent sent my manuscript, THE HALF-LIFE EMPIRE, to Baen Books to be reviewed for acquisition. The editor (Gray Rinehart) liked it and sent it up. Other people liked it, and then it went to the main editor (Toni Weisskopf).

It was with them for 2 years while they debated on whether they would acquire the rights. Ultimately, they said "no" but with a nice letter saying it wasn't because my writing was bad (they gave me lots of praise for the writing and characters) but that they didn't have room on their lineup, and maybe I should try again later.

Probably one of the most depressing emails I ever had to read, and I used to work as an attorney (lol) and some of those emails were really depressing.

2 years is a long time to wait for "no" from the only publishing house that I wanted to be part of, if that makes sense. 

Just to be clear: I'm not depressed! Just saddened, if that makes sense. I don't feel like waiting  another 2 years to try another book, since 2 years of not publishing it  would be 2 years of it just sitting on my shelves, doing nothing.

I  think I might have to let go of this bucket list dream, which is  another sadness. I halfway don't want to, because I'm stubborn--if it's on my list of things to do, THEN I MUST DO IT. 

After all, I think my stuff is good enough to be in their catalogue! But do I have the  patience to wait? I'm not so sure...

IN GOOD NEWS!

I might just publish The Half-Life Empire in November, which means I will have a  release for Oct (Final Decree), Nov, and Dec (Star Marque 2)  so it'll be fun happy times all around, right?

So much to read. (And you guys will get a bunch more chapters early, hopefully you're into that!)

I'll just have to lie around and think about it for a bit...

Thank you for attending my Ted Talk on random nonsense with Shami. lol