Blog Series- Press Send Part 2

“PRESS SEND- PART 2”

Welcome back! Last week I talked about how long I’ve been writing and how I learned about eBooks. This week is all about submitting that first submission.

At the job I had back in 2008 I was able to write during the day without a lot of interruption. While it was very boring I was able to dig deep down and write.

After reading about several authors on MySpace I started to research e-publishers. I narrowed down three that I thought I might fit into. I went through their submissions guidelines and noticed two out of three have special projects (or call for submissions.)

Now I’m a planner. I have notebook, index cards, storylines, characters pages, etc all over my desk. I am not good, however, at staying with my notes. Lol! The stories just kind of take over. Easily influenced I guess.

So I set up when I needed to have the manuscripts done. The deadlines started in June and went from there. So I worked solid for four months, day and night, and wrote. I had the stories in my head. It was just a matter of getting them down.

Well I got three stories done.

Learning formats-

And every publisher wanted a different format. From line spaces to font. I sent out my submissions and waited.

And waited and waited and waited. (IF you know what I mean!)

During this period I wrote another story. I saw that one of the publishers that I had already submitted with was having a call for submissions. For their Halloween line.
With the fourth book finished I submitted.

So if you’re counting that is four submissions out. All in the summer of 2008.
August came around and I got my first rejection letter. I won’t lie- I cried. Just a basic letter stated there wasn’t a place for my manuscript with them. Not terribly bad but damn… Luckily I have a good support system. My dad you has seen his share of rejections and my husband who believes I can do anything anyway.

So okay 1 rejection. We’ll call that E. I reopened it and started to edit. To see if I can make it better. The end of August comes and I’m sitting at my desk one night playing around on the internet. I have yahoo messenger. Up pops up when you have a new message. It was a response to my submission.

It was a response to the fourth manuscript I sent out. I hold my breath and open it. Then start screaming, scaring the daylights out of hubby! I was offered a contract! Oh my God! I was offered a contract.

However I can’t share my news because I am hyper ventilating. After I calm down- and yes I’m crying again, I explain to hubby, call my dad, dance around, scream some more. (You know the normal stuff.) Then rely to the email. Oh yeah, kind of important to let them know that YES! The work is still available and yes I’d love for Total-E-Bound to publish it.
Yep, I said Total-E-Bound. My current publisher. They contracted my first book Savage Love and for release in October 2008.

Next week we will talk about the contract and edits but for now let’s get back to the submissions.
So now I have 1 rejection and I contract- that still leaves two out there. I start to work with my editor (who after a year I can honestly say damn she’s good.) I go through two edits with her before it is sent to the line editor. I find out what exactly British English means- although sometimes I still have issues.

This was a pretty long process. As I am getting ready for my release it dawns on me that I still have two submissions out there.

Yes I was extremely busy. One I was pretty sure was rejected. It had been for a Halloween special project. Since the time was closing fast I knew deep down I wasn’t going to get that one. The second was the first manuscript I had sent to Total-E-Bound.

So as I am emailing back and forth with my editor I ask her. It had been over three months.
Tip #3- Manuscripts/ Submissions get lost

Most publishers will give a deadline on how long it takes for them to respond. I have seen some from 2 weeks up till 3 months- so keep that in mind!

After that time has expired. SEND a nice quick email to inquire if they received it. Don’t go on and on but simply ask.

It turns out that my first submission to TEB was not found. I was asked to resubmit it. The neat thing about getting a foot in the door at one of the publishers is you no longer have to submit stories to the mass. It goes directly with the editor you work with.

Savage Love was released! And soon after that I received an email for a contract on the manuscript that I had resubmitted to TEB. At that time I sold Seduced by the Neighbour. My second book with TEB that was released in March for 2009.

I was still writing. I had edited the manuscript E that had been rejected and sent it to two new publishers. Still no word on the manuscript I had submitted for the Halloween call.
I made myself a goal. I wanted to have five books released in 2009.

So I concentrated and those.

Then the world shakes. You know that job that I went to and it gave me time to write? Yes, well obviously they were not doing well and I got laid off.

But it gets worse. Two weeks later Hubby is laid off.

Now I would like nothing more than stay home and write however that’s not going to happen. But luckily we have savings and it is decided for me to take a month off to spend with my daughter. So hey I get a vacation, right.

At this time I give up on my submission for the Halloween and after going through it and making some changes I submitted it to my editor at TEB. I can’t believe when they jump at the chance to release it.

I sign the contract and we continue to work on edits.

Now, did you get my tip a few paragraphs up? About emailing a publisher. Well here is another reason why.

When I submitted The Halloween manuscript I named the book Pack Alpha. Sound familiar? Lol! My bestselling book so far!

Well anyway, in the subject line is Submission: Halloween 2008 ----- -----

The lines for the publisher’s series name. I don’t want to get into who the publisher is. But I have already signed the contract for Pack Alpha with TEB and already went through the first set of edits. And seven months later I heard about my submission.

Yes she would like to offer a contract for Pack Alpha for the Halloween 2009 series. So I email her and quickly Thank her but let her know that I have already accepted a contract for it. Now in her email she responded to my original submission from seven months ago. Way past the three months they state.
And I think that’s the end of that but

NO she emails me back. Oh look I’ve pissed a publisher off. And all I wrote was Thank you for opportunity but at this time the manuscript has been contracted elsewhere. I hope you work with you in the future.

Did I say anything about contacting me seven months later? Nope but she obviously felt the end to inform me how submitting a manuscript works. I won’t share it all but tell you that it is customary to let people know when the submission has been contracted so they don’t waste their time.

And while I understand that. Really I do… I waited months until I submitted it elsewhere. The project that I submitted it for had already been released two months before. So I write her back.
Hey I’m a Texan- we have tempers. As nicely as I can I explain to her that I understand her position however after seven months instead of the three months stated I took it as a rejection. Or hey it could’ve gotten lost right? Oh I also remind her that I am a reader! In the final email back to me she is a little nicer. Tells me they’d be interested in seeing more of my work if I can guarantee they’d have first rights to it.

Biting my tongue there!!!

So we are back to the tip about emailing after the stated time for submission reviews to avoid situations like this.

Lesson learned the hard way.

So we are up to three books contracted- savage Love, Seduced by the Neighbour, and Pack Alpha.

By the way we still are at four total rejections for the manuscript we are calling E. Damn that books not doing well at all!!!

Okay so next week we will tackle edits and contracts. And are you curious about Manuscript E, yet?

Don’t forget to ask questions or share your own stories. Everyone comment will be entered to win a free eBook from my backlist.

Thanks for stopping by again,

Crissy