What happens when I go on submission to publishers?
- Submission is your agent sending the book to acquiring editors.
- Editors consider it, often over weeks or months.
- Interested editors take it to acquisitions meetings.
- Outcomes range from a fast sale to no offers.
- The process is slow and largely out of your hands.
When you go on submission, your agent sends your manuscript to a curated list of acquiring editors at publishers. The editors read and consider it — often over weeks or months — and those who are interested champion it internally, taking it to acquisitions meetings where the house decides whether to make an offer. It can sell quickly, sell after a long wait, or not sell at all. Submission is slow, largely outside your control, and the waiting is the hardest part.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Submission is an opaque, anxiety-inducing stage that authors rarely understand until they are in it — the silence can feel like rejection when it is just process. Knowing how it works (curated lists, slow editor reading, internal acquisitions meetings, a range of outcomes) sets realistic expectations and reduces the panic of the wait. It also clarifies what is in your control (almost nothing during submission) so you can channel your energy into the next book rather than refreshing your inbox.
Chapter ii·What to include
- The agent's curated editor submission list.
- Editors reading and considering over weeks/months.
- Acquisitions meetings for interested editors.
- A range of outcomes, including no sale.
- The slow, low-control nature of the wait.
- A focus on the next project during submission.
Chapter iii·Example
An author's agent submits her novel to ten editors. Weeks pass with little word — normal. Two editors express interest and take it to their acquisitions meetings; one makes an offer after two months. Understanding the process, she spends the agonizing wait writing her next book rather than reading the silence as failure.
WriteLoom keeps your project moving during submission, so the wait goes into your next book instead of your inbox.
See the Pitch studio