How do presses manage submissions and launches?
- Submissions managed through Submittable or equivalent.
- Editorial board: 2-4 readers per submission, scored on a rubric.
- Submission stages: submitted, in review, partial, full, contract, declined.
- Launches follow T-anchor calendars (T-180 through T+30).
- The submission and launch pipelines connect through acquisitions.
Presses manage submissions through an open-call window (Submittable or equivalent), an editorial board review process (two to four readers per submission, scored on a rubric), and a track from "submission" to "acquisition" with named stages. Launches follow a T-anchor calendar (T-180 through T+30) with editorial, production, and marketing in coordinated parallel.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Presses fail at either end: too-open submissions overwhelm the editorial board, too-closed launches miss visibility. The submission pipeline needs gating (a rubric, a board); the launch pipeline needs a calendar (T-anchors). Most operational improvements at a small press happen at these two ends.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A submission management tool: Submittable, Moksha, or similar.
- An editorial board of 2-4 readers per submission.
- A scored rubric per submission (voice, craft, market, fit).
- Submission stages: submitted → in review → partial → full → contract → declined.
- A launch calendar with T-anchors (T-180 through T+30).
- A handoff doc when a submission becomes an acquisition.
Chapter iii·Example
A small press runs Submittable for an annual three-month open call. Each submission gets two readers; the rubric scores craft (40%), voice (30%), market fit (20%), press fit (10%). Submissions over 75 advance to the board. Of 400 annual submissions, 12 advance and 4 sign contracts. Each becomes a T-anchored launch pipeline starting 12-18 months later.
WriteLoom connects the submission pipeline to the launch pipeline — once acquired, the book moves into a workspace without rekeying anything.
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