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![]() I also spend quite a lot of time editing my existing authors’ manuscripts, whether that’s making structural notes, doing a line edit, looking through their changes, or thinking about how to market and promote their books alongside the PR and Marketing teams. Most of the time, editors are in meetings or working with their existing authors during the 9-5 we have production meetings, Art meetings, editorial meetings, sales meetings, you name it, and we might also have phone calls with existing authors, chats with agents, training – other bits and bobs that mean less time for reading. Then the important bit – reading the submissions! It is very rare that I would drop everything and begin reading a submission straight away – I would only do this if a) it was something I’d been prepped and waiting for for ages, and I’d already alerted my company to the fact that it was coming, b) the agent had for some reason set a next day deadline c) I had a very quiet day – maybe a Friday – and thought the pitch sounded super exciting. I try to acknowledge all submissions, usually with just a short ‘thank you for thinking of me, look forward to reading’ because I remember when I was querying agents myself (I am an author as well as an editor) and I always was so paranoid that an email hadn’t sent properly or had gone to junk so I like just making sure the agent knows I have received the script. I also flag all submissions, which again serves as a reminder. I try to do this quickly, even if I am in the middle of something else, as if I don’t the email sort of sinks into my inbox and I hate that so I like to keep track of all subs and make sure I reply to everything. So I might write the title, and the agent’s name – I don’t usually write the author name as when I go back and search my emails it’s easier to search via the agent’s name. ![]() ![]() I keep a list of all my submissions in a draft email (I only started doing this last year and it’s really helpful) – so if I can, as soon as an email comes in from an agent I make a very rough note of it in my draft email, usually in a shorthand that will just remind me I need to look back at the submission when I have time. I get submissions every week – probably every day though there might be times when things feel quiet and nothing comes in. So how does it work on a practical level? Well, every editor works differently, so I can only really talk about my own process, but broadly speaking here it is. This year, the pandemic has of course made things harder, as everyone juggles work / home-schooling / anxiety / relatives – but books are still being read and bought and sold all the time. Yes, agents and editors get a lot of scripts sent in, but our job is to find the gems and we like doing it. All of this equals a lot of manuscripts flying around in the virtual hemisphere – but it should not put you off! If you are a writer wanting to be published, you HAVE to have hope and belief, otherwise you won’t ever realise your dream. That happens long before a submission ends up in an editor’s inbox. Then there are queries – when authors query literary agents, sending them their manuscripts in the hope the agents will decide to represent them. Unsolicited submissions are those sent directly from authors – most traditional publishing houses don’t accept these although there are open submission windows, competitions (such as one we just launched at HarperFiction – enter!), and some imprints (such as Bookouture) who do. The aim of sending an editor a submission is so that they will consider it for their list if an editor likes a submission and can persuade everyone else in the publishing house that it would be a good addition to their publishing schedule, they can make an offer for it. Starting with the basics, what IS a submission? (Most people reading this might know, but I actually don’t think everyone does – nor should they!) Submissions are what editors call unpublished manuscripts that are sent to them by literary agents. I thought I’d write a bit about submissions, after an interesting article in the Bookseller the other day.
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