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Submissions : How They Do -- and When They Don't -- Work Or: Season of the Were Sloths*
While publishers do have goals and plans for submissions each year, including having well-written, profitable releases that reflect their market, we're dependent on what comes to us from authors.
I commented a long time ago on submission fertile and not-so-fertile seasons. Apparently there are times when authors write and others when they submit their writing. All of the writers. All at the same time.
If the publisher has a submissions call out with a deadline to meet, that makes sense. But that’s not the only time it happens. In my experience, our publishing company will be deluged one month and have comparatively little the next. The start of the new year is one time we get a lot of submissions. (Writers working during the holidays? Making good on a New Year’s resolution? I don't know.)
Of course if one kind of story is seen to sell well or get good reviews, we may find a lot of similar stories arrive in our email box… but not for a few months and not in a bunch. Sometimes I have the suspicion authors have all been to the same workshop or critique group because inexplicably we'll get several submissions that are similar within a month. Not just in plot, but perhaps they may have some have similar, unusual occupations or names or genres. It can be a struggle to decide what to do when you see three very good stories arrive that all sound somewhat alike.
Sometimes what we release isn't part of a huge master plan, other than the profitable, well-written releases plan I mentioned before… when we're faced with a wall of too similar submissions, we may often send many of them back for revision, but even when we spread the stories out, there's still more than we like of one genre, theme, etc. for awhile. So next time you hear more than one person saying "XXX is REALLY hot right now!" -- don't be too sure of that.
Treva Harte
She of the Gorgeous newly redesigned web site
Available for your viewing pleasure at www.TrevaHarte.com
*Note all the coherent parts of this blog were contributed by Treva. The were sloths subtitle and discussion about my website were contributed by the other so-called blogger on this team.
