\n
Not every part of the year is made equal in terms of manuscript submission timing. Of course, it\u2019s true that agents and publishers sometimes go \u201copen\u201d to submission and then wink \u201cclosed\u201d on their own schedules. That\u2019s why doing rigorous research is so important\u2014you will want to check everyone\u2019s submission guidelines before you send your query or submission package. Sometimes an individual is overwhelmed, on maternity or paternity leave, deciding to scale back on signing new clients, etc.<\/p>\n
But there are definitely times of the year that are generally considered to be poor submission targets.<\/p>\nYou feel the urgency to submit, but there are some times you\u2019d be wise to hold it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTimes to Avoid Manuscript Submission<\/h2>\n We are now deep in the no-go zone: Thanksgiving through New Year\u2019s. Agents and publishers are vacationing, sleeping, or, more likely, catching up on submissions and slush from the rest of the year. Most are either officially or unofficially closed to submissions. Most agents won\u2019t even go out with client projects after November 1st because a publishing decision requires consensus\u2014and consensus is out of town.<\/p>\n
The same could be said about the end of summer. Traditionally, August has been a slow time in publishing, though I\u2019ve heard over and over that the 24\/7 business environment has gotten in the way of this summer idyll.<\/p>\n
You may also want to be cognizant of some of the bigger publishing trade shows, which happen in March (Bologna\u2014specific to children\u2019s books), June (London Book Fair), and October (Frankfurt), and whenever for whatever is happening to Book Con\/Book Expo. Obviously, a lot of these events have been up in the air since the pandemic, so publishing people aren\u2019t traveling all over creation.<\/p>\n
A note about the last few mentions, though: You cannot predict what a person is doing right down to the second, or when they will sit down to read submissions. You don\u2019t know if they\u2019re going to Frankfurt. You don\u2019t know if they\u2019re having a baby. You don\u2019t know if they just got the flu.<\/p>\n
Manuscript Submission Timing Takeaway<\/h2>\n You can only do your best to prognosticate about when to submit. Just avoid Thanksgiving to New Year\u2019s. Sometimes this means that the agent you were hoping for will go closed to submissions suddenly. That\u2019s okay. I\u2019d recommend having a favorite and a Plan B at every major agency, just in case.<\/p>\n
What To Do With Downtime<\/h2>\n As we near the biggest submission blackout period of the year, you might find yourself wondering what to do with your submission\/writing\/manuscript energy. Here are three suggestions:<\/p>\n
\nPlan the future<\/strong>! Work on another project. After you submit, you\u2019ll want to keep your creative wheels spinning, so plan your next move.<\/li>\nRevise<\/strong>! If you want to shoot your best shot, you\u2019ll want to have the strongest possible manuscript to go out with. Authors admit that they tinker with already-published works in their heads as they read. You can always do another revision polish. Why not now?<\/li>\nRead<\/strong>! If your writing or revision work needs a break, catch up on your reading pile. This may not seem like \u201cactive\u201d writing or revision work, but you are gathering information about the craft and the market by reading\u2014inside and outside of your category.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nWhen the new year dawns and it\u2019s time to submit, you will be that much of a stronger candidate.<\/p>\n
\nIf you\u2019d like advice on your Submission Package Edit<\/a> in the meantime, consider working with me as your freelance editor.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Not every part of the year is made equal in terms of manuscript submission timing. Of course, it\u2019s true that agents and publishers sometimes go \u201copen\u201d to submission and then wink \u201cclosed\u201d on their own schedules. That\u2019s why doing rigorous research is so important\u2014you will want to check everyone\u2019s submission guidelines before you send your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":354556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99852,175676,175677],"tags":[114992,32691,51473,9868],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-354555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice","category-query-letter","category-submission","tag-kidlit","tag-manuscript","tag-submission","tag-timing"],"yoast_head":"\n
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