Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.
Don't assume the worst
Published about 7 hours ago • 7 min read
The Manuscript Works Newsletter
Essential knowledge on scholarly book publishing that every author should have
Hello Manuscript Workers!
What's in this edition:
Quick tip: Don't assume the worst when communicating with publishers
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This newsletter is coming to you from Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD, professional developmental editor and publishing consultant. I help scholarly writers navigate the book publishing process with more ease and agency.
I hope you'll stick around for practical tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book, but if you'd like to adjust your subscription settings, you can do that at the bottom of this message.
Being primed to receive bad news is baked into the experience of being an academic. There are lots of reasons for this that I won't go into right now, but I'm sure you're aware of many of them.
I've seen in my work with academic authors that this attitude of fear often spills over into the book publishing process. My clients are so accustomed to rejection and slim odds of success that they assume negative responses from publishers are more likely than positive ones.
While it's true that not every book project will be accepted enthusiastically by every publisher, I've noticed that aspiring authors are sometimes too quick to interpret a response negatively. They forward me messages they've received from their acquiring editors and ask, "does this mean they don't want to publish my book?" In a lot of cases, my interpretation is totally different from theirs. Where they see someone reluctant to consider their book, I see a publisher who is intrigued or who wants to hear more or who simply needs a little additional information so they can move forward with the project.
Here are just a few example scenarios:
What the editor says: "Please resubmit your proposal and sample chapter with a few revisions." What the author hears: I've made a bad first impression and probably ruined my chances of publishing with this press. The reality: Acquiring editors don't give a revise-and-resubmit response unless they are genuinely excited by a book concept and see a potential home for it at their press. They want you to have the strongest submission package possible when the project is considered by peer reviewers and their editorial board, so they are giving you some tips to help you get there.
What the editor says: "After looking at your proposal and sample chapter, I'd like to see the full manuscript." What the author hears: My initial materials weren't good enough. The editor doesn't really want to move forward but is taking pity on me and letting me submit more of the manuscript before they give me an outright rejection. The reality: Editors don't have time to consider full manuscripts they aren't actually interested in publishing. They are hoping that with the full manuscript in hand, they can move expeditiously through peer review and publication approval.
What the editor says: "The peer reviewers had some reservations about your materials. Please write a memo outlining your response." What the author hears: The peer reviewers didn't like my book and the publisher is no longer interested. The reality: If the peer reviews were so negative that they caused the publisher to lose interest in your book, they would cut the project loose, not ask you to write a response to the reviews. The publisher is asking for a response because they have faith you can make the needed revisions and the editor plans to seek publication approval for your project (but they can only do so with your response in hand).
If you've ever been in one of the above situations, I hope these quick reframes have helped you feel better about the response you received!
My job as a publishing advisor for scholarly authors frequently involves helping them see the positive potential inherent in a response that might at first glance seem ambiguous or even discouraging. To be honest, this is one of my favorite parts of my work, because I too am an anxious writer and I know firsthand how empowering these kinds of pep talks can be.
Learning not to assume the worst isn't about having a delusional, pollyanna attitude. It's about learning to interpret communications within a new context (the publishing industry) that most academics don't have much experience with. Having supported hundreds of writers over the past decade-plus, I have the benefit of calling on a much broader set of experiences than the average individual has access to, and I love being able to pass that insight on to each new author I work with.
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Frequently asked question
I submitted materials to a publisher but I never got a response. Does this mean they don't like my book?
Answer: There are a couple academic publishers out there whose submission instructions say that if you don't hear back within a given number of weeks after submitting your book proposal, then you should assume they won't be moving forward. I really dislike this kind of policy, because how would you know if they even received your submission? I do think that acknowledging receipt of materials with a form response is the least a publisher can do, even with a high volume of submissions.
However, in most cases, you can assume that you will receive some kind of response when you submit materials for consideration. If you aren't hearing back, here are some possible reasons:
The editor may need to discuss your project with other people at the press before they can get back to you. They may even be trying to identify potential peer reviewers before letting you know that they want to move forward. These communications can take a few weeks, especially if the editor has to wait for a regular meeting to occur.
You haven't allowed enough time for the editor to get to your project in their inbox. New submissions are usually low priority compared with the other more urgent issues that fill up an acquiring editor's days. Give it a month before sending a polite follow-up message.
Your message didn't make it to the editor. I have heard of submission materials ending up in an editor's spam folder by mistake. This is truly bone-chilling to me, because there's nothing you can do to prevent it and there's little way of knowing if it's happened. My advice is that if you have good reason to believe an editor would respond to you (e.g. they've specifically requested that you send them materials) and you aren't hearing anything, try to contact someone else at the press, such as the editor's assistant or the press's editorial director. Even without the spam folder possibility, it could be that the editor is on leave or has left the press. As long as you express polite concern (and not pushy entitlement), it's okay to reach out to someone else to find out what's going on.
Notice that even though none of these scenarios is ideal, the lack of response in each case has nothing to do with your project being bad or unwanted by the press. As frustrating as waiting can be, you can at least not make it worse by telling yourself negative stories about your book's value (let alone your value as a scholar). It is possible that a rejection is coming, but it's not necessarily likely. Understand that waiting will be part of the process, and try to find something else to keep you busy while things take their course.
PSA: Check your spam folder regularly! I once found an email from an acquisitions editor who wanted to talk to me about my next book project. I never would have seen it if I hadn't checked.
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Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.