Happy last day of July, Reader!
I spend a good deal of my working hours answering author questions about the book publishing process. I've been hosting daily Q&As this week as part of my Book Proposal Sprint (which you can still join here), and I also regularly field questions from alums of my programs and even strangers who send me emails. It's interesting to notice when certain topics seem to be on everyone's mind, as I'll tend to get upticks in questions about certain topics at different times.
One question that I've been getting multiple versions of lately is about following up with an acquiring editor that an author has previously been in conversation with. Usually the gist of the matter is that an author talked to an editor about their book project a long time ago (maybe even a few years ago). The editor was some degree of encouraging about the project and told the author to get back in touch when they were ready to share more. In some cases the "more" was a full book proposal, in other cases it was a completed sample chapter or two, and in yet other cases, the editor wanted to hear from the author when the full manuscript was complete.
While the correct course of action seems pretty straightforward—they told you to get back in touch when you had the thing, therefore you should just get back in touch when you have the thing—people generally come to me with questions because they worry its been too long since the editor asked for the thing. They're not sure if it's really ok to just get back in touch about the thing if it's been months or years since the editor expressed interest.
The short answer is yes, it's fine to follow up whenever you're ready to follow up! Even if you said you would follow up in two months and it's now been two years! You would certainly not the be the first author to disappear for a while and then resurface. You probably wouldn't even be the hundredth author to do it to this particular editor. If your project was interesting to them a few years ago, it could certainly still be interesting to them today.
Some tips to keep in mind before you send a message:
- Make sure the editor is still employed by the same publisher. If they've moved on to a job at another press (or left the publishing industry), they might not be the right person for you to contact anymore. If you had a strong rapport with that editor and would like to work with them at their new employer, make sure they are still acquiring in the same subject area and that the new press would be a good match for your needs and goals. You should be able to figure out this information by doing some investigating on the publisher's website.
- If your editor has left the original publisher but you'd still like to publish there, you'll need to start a new correspondence with the new appropriate editor. When you contact that editor, mention that you had previously received interest from their predecessor. Be prepared to learn that the new editor may want to take things in a new direction. They may or may not be as interested in your project as the previous editor was. Have some other presses in mind in case this happens.
- Editors' time is short and their inboxes are full, so if you're going to email an editor, make sure you have a meaningful update in status to communicate. If you're a month away from finishing whatever the thing they asked for was, just finish it and get in touch when it's done. If you told them you'd have something by August 1st and you can now see that it will be more like February 1st, it's fine to drop a quick note to let them know you're not ghosting them, but don't expect a reply. Then send them your thing in February. The exception here would be if you're under contract and you had a specific date when your manuscript was due. If you are going to miss that date or have already missed it, you should definitely check in to let your editor know your status. Hiding for too long without getting explicit approval to extend your deadline could lead the publisher to cancel your contract. But in most cases, you should only reach out when there's a clear next action step for the editor to take.
- When you follow up, remind the editor of your last conversation and what they had asked for. You might think it would be better not to remind them because it will just highlight how late you are, but don't worry about that. You don't have to beg their forgiveness for being slow. You will hardly be the slowest author this editor has encountered. Stuff happens. Most editors are understanding. When you're ready to get the process moving, just get it moving. You can't change the past but you can still show up with an exciting, publishable book project!
Looking for more tips on following up with publishers? Check out this post from my archive or enroll in one of my book proposal programs. Program participants have direct access to me 24/7 through the Manuscript Works Author Support community, and I can offer perspective about any specific situation you might be facing with a publisher at any time.
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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.
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Manuscript Works Author Support is a private hub for ongoing support in your scholarly book publishing journey. Inside this community you'll get honest advice about publishers, peer review, offers and contracts, as well as join live Q&A sessions with Laura Portwood-Stacer and your fellow Manuscript Works authors.
This community is open to alums of the Manuscript Works Book Proposal Accelerator and Book Proposal Shortcut for Busy Scholars.
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