I have a question for you. I resubmitted a manuscript with revisions at the request of a large LDS publishing company. They’ve been in possession of it for eight weeks now and I haven’t heard from them yet. When would it be appropriate (or is it?) for me to send them a courteous follow up email inquiring about the status of the novel? They got back to me very quickly the first time through (four weeks) with the request for some revisions, and now I’m a little nervous about the increased wait time. Would you share your opinion/experience on handling this situation?
While eight weeks is a lifetime for an author, it’s the blink of an eye to a publisher. It’s probably still in committee, or out to readers. I wouldn’t worry about it. Give them another four weeks, then send a quick email.
Are there any simple tricks that I can do with my finished manuscript that will help a publisher be a little more impressed with my work?
– Chas
http://chas.willowrise.com
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Offtopic: Incidentally, I figured out why your blog is difficult to read at work. Elements of your template are blocked by our filter. Just so you know. Mystery solved.
Chas,
Have someone (or a few people) read through it to find any problems. Check it thoroughly for spelling and grammatical mistakes (don’t rely on your spellchecker). Make sure it’s formatted properly (check publisher guidelines). Be sure it’s your very best work. Also, make sure the publisher you plan to submit to accepts the genre in which you’ve written (don’t send fantasy to a publisher that only accepts romance, etc.). Go through the archives here for advice on submitting.
If you can, think about attending the LDStorymakers conference next month. Not only will there be great classes that will help you in your writing, there will also be reps from LDS publishers, an agent, and a freelance editor.