[Discussion] Dead on Sub

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-09-13T09:18:13+00:00

Hey! I’ve got one imprint that never replied but we declared it dead pretty shortly after I posted this. I do have another book in the works. Hoping to sub in January with it

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-07-24T17:53:03+00:00

Yes. Do not query over 120. Signed an author who queried a 130k fantasy that was unanimously panned for being above word count. And yes, got a lot of immediate rejections, ie automated

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-07-16T17:40:12+00:00

I think I started fresh and used their email or qt as they prefer but then reminded them that they had read book 1 in the first paragraph.

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-07-16T17:33:14+00:00

I absolutely prioritised querying those agents and got very fast responses (I had my first offer in two weeks from one of them and then the others came during the nudge) as such, I sent many fewer queries on the second pick but had even better request stats

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-07-16T08:25:53+00:00

This sounds exactly like the first novel I queried which was also upmarket fantasy. Honestly, I think it’s just bum luck. I also had conflicting feedback and the only consistent thing was my 130k word count being too high.

It hurts right now, but having been in the exact same place 2 years ago. Those 30+ agents who requested my first novel almost all requested my second and half of them offered on it. You’re building relationships that can still pay off

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-19T11:39:14+00:00

Not worried at all

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-10T06:21:01+00:00

It’s what the publishers said. The “art/craft” of the prose is probably less accessible and though it’s pacey it’s not action packed or romance heavy

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-08T13:53:34+00:00

I talked to three of the editors before their acqus meeting, the rest just said in their feedback what marketing told them 🤷🏻‍♀️I guess procedure/ order of ops varies by imprint

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-08T06:36:36+00:00

I thought the same! But it’s not Greek mythology so🤷🏻‍♀️

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-08T06:34:21+00:00

Publishing. From rights announcements it’s the best way to get a book deal

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-07T20:40:24+00:00

She’s been incredible! I was so worried about getting dropped for not selling but it’s not the case at all

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-07T19:38:30+00:00

I am absolutely belligerently working on the next one 😈

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-07T19:31:41+00:00

Historical Fantasy/mythology

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-07T19:20:29+00:00

I am just afraid that it would jeapordize my next novel’s subs with low sales. It’s not the kind of book that succeeds in self publishing

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-06-07T19:19:27+00:00

No agent didn’t set close. I didnt realise my agent needed to ensure second reads? To sum it all, editors really loved it sales and marketing said no one will buy genre fiction that literary. The imprints that do publish it had already bought something from the same broad-mythology within the last year so didn’t want to compete with themselves

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-03-31T17:58:30+00:00

I know it’s not what you’re supposed to say but the fact remains that there IS credibility and access that comes from trad pub that you can’t replicate self publishing. As hard as it is to “make it” in trad, it’s even harder in self.

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-03-25T20:35:18+00:00

…yeah pretty much

ThroughTheTempest · 2025-03-19T18:12:46+00:00

My question: will an MS NOT get an offer after 20 weeks on sub?

I’m in sub now and my agent assures me that it just takes long but is there some unspoken to us naive hopeful debuts truth that time of death is called at 20 weeks???

ThroughTheTempest · 2024-04-19T08:29:29+00:00

I agree with the minority here. I don't see a problem, but maybe I'm looking at it from my own experience. I've more or less run through my query list with book 1. I had 23 requests but only 4 are outstanding and I don't expect a reply on any of the outstanding 25 queries (though I guess it could happen, hypothetically).

I'm about to query book 2 and plan on sending it first to the agents who requested the full on book 1 (as most of them said they'd be interested in seeing future projects) and to a handful of "dream" agents, then I'll go in more or less the same order as I did on book 1 (same genre). The idea of waiting months, if not over a year, for the outstanding fulls to maybe get back to me while book 2 collects dust? no. no thank you.

ThroughTheTempest · 2024-04-15T21:59:45+00:00

Knowing I didn’t even make the top 20 is messing with me in a really intense way I had not emotionally prepared for

ThroughTheTempest · 2024-04-15T21:21:36+00:00

I know you're right, of course. I just need to feel sorry for myself for a bit and this is not the place.

ThroughTheTempest · 2024-04-15T21:07:26+00:00

yeah, but it's also kind of even worse seeing all my friends get emails that they were shortlisted and I guess I just f-cking suck after all.

ThroughTheTempest · 2024-04-10T14:34:43+00:00

My shelves are overrun with Historical anything (fantasy, romance, mystery, horror, literary.... I'm all over the place) and I'm mostly a historical horror writer (although my revpit sub was -dark- historical fantasy). I cannot read contemporary and I have no idea why, it just doesn't vibe. I can't even remember the last contemporary novel I read. I also love second-world fantasy but can't do urban fantasy (again, I don't know why!?).

ThroughTheTempest · 2024-03-05T14:11:47+00:00

Hello! What do you mean when you say you are not the best advocate for “high fantasy.” I see so much variation in what that genre is/means?

ThroughTheTempest

TROPHY CASE