Just like you submitted your query to agents, your agent will craft a pitch and send it to a carefully-chosen list of acquiring editors at publishing houses. Ideally, they know what these editors like and already have a relationship with them. The better fits they send, the more likely an editor is to check out the agent’s pitch.
When I refer to publishing houses, this could be one of the “Big 5” — Penguin/Random House, Hachette Book Group, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, Macmillan — or a smaller press like Algonquin or Counterpoint or Seal, or one of the many university presses.
A note about imprints. These are divisions within a publishing house. Each imprint publishes different types of books. For example, Macmillan has several imprints, including St. Martin’s Press, Tor/Forge, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Likewise, under the Simon and Schuster umbrella, you’ll also find Scribner, Touchstone, Atria, and many others.
Each of these imprints has a team of editors who acquire new books and then work to bring the book to bookstores. They work with the author to make the story as strong as it can possibly be. Like a project manager, they also shepherd the book through each phase of pre-publication from proofing to cover designer to marketing and publicity to distribution.
Your big task here is to be patient and keep sane. I don’t know anyone who enjoys this process, but I know those who check their email every five minutes, constantly nag their agents, or stalk editors on social media, end up worse for wear. You’re not going to feel chill, but do whatever you can to stay distracted.
How long does it take to get a book deal after you go “on submission,” as that waiting period is called?
Oh boy. This varies so much there’s no way to even ballpark it. I’ve had friends whose books were submitted on a Friday and sold at auction on Monday. For others, like me, it has taken many, many months. One of the reasons it can take so long is that your agent will probably pitch editors in batches (just like the way I suggest you pitch agents). So if no one in the first batch ultimately offers to buy the book, they can revise their pitch or you can revise the book (or both) before trying again.
That’s how it worked for me. My agent sent to a handful of editors, and although we had some very close moments, and I spoke with semi-interested editors, it was clear I would need to make changes before anyone was ready to buy.
Why does it have to be so hard, you ask? Because editors can only spend time and money on a few books each year, so they have to choose very carefully. They need to love, love, love it so much they’re willing to spend the next year or two of their life on it and they need to convince the sales and marketing departments that the book will make money.