Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jean C. Joachim on June 21, 2011 at 7:55am

It's a double-edge sword. Authors go crazy waiting for months for a publisher to give them the green light. But I have never heard of an author demanding a contract from two publishers at the same time. That is a no-no. I have submitted simultaneously and signed with the publisher who got back to me within a week. But that was a submission. I never demanded anything and no one had to do more than read my chapters.

 

The author side of things is that if I have to wait three months, I'm going to submit to someone else. If they get back to me in a week and want my ms., I'm going to go with them. I doubt you'll get another writer like this character. At least I hope not. But please, don't keep us waiting months.

 

Permalink Reply by Mary Walker Baron on June 21, 2011 at 10:55am

Thanks.  As a writer myself I know how difficult it is to way for a response and I try to never do that.

Permalink Reply by Kelley Harrell on June 21, 2011 at 8:19am

Wow, that's ugly.  As Jean said, this goes beyond simultaneous submissions. You allowed an author to demand a contract on a manuscript that wasn't completed?  I assume his query must have been stellar, but still.  He was playing both ends, period.  I don't know how you can deal with him legally, but you can't be bullied by anybody.  That's what he did.  I love a welcoming editor, though that doesn't mean you have to cave to standards that don't fit your ethical or business model.  It seems you left yourself wide open for him to take advantage.  Decide exactly what your policy is with regard to contracts and timeframe, and stick to it.  Also, perhaps clearly state this on your website.

 

Push comes to shove, spread the word with your industry peers about what he did.  There are sites dedicated to publicly acknowledging bad agents and publishers.  And there's always the balancing humor of karma.  Sorry you had to deal with such a poop.

 

~Kelley ~ Soul Intent Arts ~ Intentional Insights ~ The Huffington Post

Permalink Reply by Jean C. Joachim on June 21, 2011 at 8:39am

I agree with Kelly except for one thing. I wouldn't post anything about him. People are trashing others all over the Net and, frankly, it makes the trasher look as bad as the trashee (if that's a word.) Would I submit to a publisher who had trashed another author publicly? Probably not. Certainly they would be last on my list.

 

You can't go wrong taking the high road. Authors try not to respond to nasty reviews and you should take the lesson learned but ignore the author. Public trashing can backfire.

Permalink Reply by Kelley Harrell on June 21, 2011 at 8:52am

I agree not to trash him publicly.  What I read about agents and publishers are warnings, which I am grateful for.  Every now and then is the ego-based rant, but for the most part it's a simple warning.

~Kelley ~ Soul Intent Arts ~ Intentional Insights ~ The Huffington Post

Permalink Reply by Jean C. Joachim on June 21, 2011 at 9:24am

I would be leery of a publisher who did that. What if they didn't like something I did or said? Would they be putting it up on some site, making our disagreement public? I would worry and if I had a choice between publishers, I would stay away from someone who did that, even if it appeared to be a fair warning. People have their own opinions as to what is a fair warning. I would avoid them.

Permalink Reply by Mary Walker Baron on June 21, 2011 at 10:57am

Guilty of bending over backwards way too far as far as the contract goes.  My only saving grace in that area is that the contract held the stipulation that once the manuscript was received and reviewed if it did not meet the criteria of the publisher the contract would be terminated.  I know where you are coming from about spreading the word but I wouldn't do that because it would eventually come back and bite me and in the long term isn't fair.  Thanks for your reply.

Permalink Reply by Judith Marshall on June 21, 2011 at 11:37am

Unfortunately, there's no law against multiple submissions.  Many writers (like myself) query a number of agents and/or publishers at a time.  If we waited for an agent or publisher to get back to us before moving on, it could take years to connect with someone. If that's a problem for you, I'd suggest that you stipulate on your website or wherever that you only accept exclusive submissions.  But then you might miss out of the next best seller.

Your scenario is similar to a realtor who has spent the last four weekends showing someone a house.  Then, on the fifth week, he calls tell say he's bought a house through another realtor who held an open house.  Frustrating, but nonetheless legal.

At least you now have a contract to use with someone else.

Regards,

Judith Marshall

Author of HUSBANDS MAY COME AND GO BUT FRIENDS ARE FOREVER, recently optioned for the big screen.

 

 

Sorry this one didn't work out.

Permalink Reply by Mary Walker Baron on June 21, 2011 at 11:57am

Thanks.  I appreciate your taking the time to reply.

Permalink Reply by Zetta Brown on June 21, 2011 at 1:01pm

Mary,

You have my sympathies. I absolutely HATE simultaneous submissions because they are a waste of time and resources. We make it clear in our submission guidelines that we do not want them. In fact, I wrote a blog post on my She Writes blog a while ago about this very thing.

"Simultaneous Submissions...and why we don't want them"

I was miffed when I wrote it and I get miffed when I think about it! LOL

Some authors try to be slick and work around it, but you'd be amazed at how many editors and publishers DO talk around their own water cooler, and if an author is making the rounds with a submission, word will get around too.

Permalink Reply by Mary Walker Baron on June 21, 2011 at 2:27pm

Thanks for getting back to me.  Much appreciated.