Three Years on Sub: Life in Writing Limbo

Hi, thanks for stopping by. It's been a while.

Yes, you read that title correctly. Since I was signed by my first literary agent, I’ve spent a collective total of around three years on submission ( I also signed with my second literary agent, which is a different story for another day). My fingers have been crossed so long, I'm afraid they might never be able to uncross.

Still, I'm not unique. This is a position writers can sometimes find themselves in that isn’t talked about that much, so I thought I’d share a bit about what’s been happening on my journey and how I'm trying to deal with it.

Just in case you’re not sure what I’m talking about when I say 'submission' or 'sub', you haven't stumbled into a Fifty Shades fanfic. It's the process of your literary agent sending your book to editors in the hopes they might offer a deal and buy it. I’ve gone out with three books now, and I’m about to go out with my fourth.

Submission can be a very long process, especially at the moment. On YouTube, you might have seen stories of authors who got snapped up after two weeks and received a six-figure dream offer. That’s the ideal scenario; one all us writers covet like a vampire looking longingly at a blood bank, but it isn’t reality for most of us. Things are slow at the moment. I know one author who got an offer after ten months and another who got one after two years (kudos to them for sticking with it). It was a big five publisher as well.

Because of this, part of me has wondered if I’ve pulled my books off submission too soon in favour of newer ones. The thing is, I feel like I’m getting better with every book I write, and when I eventually do debut, I want it to be with my strongest possible work, so I’m OK with that decision even if it's meant saying goodbye to books I've written and loved, at least for now.

You might be wondering what happens if a writer goes out on submission and doesn't get an offer. Well, that’s called ‘dying on sub,’ and it, technically, hasn’t happened to me yet, mostly because I keep swapping my books out for newer ones (you're only supposed to have one book on sub at a time in a similar genre).

My first book actually got an offer on the third round of submission, which we rejected (long story). Unfortunately, the quick response we got from that publisher gave the other publishers only two weeks to read it, and most passed or couldn't get it done in time.

Of all my books, I’d still love to do something with Demons someday. I’m hoping someone might want it along with this new one. We’ll see...

Being on sub is a lot like being in limbo, and that’s the hardest part. The constant not knowing. The promise that any given weekday could be the day your life changes forever. The slow, quiet disappointment you feel when nothing happens for months. It's rough.

If you’re in a similar position, the only advice that's helped me is to work on a new project. That way, if you don’t get an offer, you’ll have something new to go out with, and if you do get one, your agent might be able to create a multi-book deal. It's also a great way to keep your mind busy.

Otherwise, just try not to think about it, which is pretty much impossible. If you have any good tips for dealing with life on sub, drop them in the comments below.

Still, I can't really complain. Trad publishing is the path I chose, and, despite the mental challenges of being on sub, I’m enjoying the journey. I love working on my books, learning and improving my craft. It’s also very exciting getting feedback from editors at big publishers, even if it’s often that a book ‘wasn’t quite the right fit for them’.

Another mental challenge has been that even though I know I’m making progress, it can feel like I don’t have any tangible results to show for it or things to share. I feel like that’s temporary, though. I’m going to keep pursuing the trad route. Books don't go bad, and I've got four books I'm proud of that I can self-publish if I ever want to in the future. I’ve already got an idea for my next book, and I can’t wait to get stuck in.

Anyway, that’s it for this post. I just wanted to talk about what it has been like being on submission for a long while and give some kind of update on my writing journey. I'm still working on it, and I still love it.

Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your projects.

Simeon