Write, Submit, and Forget About It

Write, Submit, and Forget about it.

In the past four years I've been fortunate enough to find myself in the position where I currently have 40 novels and novella's released for sale with various small presses. I'm not with a large New York house and might never be as the stories I write are not, generally speaking, the types of novels that the larger presses are interested in. And although that might change in the coming years, for now I've been content to focus on continuing to write and learn more about my chosen profession.

One of the first things an author, or article writer, has to overcome are the nerves that often plague a writer after they have submitted a story, article or poem for publication.

What will the editor think?

Will it be accepted?

How long will it be before I hear back from the publishing house, the agent, or the editor?

Considering that return times (the time between submission and acceptance or rejection) can range from two weeks through to eighteen months or longer, trying to keep focused whilst waiting for the news can be hard work. For a new writer, or even some established ones, the wait can be nerve wrecking.

So how can a writer find a way to handle that?

The only answer I have is to try this.

Write the project, edit, perfect it, get it to the point where it's ready for submission.

Review the submission guidelines, make sure the manuscript is formatted in the style that house prefers, and send it off.

Then move on to the next project, effectively forget about the one you've just submitted. Sitting there, staring at your email, checking it every few minutes, or jumping each time you hear the ding of emails downloading, will not make the editor's reply appear in your inbox any faster.