I've known most of the genre editors in London and New York for over ten years - over twenty years, in some cases. We speak regularly about life, the universe and everything, and part of those conversations will include sounding them out about writers. Personal relationships are extremely important.
I may well target one or two publishers before a novel is complete and enthuse them, so they are very keen to receive it. I don't send every book to every SF editor - publishers don't all want the same thing, so it's a matter of being aware of a specific editor's interests and what their company publishes well. Having sat in an editor's chair for fifteen years, with three different companies, I'm aware of the necessities, not just for the editor, but also for their sales and marketing colleagues, who are ever more important when a company considers a new writer.
If you treat novels like cans of baked beans and just chuck them out on the market, you're not likely to get very far. Publishing is a subjective business, and getting a specific publisher to take on a specific writer can often be a long-term project. But occasionally - and I stress that - something happens like the World Rights deal I did with Simon Spanton at Gollancz in February, where I took on a terrific new US fantasy writer, Robert Redick, and felt his writing was particularly suited to Simon. We spoke, he read the book quickly and agreed and made an extremely good offer within a week of receiving the novel (which was also out with other publishers). I discussed the offer with the author, I spoke again to Simon and then accepted it with some changes, additions, etc. In January, Robert didn't have an agent, but by the end of February he had an extremely lucrative three-book publishing deal with one of the oldest and best SF and Fantasy imprints in the world.
That is unusual! But wonderful, when it does happen.
