Angry Robot Open Submissions - July 2020

[Justin Swanton]

I may give this a shot. Does anyone know what their turnaround time is? Publishers can often run to six months or more before responding and the website doesn't mention a time frame.

They say three months and they won't reply if they don't accept. So after 90 days you know it's time for hara-kiri.

 

[Dan Jones]

These open window subs can take a very long time to respond. The record I know of is @bluestocking, who got a response from Tor eighteen months after the window closed...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

These open window subs can take a very long time to respond. The record I know of is @bluestocking, who got a response from Tor eighteen months after the window closed...

I think the Harper Voyager one I was in was about the same.

 

[Tirellan]

Depends on how far you get. If they ask for the full manuscript it could be as long as a year

 

[Astro Pen]

A few examples for those wrestling with the nightmare of writing their synopsis. Which for some reason seems to be harder than the book itself.

Novel Synopsis Examples: How to Write a Synopsis

Finished writing your novel and about to contact agents? Take some tips from the experts for when you start to write your book synopsis

www.theazrianportal.com

 

[Trollheart]

They say three months and they won't reply if they don't accept. So after 90 days you know it's time for hara-kiri.

Man that seems a little harsh. So you wait and wait and wait and if nothing happens, forget it? Not even a rejection slip? Or as Blackadder once said, they couldn't even write back and say "Thank you for your novel. Get stuffed."? Surely it would be easy to automate some sort of rejection email? Sounds very unfair to you guys waiting for replies. And like Justin says, that blade only remains sharp for so long...

 

[Justin Swanton]

Man that seems a little harsh. So you wait and wait and wait and if nothing happens, forget it? Not even a rejection slip? Or as Blackadder once said, they couldn't even write back and say "Thank you for your novel. Get stuffed."? Surely it would be easy to automate some sort of rejection email? Sounds very unfair to you guys waiting for replies. And like Justin says, that blade only remains sharp for so long...

I'm OK with it. My own experience is never mind publishers - most nearly all literary agents don't reply to submissions either. For a publisher to give a direct window to authors is quite exceptional. The brutal truth is that there are far too many people writing novels and fewer and fewer people reading them. If you want a guaranteed audience your best bet is a YouTube channel.

Personally I've been hawking my MS so long I don't really care any more. I'm grateful for the input on the Chrons that has helped me make improvements, but if it never gets published I'll find another use for the katana. Maybe sell it.

 

[Dan Jones]

Man that seems a little harsh. So you wait and wait and wait and if nothing happens, forget it? Not even a rejection slip? Or as Blackadder once said, they couldn't even write back and say "Thank you for your novel. Get stuffed."? Surely it would be easy to automate some sort of rejection email? Sounds very unfair to you guys waiting for replies. And like Justin says, that blade only remains sharp for so long...

Pretty standard these days. That's not to say every agent/publisher is like that - some are very nice and endeavour to get back with a little personal note to everyone that subs, even if it is short and a no. But I do think little courtesies like that make a hell of a difference when you're grinding away at this sort of Sisyphean task.

 

[Tirellan]

The trouble is with agents/publishers offering some form of comment is that some writers take this as an invitation argue about the points raised, or do a bit of a rewrite and resubmit. If they want you to revise and resubmit they will explicitly say so.

 

[Astro Pen]

The trouble is with agents/publishers offering some form of comment is that some writers take this as an invitation argue about the points raised,

Surely not ...

 

[The Bluestocking]

These open window subs can take a very long time to respond. The record I know of is @bluestocking, who got a response from Tor eighteen months after the window closed...

Not 18 months - it was edging close to 20 months. And there wasn't even a rejection note. I stumbled upon the rejection because I happened to check in on Moksha...

Onwards - busy transforming that novella into a novel now so I can sub to DAW... (Tor will be sorry when someone else gets my Terrorist Chickens!)

And good luck to everyone submitting to Angry Robot!

 

[Dan Jones]

Well, I'm in, and that's that.

Meet up again on October 18th for the rejection party?

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Will there be wine?

 

[Dan Jones]

Sod that, I'll bring brandy.

 

[Ursa major]

I'll bring brandy

I'd assumed the "wine" was a misspelling....

 

[Justin Swanton]

I'd assumed the "wine" was a misspelling....

Definitely not 'whine.'

 

[Astro Pen]

I swear the synopsis is harder to write than the book! Getting the plot and the "feel" across is a nightmare. So far it is one page but single spaced.
And there is the feeling "It's a spoiler" what motivation to read it do they have now? There are no surprises.
Anyone else having trouble with the synopsis?
It's times like this I wish I was just knocking out formula Mills and Boone boy meets girlers.

 

[-K2-]

I swear the synopsis is harder to write than the book! Getting the plot and the "feel" across is a nightmare. So far it is one page but single spaced.
And there is the feeling "It's a spoiler" what motivation to read it do they have now? There are no surprises.
Anyone else having trouble with the synopsis?
It's times like this I wish I was just knocking out formula Mills and Boone boy meets girlers.

I might be wrong, but performing a search on this subject touched on all your points.

1. It doesn't need to be double spaced, that's just for the chapters you submit.
2. One page (in this case) is what they want...I believe, no more than.
3. It's supposed to be a spoiler, beginning to end. Not intricate details, but major plot points/shifts...including the ending.
4. The surprises come in the actual chapters. At this stage I'm guessing the chapter examples simply tell them how well you write and can you propel the story along.

There are examples of highly successful novels synopsis online.

I hope anything incorrect I stated will be corrected by those in the know here.

K2

 

[Bren G]

I might be wrong, but performing a search on this subject touched on all your points.

1. It doesn't need to be double spaced, that's just for the chapters you submit.
2. One page (in this case) is what they want...I believe, no more than.
3. It's supposed to be a spoiler, beginning to end. Not intricate details, but major plot points/shifts...including the ending.
4. The surprises come in the actual chapters. At this stage I'm guessing the chapter examples simply tell them how well you write and can you propel the story along.

There are examples of highly successful novels synopsis online.

I hope anything incorrect I stated will be corrected by those in the know here.

K2

I think you've got it right @-K2-. I submitted mine earlier today and approached it similarly (I am still heavily leaning to self-publishing but what do I have to lose?) At the end of the day, you might have the evaluator's attention for a minute or two imagine before they decide to read on or discard. So, I determined to show the plot twists in the summary in order to have maximum impact. If that hooks them, I'd surmise the chapter read will give them a sense for how well the writing stands-up on a number of levels and how much effort they would have to help you get it production ready. There'd be many elements of course they'd be looking for, but it all amounts to marketability. Will it sell? So IMHO, load the cannon in the summary in a way that will make them evaluate the story from a business perspective. Is it unique or have I seen that story/plot twist a dozen times before? Will it sell or languish on the shelves? Will I (the publisher) make money and how much? Positive attributes to these questions will motivate them to read on and not so much earnest curiosity. It is a business after all. Let them know early on to make an investment in you.

cheers

BG

 

[HareBrain]

I determined to show the plot twists in the summary in order to have maximum impact. If that hooks them, I'd surmise the chapter read will give them a sense for how well the writing stands-up

Actually, from what I've heard several times from industry professionals, it's likely to be the other way round. They look at the actual writing first, and then, if they like that, they'll read the synopsis to get feel for how well you've got your whole story under control. The chapters themselves are much more likely to be the deal-breaker than the synopsis (which in most cases probably won't even be looked at).