Savannah Watson

The waiting game… Every author loves it.

You’ve sent out your work, polished and ready for the spotlight. You are proud of your work and excited to share it.

But now, you wait.

And you wait.

And you keep waiting.

As much as it sucks, the waiting game is part of being a writer. You will spend a lot of time waiting for others, both to read your work and to accept or reject it. It is important to keep in mind that publishers (and literary agents) are busy people. They have to read A LOT of submissions, and that takes time. Often times, the publishers or literary agents state in their submission guidelines how long it typically takes for them to respond.

Here’s my advice, and while I am far from an expert, these have been my experiences.

1. Respect the timeline listed by the publisher or agent. DO NOT reach out after only a few days to ‘make sure they recieved it’ or to check on the status. It shows impatience. That isn’t to say you can’t email or call after the timeline, but you should probably not inquire before.
2. Do not – I repeat – DO NOT obsessively check your email or the submission portal to see if it was accepted or rejected. As the saying goes, a watched pot never boils. You will drive yourself insane waiting for the dang pot to boil. You will get your answer, maybe not in the time you would like, but you will. And if you get no answer at all, it is safe to assume that the answer is a “no”.
3. Above all else, be patient and keep playing the waiting game. PERSEVERE!

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