Well, it's getting so you can't tell the players without a score card. I see in the RWA e-notes that Susan McCarty, editor at Berkley, has been removed from the list of acquiring editors. I'm assuming that means she left. I know she did a lot of contest requests, so this may be an issue to a few of you out there.
Susan has had Dreamweaver since she requested it from a contest win back in November 2004. I did check its status in July, and was told she would get to it "some time this summer." Summer came and went, but I'm not one to bug editors unnecessarily, so I've held off contacting her again.
Now, I'm too late. Same thing happened to me with a manuscript (Alonsa's Choice) I had sent to Dorchester some time ago. Kate Seaver had requested it from a pitch TWO YEARS ago. When I heard she left Dorchester, I tried to follow up on it, and was told "um um it's probably with a reader. We'll track it down and get back to you." That was two months ago.
It is hard to get a rejection, really it is. But it is even harder not to have a chance at being rejected. I know editors have more on their plates then they can humanly get to in a lifetime, but this is my life, and my manuscript, and it sure would be nice if someone could keep track of where it is and let me know. You know?
I joked that since Kate moved from Dorchester to Berkley, maybe I ought to call her up and ask her to read Dreamweaver because, in a way, she owes me one! :)
TJB
3 comments:
Really? How DARE her seek a promotion at my expense! Just kidding...thanks for the info!
TJB
TJ, I totally agree with you--it sucks! And we know it sucks. We empathize, we do. It's really hard to be a writer now, and it's really hard to be an editor (I'm both and usually exhausted! :) There's so much material out there, but anymore every editor and assistant is asked to do the job of three people at any one time. The absolute best thing you can do is find yourself an agent. She keeps the scorecard and she'll watch after your manuscript for you, get it read quickly for you, etc.
Hope this helps. I'm enjoying my new position at Avalon quite a lot! The small publishing house is a dream. For instance, I only have one meeting a week.
Hi, Susan. Of course, now you're making me feel guilty...
I agree about the agent thing. Seems like getting an agent to read your stuff these days is almost harder than getting an editor to do so, and I was a Golden Heart finalist! But, Dreamweaver is with two agents now who requested fulls, so we'll see how that goes.
I wish you luck at Avalon. Who knows, if my agent thing works out, you may get another chance at Dreamweaver...:-)
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