You Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em

Its not surprising that often when I think of submitting my work to agents and publishers I find myself singing "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers.  But in today's post I want to talk specifically about submissions at this time of year.

I have often written about the fact that I am a goal oriented person.  I especially like to set goals for myself to accomplish before the end of a year, or a birthday, or a season.  It just seems logical to me.  Therefore, with this logic, it would seem appropriate to send out as many queries and submissions as I can before the end of this year.  What a wonderful thing to be able to say that I accomplished before 2012.  However, I need to put the brakes on and reign myself in.

Having a boyfriend "in the biz" allows me a little insider knowledge at times and can be very helpful.  When I expressed to him that I wanted to send out queries this week and next, he reminded me of a very important bit of info that we should all know...the publishing world literally shuts down the week between Christmas and New Years.  And when I say, LITERALLY shuts down, I mean that many publishing houses and literary agency are not open at all.

If I was to send out queries and submissions in the next week I would most likely end up in a huge slush pile that would only overwhelm whomever I queried upon their arrival back at the office in January '12.  No one wants that!

Therefore, its better to "hold 'em" and wait.  As hard as that is for me, I know that waiting until January to send out my queries and submissions will actually help my work be noticed.

So...instead, this coming week, take a break.  Enjoy family.  Eat lotsa stuff you aren't supposed to.  Sing songs.  Dance.  Create memories.  Gather stories.  Rest.  The  publishing world does...they need it...and so do you!

Happy Holidays!