Patience Smatience

Waiting forever sucks.

And the writing biz is all about the waiting. Oh sure, you hear of authors whose trip to publication between query to sale took all of a week. But man, those are the exceptions. HUGE exceptions.

Now before anyone concludes I've blanketed the world of editors and agents with simultaneous submissions, let's get one thing straight. I haven't. What I'm about to refer to involves several projects and both editors and agents (two very separate entities).

So at the present time, I have x amount of queries out. Two via snail mail in November went to publishing houses. The first, as requested on their website, is just a measly one-page letter. According to RWA's "market update" this publisher responds to queries within two weeks. Uh, it's been nearly four months. Re-send??

The second snail mail submission in November consisted of three chapters. Their response time is six to eight months. Okay (tapping fingernails against the desk). Still waiting.

Sent out another couple equeries in late January. Still waiting.

All of which is to say, if you're an instant gratification kinda gal, forget the writing biz. (Even that magazine sale I reported the other day is apparently an anomaly--their guidelines say to give them a YEAR to get back to you.)

And if you think DEATH can't happen just before someone gets published, think again. It happens.

Too bad it's not like a cruise where you can buy trip insurance. Y'know, like...you submit to Publisher X in 2006 and they get back to you with a "no" in 2007, but because you've got "rejection insurance" you get to go to the top of the slush pile with your next project.

Hm. Obviously, I'm on to something here.