We wanted to find out how authors really feel about the submissions process for publishers and literary agents, so we recently sent out a survey to our email list of authors and received 561 responses.
Our goal was to figure out what we (along with other publishers and literary agents) could do to make the submission process better and less stressful for authors. After all, the reason I started this publishing company is because when I first started as an author, I found the querying and submissions process for publishers and agents to be very disheartening and time-wasting.
That said, here’s what we discovered from the survey results.
Our Audience
The first question we asked was:
If you add up the numbers above, you’ll see there are more responses than the number of respondents, and that’s because they were able to select more than one answer. Many of the authors who follow us write more than one genre, with about twice as many writing fiction as nonfiction. Those categories are followed by memoir and then poetry.
Literary Agent Submissions Process
As you can see, most of our audience has already submitted at least one manuscript to a literary agent, so these are mostly experienced authors who’ve been working at their craft for years.
How Happy Are Authors with Literary Agents?
The answers to our next question really surprised us…
On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the least satisfied and 10 being the most satisfied, the most common numbers picked were 1, 2, 3, and 5, with an average of 3.5. Clearly, our audience is not very pleased with the literary agent query process.
When we asked respondents, “What was the best and worst part of the literary agent query process?” their answers to this open-ended question shed some light on the main issues they see:
- Many authors feel ignored because they never received a response from the agent.
- Often, authors don’t even receive an acknowledgment of the submission, so they’re not even sure if the agent received it.
- Those who did get a response often complained about the slow response time (often months of waiting).
- Several authors mentioned that an agent promised them they would review the manuscript and get back to them, but never did.
- Many authors felt they did not receive enough feedback on their manuscript or writing.
And here were some of the positive things authors mentioned about querying literary agents:
- Using Submittable allows the authors to track their submissions.
- Some agents provide personalized feedback on their submissions.
Literary Agent Scams
One thing that surprised me was the number of authors that mentioned literary agent scammers—people who pretend to be literary agents and try to charge authors money to review their manuscript, or promise big rewards but charge authors as much as $20,000!
Here are some tips for authors to avoid such scams:
- Never pay a literary agent for any services regardless of what the fee is called (expenses fee, marketing fee, postage fee). If they ask you to pay, walk away.
- Before signing a contract with a literary agent, research that agent online, find out which books they’ve gotten deals for, and talk to some of their authors about their experience with the agent.
- Have the contract reviewed by an attorney!
- You can check out anyone you’re considering to see if they’re listed on Writer Beware.
How Happy Are Authors With the Publishing Submission Process?
The average satisfaction level for authors with the publisher submission process was 4.9, which is not great, but still quite a bit higher than for literary agents.
Here are some of the issues authors expressed:
- Not getting a response
- Very long wait times for a response
- Charging the author money to publish the book
- Poor editing
- Little or no marketing support
- Low royalty rates
- Low sales
Several authors also mentioned that after their experiences with traditional publishing were not as good as they had hoped, they now only plan to self-publish in the future because they have more control, earn more royalties, can publish books faster, and don’t have to deal with the bureaucracy of traditional publishing.
Here are some of the positive things authors mentioned about the publisher submission process:
- Getting a fast response
- An easy submission process with clear instructions
How Happy Are Authors With TCK Publishing?
The average satisfaction rating was 5.2.
Here are some of the issues authors expressed:
- Not providing specific feedback on why a manuscript was rejected
- Not accepting fiction submissions at the time the author attempted to submit
- Having to submit a marketing plan but not knowing what to do, or not having a plan
- Asking for too much information that took a long time to create, like a synopsis and chapter-by-chapter breakdown
Here are some of the positive things authors expressed:
- Getting emails and rejection/acceptance responses quickly
- Not charging fees to publish books
Making Submissions Better for Authors
Our goal with this survey was to make submissions better for authors. Here’s what we’ve done so far:
- We updated our submissions page and simplified it dramatically. We cut about half the text on the page that just didn’t seem necessary.
- We opened up submissions for all types of nonfiction. Before, we had a list of the types of nonfiction we accept, but that didn’t seem necessary.
- We simplified the submissions process for nonfiction. Instead of authors having to write a query letter and answer questions about marketing and future plans, we created a very simple form that nonfiction authors can use to immediately submit their manuscript in less than 2 minutes.
- We reopened submissions for fiction and simplified the submissions process. Authors can now submit fiction manuscripts by filling out a simple form on our submissions page.
Our new submissions motto is KISS (Keep It Super Simple!).
Personalized Feedback for Submissions
When we first started, we did provide personalized feedback, but given the number of submissions we now get, it no longer makes business sense to do so.
Here are some of the things we’ve done in the past (before this survey) to help improve the submissions process, and that we still think can offer writers some guidance:
- We published a post on why we reject nonfiction so authors can learn what to do and what not to do to improve their chances of getting accepted.
- We also published a similar post on why we reject fiction.
I also think writer’s conferences, writer’s groups, online writing clubs, and our Facebook group for authors are all great places to make connections and find people who might be willing to provide personalized feedback on your writing.
We’re also looking into other ways to educate writers and provide feedback, possibly by recording videos of our editors editing manuscripts and discussing their thought process while they do it. If you’d be interested in that kind of information, let us know in the comments.
How would you describe your experience with submissions to publishers or literary agents? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- How to Write a Query Letter: The 6-Step Formula for Nonfiction and Novels
- How to Find a Book Editor: Step-by-Step Instructions
- Why Publishers Reject Manuscripts: Tips for Nonfiction
- Why Novels Get Rejected: Acquisitions Editors Share What They Look for in Manuscript Submissions
Tom Corson-Knowles is the founder of TCK Publishing, and the bestselling author of 27 books including Secrets of the Six-Figure author. He is also the host of the Publishing Profits Podcast show where we interview successful authors and publishing industry experts to share their tips for creating a successful writing career.
Excellent work. All of the publishing houses should update their looks. They make it seem like they don’t want to see another application because of some of their conditions. I attempted to read a book that was so dull that I began to wonder whether the publisher was a distant cousin who had never bothered to read the screenplay. Perhaps I harbored some resentment.
Stuart Jarvis
I submitted a manuscript on the book of Ruth in July (2022) and have heard nothing. Does that mean it has been rejected?
Hi –
I submitted my manuscript 27 days ago and have not received a response. Does no response after 21 days mean “no” for my submission?
Many thanks! :)
Hey BJ, there was a problem with our response system. It’s since been fixed so you should be receiving an email soon. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Hello,
I submitted my manuscript on Jan 14,2022 and now we are going into march end of next week. I still have not heard back about my submission. Can you please assist?
Hi Shelly, there was a problem in our response system, but I believe it’s been resolved, so you should be getting an answer soon. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.
I have good stuff to publish! Why is good so unimportant?
Hi Arlyn, thanks for your comment. While we must consider a lot of factors, publishing good stuff is always our priority. We and many other publishers receive many submissions every day, and unfortunately we can’t take on every project, but that doesn’t mean your writing isn’t good. Don’t give up! :)
I would absolutely be interested in recorded videos of editors editing manuscripts and discussing their thought process while they do.
Also, do you publish workbooks and journals?
Hi Helen, thanks for your comment! We’re actually thinking about doing a recording like that soon. We’ll keep you updated! And yes, we do publish workbooks and journals. You can see one of our releases from last year, Everyday Mindfulness, as an example :)
I have submitted my manuscript – kalee
I want to know the status
Hi Nirmalya, thanks for your comment. If you followed our submission guidelines, you should receive a response with 14–21 days.
Hey Kaelyn,
I submitted my manuscript 28 days ago and haven’t heard back yet! I just wanted to make sure it hasn’t been missed by accident. I have received interest from other publishers but would also like to speak with you all before making any decisions! Please let me know if there is anything I can do or if I need to resubmit my manuscript.
Hi Brandon, there was a problem in our response system. I believe it’s been resolved, so you should be getting an answer within a few days. I’m sorry for the inconvenience!
Hey there! I have submitted my book last July, specifically on 19th of July. I haven’t received an answer yet, I appreciate your time and support and would really appreciate a reply. Hopefully it’s a yes.
Peace ✌️
Dear Mr. Tom,
Its a real pleasure to read the changes you have incorporated in your publishing house. But many of the author’s manuscripts being rejected leaves me sad. I don’t claim that all rejected manuscripts will be worthless, but sometimes the editor, maybe out of money compulsion rejects a best sellers story by rejecting his labor of love. I know it is not possible to read thousands of manuscripts piled on the desk of Tom, but at least by reading the title of the story, he can change his mind. Thanks and with regards,
Manohar Bhatia (author of 11 books, 80 poems, 4000 quotations, over 1000 Tweets) besides running Quiz-Vision competitions offering cash prizes to the winner of all correct quizes. I think TCK publishing could collaborate with me in this literary game of English not run by anyone on the world site.
Hi Manohar, thanks for your comment! We consider a lot of factors as we look at manuscripts, but we never make a decision based solely on what we think a book would sell. Thanks for also sharing about your quizzes, sounds interesting!
Nice Updates about athour submission their book project
Thanks, Dr. Rakesh! We hope these updates make the process smoother for everyone :)
Hi,
Very interesting results, particularly that they confirmed my negative submission that nothing specific was indicated in why my manuscript was rejected. I believe some key reason should be given – even if it is, the non-fiction topic is not worth publishing!
Hi John, thanks for your comment! We’d love to offer authors more feedback, but because we receive so many submissions every day, individual feedback for every author would be very time-consuming and impractical. We did put together a list of the most common reasons we reject manuscripts to offer at least some explanation or guidance, and we are working to see if we can send some general comments (like Jeanne suggested in her comment below).
Did you read my book the Chronicle’s of Johnny Blake Trilogy one 1 2 3
Episode one, Murder in Bay City
Episode two , Bay City Murder on the East SIDE.
Episode three , Kidnapping in Bay City. Will you publish, my book. Thank you John Hynes.
Hi John, thanks for your comment! If you followed our submission guidelines, you should receive a response within 14–21 days from when you submitted.
Great going. I wish all publishers revamped. Some of their requirements make one feel they’re not interested in seeing *another* submission… I tried to read a book which was so boring i wondered if the publisher was a close relative who never read the script. I think i was a tad resentful.
Thanks for your comment, Natisha! I know what you mean. We wanted to make our guidelines as clear and simple as possible so that could actually more authors would feel encouraged to submit :)
I submitted to TCK and received a response in the time promised, which impressed me. However, the response was simply that my novel was “unsuitable.” It would’ve been SO VERY HELPFUL if the editor could have simply checked a box to give me more information. Something like:
1) Not interested in this topic
2) Too many similar submissions at this time
3) Manuscript needs too much work
etc. Look at your own essay on why you reject manuscripts to develop the checklist.
Hi Jeanne, thanks for your comment! I mentioned your suggestions to the team and we’re currently considering such a system. We’ll keep you updated!
This is an incredible development, thank you for the alteration of your accommodation interaction, and think there is uncommon expectation and calm. With this new technique, who long is the hanging tight period for the No and Yes reaction from the Editor?
Much obliged for this new and alleviation strategy from Tck!
With the best respects
Emmanuel
Hi Emmanuel, thank you for your comment! We’re glad to hear you’re happy with the new changes to our submission process :) After you submit your manuscript, you should receive a Yes or No response within 14–21 days.
I want to find out whether any of my 2submitted novels were accepted
Hi Zvee, our new fiction editor is currently working through submissions. If you haven’t already, you should receive a response within the next 14–21 days.
I am 75 years old and not interested in doing signing tours. I have published six books, with the help of George Grant, since 2000. Six are found at Amazon. George has since died and I haven’t published anything since 2009. I have a very good manuscript called Booger. Also, I have written about a young woman named Bonnie. The book title is “Nurse Bonnie.” It is a bout a young girl joining the “World Health Organization” in 1967. It is in three parts and would be only one book. I am really looking for a Movie Producer for the book Booger.
Hi Aubrey, thanks for sharing about your projects! You might find our post on how to turn a book into a movie helpful. If you’d be interested in submitting either of your manuscripts to us, you can find our submission guidelines here. I can also help you find other publishers if you tell me the genres of your books :)
How can I know that my story is selected please tell
You should receive an email from us within 14–21 days of your submission notifying you of our decision :)
I need help With my book
Hi Dawn! what kind of book are you writing? :)