Sing the Night
on submission now
Submission is a special sort of hell. You’ve made it through the first set of gates and gotten an agent. But that’s not the end. Your agents will send out your book to a curated list of editors, relying on existing relationships and hoping for new ones to get your book out in the world. This is my second time on submission.
Here’s a few things I’ve learned:
Submission is slower than querying.
Which seems impossible, but except for a few exceptions, most people spend a lot of time in the submission swamp. Things have been especially slow since COVID. A lot of editors left publishing and those holes are impossible to fill. Editors are underpaid (that’s a whole different discussion) and have a lot on their plate. As frustrating as it is, this industry requires patience.
You have to keep the details to yourself.
There’s some leeway in sharing your querying details, but generally it’s considered uncouth to share each rejection and success when on submission. Talk to your friends, talk to your agent, but keep it off the internet.
This is hard for everyone.
Existing authors, debut authors, we’re all struggling through this together.
Here’s the book I have on sub:
SING THE NIGHT
YA Fantasy, 90k words
Selene Dreshé sings magic, intent on winning L’Opéra du Magician, becoming the king’s mage, and restoring her dead father’s legacy. After her audition goes horribly wrong, Selene stumbles upon a hidden space below the opera house and finds a forbidden mirror.
The dreaded opera ghost is real and trapped inside the glass. He’s hauntingly beautiful and can do more magic with a drop of blood than Selene can do with a hundred songs. Desperate for her chance to get back into the competition, Selene convinces him to help her. But his magic comes with a price. Selene is willing to pay, even if it means losing everything she holds dear—including her mind.
THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
So light a candle, say a prayer, put your best energy out into the universe for good things to come my way.