The Submission Experience Part 3: Revise and Resubmit

Hello, friends! And Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful break. I spent most of my break playing hard with my children, eating way too much chocolate, and revising KID MADE. Which is the perfect fit for today's blog post!

If you are new around here, you might not have caught Part 1 and Part 2 of my Submission Experience Series. Basically, I am on a mission to make the submission experience more transparent. Because really, no one knows what it all involves, and even when you are "on sub," it feels like a black hole of nothingness in some ways. So I'm hopeful that this series will shine a light on the entire process and help you learn just what it means to go on submission.

If you missed Part 1: Going on Sub or Part 2: Second Reads, make sure to check them out first and then come back to this post, because I will assume that you know the things I covered in those first posts within this post. And this one might be confusing if you haven't read those.

So, here we go with Part 3: Revise and Resubmit

So you've gone on sub. You've gotten some rejections, some ghosts, and then... a chance in SECOND READS! Woo hoo! That means you must be moments away from an offer, right?? RIGHT? Well... no.

There are still a few more steps. Today, we are talking about the chance of a revise and resubmit (often called an R&R in the publishing world).

Not everyone will see this step. Some books go straight from second reads on to acquisitions (We will talk in depth about acquisitions in next week's Part-4 post).

Others will get rejected after second reads (we talked about that in part 2).

But some will receive the R&R.

What exactly is an R&R? Well, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. An editor will ask you to revise your book and resubmit once the revisions are done. These revisions might be really in depth, or they might be more minor. Some ask for a complete overhaul of the book, and others ask for some clarification on one specific part. It really just depends on what an editor sees in the manuscript.

Now here's the thing about R&Rs... you might think that an R&R means that the team is really enthusiastic about you book and it's practically a sure thing that you will get the book deal once you make these changes. But... it's not. Let's take a look at the numbers from my poll of authors who have been on submission...

Of 102 total respondents, 56 have received an R&R. Of those, only 12 (just over 21%) received an offer after resubmitting...

Ooof. That, quite frankly, is a little rough. Because let me tell you, an R&R can really be a TON of work.

Let me share my experience... because I was one of those lucky 12 who did receive an offer after an R&R.

Back in January 2021, my rock-star agent got an email from Holly West, a senior editor at F&F Macmillan. She loved my idea for KID MADE but wanted to know if Emily could hop on a call to talk about her vision for the book. Emily took the call and then immediately called me. Holly wanted me to take my 40-page Picture Book about 15 kid inventors and make it into a 300 page Middle Grade book about 30-40 kid inventors. She had this really cool vision and she told me that her team was also fully on board and that if I could send them some sample pages plus a full outline of the same idea but for middle grade, that they would love to consider it for acquisitions.

Well, I actually LOVED the idea (keep reading below for my thoughts on how SUPER important it is for you to only do the R&R IF it resonates with you). I got really excited about the chance to write a middle grade book because it would let me really dive in deep to each of the stories of the inventors in my book.

I wrote the sample pages and prepared a full outline detailing what I would do for a middle grade version of my book. My agent helped me revise and polish and we sent it back off to Holly.

And she loved it! Her team still loved it too and we headed off to acquisitions (remember, details on that coming in Part 4), and ultimately received an offer.

So... I clearly had a great experience with my R&R. And I lucked out, because since it was Nonfiction, it could be bought on proposal and then I finished the book after receiving the offer. But as we saw above, only about 20% of writers receive an actual offer after completing the R&R... so how should you decide if you want to do it or not? Because it's clearly not a guarantee...

First, and I believe most importantly, only do the R&R if it resonates with you. Don't make major changes to your book just in the hopes that you will get an offer if you don't agree with them and know that they will make your book stronger. At the end of the day, this is your book, and you have to love it and believe in it. Go with your gut. Write the book that you want to write. Editors are amazing and make books WAY better. Promise. But they all have different life experiences that will contribute to their vision, and if it doesn't match up with yours, that is okay. Not every editor has to be the perfect match.

Second, make sure that they have someone else who is also interested in the changes. Has the book been to second reads? Does the rest of the team agree that if you make these changes they would be interested? Because as we read in Part 2, one editor loving the book alone unfortunately is not enough to get you the book deal.

Third, don't hesitate to ask for a phone call with the editor. They are super happy to clarify their vision and make sure you understand the revisions they are looking for. This can also help you know just how passionate they are about the project and get a feel for if they are truly interested in taking it on to acquisitions.

Fourth, talk openly with your agent. Do they feel like the editor is passionate about this project? Do they think the suggested revisions will make the book stronger? Would they read through your changes and let you know if they think it's ready to resubmit?

Mainly, just make sure that the revision is something you agree with, something that will make your book stronger, and that the editor AND a team are passionate about the project. I can't guarantee that doing these things will result in even making it to acquisitions or ultimately in an offer... unfortunately there are STILL more pieces that go in to this. But I can tell you that these things will help you know if you want to try the R&R.

(WHOO-- are you still with me? I know this is a lot).

If you don't want to do the R&R for whatever reason, your agent will let the editor know and you will move on to the next round of submission. But let's say you decide to take the R&R. What next? Well, you spend weeks and more likely months making the changes. You might hear back from other editors while you are making the changes. Your agent might let them know that you are working on a revision if it's appropriate. Some agents will pull other outstanding submissions while you work on the revision depending on if you for sure want this new version to be THE version on sub. Others will continue with the submission rounds that we talked about in Part 1 because the revisions you are making might just be a good option/new direction while the original submission is still also viable. It really comes down to what you and your agent decide is best for you and your book.

Finally, you'll finish the revision. You'll send it back to the editor and it's kind of like you went back to step one all over again. They will read the new version of the book. If they love it, they will share it with their team, if not, you'll get a rejection. If they do share with the team (second reads), then you have a chance of going on to acquisitions from there.

I mentioned it in a previous post, but it's important to remember that some editors communicate with agents about where your book is at ("I'm going to share this with my team." or "My team also loved this and we're prepping for acquisitions"), but some editors don't and you suddenly find out that you've been to second reads or acquisitions when you get the rejection or the offer. It all just depends. Weird, I know.

So after you finish that R&R, it's back into the waiting game. Which makes this post (and the other two) feel like a bummer of an ending... but that's publishing for you. You cross a milestone and wait some more. haha.

Next week I'll be talking all about acquisitions, so make sure you tune in then to read about next steps!

If you've had an R&R from an editor (or even from an Agent, because it happens in that stage too), let me know in the comments below how it went for you and any additional advice you might have.

So there you have it... all the nitty gritty on the Revise and Resubmit. Before I sign off, I wanted to share some of the anonymous comments from my survey respondents about their experiences with R&Rs:

"I had several R&Rs for picture books that did not sell, in addition to the one that did sell. It’s such a brutal process sometimes."

"My first book sold b/c an art director took interested in it at a conference, and then gave it to the editor. They had some revisions for me before offering."

Thank you all for reading! I wish you all the best on the submission journey and look forward to Part 4 about acquisitions and Part 5 about offers. Make sure you're subscribed to my blog so you don't miss those last two pieces of this process!

About Kailei Pew

Kailei Pew is a wife, mother, and children's book author represented by the amazing Emily Forney of Bookends Literary. Kailei's debut Middle Grade Book, KID MADE will be coming to you from Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan Summer 2023

The Submission Experience Part Two: Second Reads

Hello wonderful readers! Thank you all for your kind words about my new #SubmissionStats series! I hope that this entire series is helpful and informative to people on sub, about to go on sub, or looking forward to a day you will be on sub. The whole process is really confusing, and not at all transparent, so I'm hopeful that these will help shine a little light on the submission experience.

If you missed Part One: Going on Sub, you can read that HERE.

Today, I will be jumping into Part Two: Second Reads. This part is less complicated, so this will be a shorter post than last week, but this is probably the part that I knew the least about before going on sub myself. I had never even heard of second reads before an editor suddenly responded that they were taking a book to their team and my fantastic agent explained all about second reads (sometimes called "going to board") to me.

So you've gone out on sub. You've maybe received a few passes, maybe complete silence, maybe confirmations of receipt... it's all a mixed bag, really. But THEN, let's say that an editor you (read: your agent) subbed to falls in love with a project! HOORAY! That means it's practically sold, right??

Sadly, no. There are SO many more hoops to jump through. The most immediate of which is called "second reads" or "going to board." I had no idea, but even if an editor falls head over heels in love with a submission, they can't just take it to acquisitions. (Except for... sometimes, they can. This is true for some small publishers. But big publishers, most mid-sized publishers, and even some small publishers will have to go to second reads/boards first. We're talking about the vast majority here when we discuss second reads).

So before an editor can take your book to acquisitions (major details on this will come in part four of this series, but for now, the quick run-down of acquisitions is that it's the meeting where they decide for sure if they will or won't buy your book), they have to get their editorial team on board. Who this team is varies from publisher to publisher and imprint to imprint. But your editor will have a "team" who has to get on board with the project and fall just as in love with it as the editor did.

So they share the manuscript with their team. Sometimes, you will know if an editor is taking a book to second reads. And sometimes, you don't find out until after the fact. Let's take a look at some of the editor responses that landed in my agent's inbox and that she forwarded to me:

"I inhaled this one! Can I have two weeks to see if my team agrees?????"

On this one, we knew that the editor was moving the MS on to second reads. (Side note: "2 weeks" in publishing can mean 2 weeks or it might mean "an indefinite amount of time, so please be patient." ;) Remember, editors are people too, life happens, and they can't always get back when they think they will. And I promise, that is okay!)

Knowing that the editor is taking your book to second reads is SO exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. You just pray/hope/manifest/whatever-you-put into-the-universe that they will all love the book and head to the next hurdle.

But sometimes, you don't know that an editor took a book to second reads until you find out in a rejection or a notification that you're headed to acquisitions. Again, let's take a little peek into my inbox:

"The writing here is lovely, and I definitely hugely appreciate the message of this project, enough that I did take it to my team to discuss this past week, but we’ve decided to pass..."

"Alas, I'm going to have to pass on this one. I sent it around for second reads and unfortunately, didn't get enough enthusiasm from my team to feel confident going forward with the support I'd need. I'm sorry for the disappointing news."

These are hard emails to get. Because you know an editor loved the project, but couldn't get the same enthusiasm from the team. Really, really, really hard. But, onward! If one editor liked it, someone else surely will too, right?? RIGHT?? Well, that's the hope. But let's be real. This is publishing, so who knows what is going on in those circles. But this seems like a good time for me to remind everyone of my biggest take away from this industry... I FULLY believe that there is room for all of us in this field and the world needs YOUR books. No one else can write the words that you can in the way that you can. That's what's so amazing about this line of work. Literally, there is no one else who can do it like you can. So don't give up. Because you will find that yes!

Okay... once again, I digress. You will learn quickly if you follow my blog that I get off topic quickly and start talking about all the things, and then suddenly remember that I haven't answered the question... Yep.

SO... now let's take a look at the stats on this question from my #SubmissionStats. If you're new around here, you might not know that I surveyed 102 authors who have been on submission asking about their submission experience. Here is the response from my question about Second Reads:

"Have you ever had a book make it to second reads but not to acquisitions with that publisher?"

Only 56 of my survey takers responded to this question, but remember... you don't always know when you go to second reads, so keep that in mind. Of those, about 64% made it through second reads an on to acquisitions. About 36% had a pass after second reads. I've personally been in both groups. While I've made it through second reads a few times, I've also had a number of rejections in that step. So tough!

Let's take a look at some comments from those who responded to the submission stats survey:

"An editor can love your book and it still might not end up in a sale because the money people don’t think it’s easily marketable."

"It feels like chance plays almost as large a role as literary merit."

So friends, there you have it... quite frankly, it does feel like there's a lot of chance that goes into it. Will you find the right editor at the right time before they acquire a book in the same vein as yours??? So... do what you can do. Write a lot. A whole, whole lot. Revise and edit. Make the very best books you can. Find an agent who really knows their stuff and is sending to the right editors. And then cross all your fingers and hope that luck lines up with your hard, hard work.

Have you been to second reads? I'd love to hear more about your experience in the comments below!

I hope this all was clear. After second reads, one of three things will happen:

1. The team also loved your book (hooray!) and you're off to acquisitions.

2. The team did not get on board, and you get a rejection. (so hard!)

3. The team liked it, but they want some substantial changes before they are willing to consider acquisitions.

That third option is what I will be covering next week: The Revise and Resubmit (R&R). It's going to be a doozy! Make sure that you are subscribed to my blog and follow me on Twitter so that you don't miss out on the next parts of this series.

And... before I let you go, have you heard about the new Kids' Choice KidLit Writing Contest? It's going to be epic!!

About Kailei Pew

Kailei Pew is a wife, mother, and children's book author represented by the amazing Emily Forney of Bookends Literary. Kailei's debut Middle Grade Book, KID MADE will be coming to you from Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan Summer 2023

Introducing the Kids' Choice KidLit Writing Contest

Hello wonderful readers! I am THRILLED to be hosting a brand new writing contest in January 2022!

As we have all heard approximately 439,745 times, this industry is extremely subjective. What one agent loves will be an immediate pass for another. What one editor wants to throw all the money at will be what another completely ghosts. It just is what it is. But for me personally, the greatest form of praise is when a KID loves my manuscripts!

For a very long time I've wanted to host a writing contest, but I never knew what exactly I wanted to do. There are already so many amazing contests out there, so how would mine fit into the mix? Then it hit me... what if we had KID judges?? I loved the idea and I'm flying with it!

On January 7th 2022, I will post the theme and rules for this year's contest. You will have just over 3 weeks to craft your entries based on that info. Entries can then be submitted via my website January 31st through February 2nd. THEN (and this is the really exciting part) a panel of KID judges will review the entries and choose the winners!!

For now, I need two things from the amazing writing community... KID JUDGES and Prize Donations! Applications for judges MUST be filled out by a parent/guardian. I am looking for judges in PB, MG, and YA categories and I especially hope to get a diverse panel of judges. This contest will be fully virtual, so kid judges can come from anywhere in the world, but must speak English since this contest will be hosted in English (apologies for that. I hope to find a way to be even more inclusive in the future).

***Kids will only have to read 10-15 entries (of 200 words or less) over the course of a month as judges. We will be dividing up the work into rounds so that no kid has to read a wild amount of entries***

If your child is interested in being a Kid Judge, please fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM.

If you are an author, editor, or agent and would like to donate a critique or book prize to a winner, please fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM.

AND if that all wasn't exciting enough, I am also loosely announcing the companion contest...

This one will be in July when kiddos aren't so busy with school. Kids will submit their entries to be judged by published authors and the winners will receive donated virtual author visits for their classrooms! That one is way less worked out on the details, but at least we can get excited!

For now, look forward to January and the awesome event we're going to create together! I can't wait to see what you write and what the kids fall in love with.

Thank you all SO much for your support in this new endeavor! I am super excited!