The Waiting Game

All authors know about the waiting game. Funny thing is I really don't have to play it this time. I have not one, but two publishers ready and willing to publish any books that I write. Even for my second book, I didn't have to play this game. I chose to find a second publisher for The Vase, not because I wasn't satisfied with Melange, but because it's wise to have more than one publisher. Especially when that publisher is a small independent publisher.

I don't want to get into all the reasons why that is so, as I've blogged about it many times before. Just as I've blogged about why I'm seeking a third publisher for John Dunn, Heart of a Zulu. It's been just over a month now since that search has begun. That is relatively a short period of time. The publishing world is a slow world. Just to give you an idea how slow the publishing world is, I would say that a month to a publisher is like a minute to a person during the course of his or her life.

So when do I give up the search and settle for the publishers I have? That's a tough call. Maybe after six months. Why six months? Well, some publishers say it takes them that long. And if I had a decision to make, I'd say I could make a decision within six minutes. Sometimes I can make a decision in fewer minutes than that. Of course it depends on the decision. I suppose there might be some decisions that can take six months. In the meantime, you keep working. You keep improving the story, the prose, the writing, etc. The better your manuscript, the better your chances. But that goes without saying.