So I’ve gotten a few emails recently asking who it is that “exactly decides what books to take” and “how is it decided which books are offered contracts.” …You can see there’s a distinct similarity between these two, and there have been several others that follow along the same lines.

I try to tell all of my clients and every other writer out there that you should write what you love, not write to sell, but I also know that selling your work is the ultimate end result. So to make the process easier - not by landing you a publishing deal but rather understanding how the process works - here is a very brief and simplified explanation of the acquisitions process:

THE FIRST STEP

When a writer submits a manuscript, it first goes through the initial reading round round of first readers and on to the Acquisitions Editor (aka AE).

WHO ARE ACQUISITIONS EDITORS?

AEs are the “gatekeepers” into the publishing world, and are the people inside of the publishing house specifically charged with finding and developing authors and books that are congruent with the publisher’s mission. Typically, an AE has unlimited authority to say “no.” They can reject a proposal without approval from anyone. Conversely, they don’t have the absolute authority to approve a proposal for publication.

THE PITCH

Now, if a writer manages to convince the AE that their manuscript is just awesome, the AE then has to convince the Publishing Board. This is generally the specific imprint’s in-house staff, usually consisting of the Publisher, other managing editors, and sales staff. The AE usually gets five to fifteen minutes to pitch your project to the Board. He is representing the writer, and he only gets one shot at it. After his initial pitch, the project will then be discussed for another few minutes.

THE FINAL ROUND

If for some reason the project manages to clear the general consensus of the Board, the book is still not guaranteed publication. Why? Because the Publisher still has to make the final call, considering other, more subjective issues: Do I like this project? Do I like the author? Do I like his or her agent? Am I willing to risk money on them and their project, given the other things we have already committed to? How will my other authors react to this title? Do I really need this title? Is my staff up to working on this project?

If the Publisher does agree and approves the project, the AE will then either have the authority to make a formal offer to the author, or the Publisher might write up the contract his or herself.

SIMPLE? NO…

Of course, this is just a very bare bones explanation. There are a lot of factors that come into play with each novel, such as timing, current events, other titles from other publishers, release dates, workloads, etc. And, unfortunately, there are cases (rare, but possible) where a book is accepted and later rejected.

How, you may ask? Usually this happens when an author is signed on to write/finish a specific book, and they fail to deliver (either on deadline or up to par on the writing), the author refuses to do any suggested revisions, or, in even rarer cases, a book is accepted by one editor and the project is taken over by another, and the second editor doesn’t like the book. It sucks, but it happens sometimes. But again, it’s rare, so don’t worry when sending out your submissions.