What does publishing actually do in the summer?

It is peak summer in NYC. In the summertime I field a lot of questions in the open Q&A chats about timing related to submitting to agents and submitting to editors, because there’s a belief that publishing is “quiet” in the summer and that this slower pace means it’s not a good time to get work done.

Here’s what publishing is actually doing in the summer:

Taking a vacation

A lot of people take vacation in the summer. The spring is busy, the fall is busy, the winter has holidays, but most people take a break in the summertime. I’m in several email chains about who will be covering for whom while the publicist or marketer is away for a week or two weeks leading up to or after a book’s publication.

This can slow down various processes, from the author & agent perspective: an editor loves a book but the person they need to get approval from in order to make an offer is on vacation; the P&M team struggles to find a time when everyone can meet. Someone you need to get ahold of is going to be on vacation in the next few weeks.

The time to unplug doesn’t make the weeks at work any easier. But a lot of people do unplug (and actually log off — unlike the spring breaks which can find people still participating while nominally away.)

Still reading submissions

I was at a party recently where someone told me they were considering 6 great books on submission. 6!!! May we all be so lucky to have 6 great books to consider.

Agents still submit books in the summer. Last summer I sold four books in July & August. I sold two the year prior. Certain books make more sense to submit in the summer thematically; some books are just ready to go in the summer. I think the summer submission risk is multiple editors could be away for two-week-long vacations (or the editor’s around but the publisher is away, and they have to get publisher buy-in to offer; etc) slowing down the submission or preventing an imprint from participating. But it’s a risk the agent’s weighed as worth it.

And agents, too, are still reading submissions. We are probably not reading your submission while we’re on vacation, though, so I tend to see deadlines longer than the standard 2 weeks consideration period when I get the “offer of rep” emails.

Still publishing books

Everyone loves summer reading!!!

If you want a watermelony romp that’ll fit in even the most overstuffed vacation bag, I must recommend Ada by Mark Haber.

Here’s what you as a writer can do:

Spend the summer polishing your query letter, incorporating feedback from beta readers, letting your manuscript sit for a month before you return to it with freshened eyes..

Think about your summer plans before you submit to agents: if you’re going to be away for a month in the woods and can’t respond to an agent who requests your full in July, wait to submit until August.

If you’re polishing up a nonfiction proposal, spend the summer working on your platform. Make your book undeniable. Research. Conduct interviews. Plan ahead: if you get the green light to write the book, what will you need to do next?

last summer in PEI