If this is your first year in the serious writing or publishing game, you may be wondering why, all of a sudden, it seems like things in publishing have gone from just a regular crawl to an excruciatingly slow crawl. On behalf of the more seasoned writers & publishing folks, I'd like to welcome you to your first "summer slowdown."

 

Many of the decision-makers at the NY publishing houses are on vacation. And when they're gone, there's only so much that the underlings (who don't have that house in the Hamptons quite yet!) can do. Some houses and agents still keep reading and working as usual, but on the whole, it takes much longer to get things done in July and August. Other literary venues, like many literary journals, also close up shop during the summer months. A large percentage of the better journals are run by universities, and operate on an academic calendar - so all those MFAers who normally read the submissions are nowhere to be seen. If you've ever wondered why many submission periods run September to April, that's it. While the slowdown can be frustrating if you're waiting to hear back on a project that's already out and making the rounds, I think it can actually be a good thing for most of us. Try to think of the summer slowdown as an opportunity to re-focus yourself and your writing. Instead of worrying about when that next rejection (or acceptance!) will pop up in your inbox, try to let go of that part of the publishing process that you really have little control over anyway, and focus on the things you CAN control. Take this time out to make that manuscript the best it can be. Enjoy the fact that you can spend the time you need to polish your marketing materials - your query and synopsis - without feeling the rush to get it sent out into the world. Things start amping back up in the publishing world in September. Use the slowdown now to focus and polish, so you can wow 'em in the fall!