When Writers Don't Respond

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

It happens quite often with writers: I reach out to them--even with a publishing contract--and they do not respond. I could be calling or emailing them and encouraging their submission or any number of other publishing details. Instead of a response, I get nothing.  In case you don’t know, I’m an acquisitions editor at a New York publishing house, Morgan James Publishing. We have a 21-year track record with over 6,000 published books, 29 New York Times bestsellers and over 200 times on the Well Street Journal or USA Today bestseller list. This bestselling detail is important because it shows that MJP is not just making books but selling books. 

From my many years in publishing, when an author gets a book publishing contract from Morgan James, that event is a huge cause for celebration--even if they don’t sign it. Silence or no response from the author is not what I expect.

Morgan James is not a self-publisher but one of the top independent publishers (10 times on a list from Publishers Weekly). In fact, we receive over 5,000 submissions every year and only publish about 150 books a year. Behind the scenes, there is a detailed team approach procedure that I have to use to reach the opportunity to offer an author a publishing contract. I’ve worked for this company doing this work for the last 14 years. Despite emailing and calling these authors about their contract, they do not respond.

In this article I want to give some of my speculation reasons then a consistent pattern that I've seen from my years in publishing. First some possible reasons why the author didn’t respond via email, phone or text:

--the author was traveling or on vacation and away from their computer

--this author is working on other publishing paths such as finding a literary agent or crafting a book proposal or pitch for a traditional publisher. Each of these paths take time and could be a reason for a delayed response.

--the author doesn’t have the financial resources to work with Morgan James. While I understand this concern, I also know there are many possible creative ways for the author to get these resources like Publishizer (follow this link to learn more and explore).

If I have sent the author a publishing contract, I will follow-up multiple times and still I receive silence for a response. Through the years, I’ve learned the longer the author does not respond (even a short email or call), the less likely they will publish with Morgan James Publishing. Over the years, it has happened a few times but overall I know the silence is heading in the direction of “no thank you” (even if all I receive is silence).

Because of my years in publishing, I understand the different options and paths. If you want to increase your understanding, I encourage you to get this free Ebook, The Babylon Blueprint for Authors (follow the link). This book has many marketing ideas and strategies along with 40+ pages comparing traditional, self-publishing and independent or hybrid publishing. 

If you are in one of these situations where you have not responded. I encourage you to communicate with the editor or agent--even if you send a short email. The development and continuation of your relationship is important. You may need this relationship in the days ahead--even if you can’t see it now. For my part as the editor, I will continue to follow-up and reach out to these silent authors. I can’t control their response but I can do my part in the process. I encourage you to do your part.

What reasons am I missing that writers do not respond to an offer to publish their book? Let me know in the comments. I look forward to reading them and learning some new perspectives.

Tweetable:

Sometimes when writers receive a New York publishing contract, they do not respond. This editor gives some ideas and encourages maintaining your relationship. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week three new podcast recordings launched: 

Ali Alhajji and I spoke on the Reading the World Podcast about Publishing Myths: Why Being Published Is Not the Same as Being Read. Listen at: https://bit.ly/3Sv0QIZ

Imma and I spoke on the Beyond the Draft Podcast about The Truth About Publishing Nobody Else Will Tell You. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4xGergJ 

Noah May (@noahspodcasts)and I spoke on the Southern Reads Podcast about Publishing Myths. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4oFfsRZ

Throughout my many years in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the details of publishing are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.

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