September submissions: a halfway Q&A

All your mid-window questions answered; plus, some behind-the-scenes gossip

When I launched my September submissions window, seeking new books for publication in 2024, I promised you no feedback – instead, there would be a blog post titled The five reasons I turned down your submission. I wrote a draft of such before the doors opened, but you know what? Sitting here this afternoon, I can’t bring myself to post it. It’s just so negative, and having now glanced at over 220 of your heartfelt entries, I have concluded that you deserve better.

So instead, here is a Q&A-style post, incorporating some of the questions you have been asking in your emails, along with those from the webinar I did on the 11th (hosted by Northern Gravy; thanks to them for making us all so welcome).

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Can I submit more than one typescript?

This has been the most frequently asked question, which for some reason I didn’t foresee when I put together the guidelines. The short answer is: yes, you can.

The long answer is: yes, but please show some restraint, for all our sakes. We have two writers now who’ve submitted six typescripts each, and a few others not far behind. When the first person asked about multiple submissions, and I said yes, I was thinking: “No problem! I mean, how many books could one person have written?” It seems I am now in the process of finding out.

But you know what: keep them coming, and why not check your folders for any left over? Blow off the dust? Perhaps there can be a special prize for the most prolific author – I mean, if the odds are going to be 50 to 1, there’s no harm in evening things up for yourself. You never know what might catch my eye.

Speaking of which…

How many submissions will you be accepting for publication?

I’ve done some planning with my calendar this week, and the answer is a maximum of six. I already have books signed up for February-May 2024 (watch this space for details), and if we start trying to squeeze too many into June-November, it’s just going to get cramped.

This is another reason why we don’t need the “five reasons” post, and why any feedback would be mostly redundant. The overwhelming reason your submission will be turned down is that there aren’t enough months in the year. Even if I took on ten staff tomorrow, the readers of this blog can only buy so many books, and our sales agency can only usefully engage with a certain number of titles at once. So, six it is.

Talking of staff…

When I submitted, I received a short reply referring to you in the third person, signed ‘Valley Press’. Who sent that?

I’ve been making a big deal out of “going it alone” this year, and while that is mostly true (especially compared to twelve months ago), I must admit I didn’t go back into solo publishing “cold turkey”. Since March, a very efficient lady named Lindsey has been putting in six hours a week at VP under the title “Publishing Assistant”, with duties including wrapping the post (beautifully, I must say), answering emails and running our Instagram. (I’ve not posted on Instagram once in my whole life, and don’t plan to start any time soon.)

My intention was to personally read and reply to each submission as it arrived, but I was only managing five a day and there have been thirteen coming in! So, I asked Lindsey to quickly check the other eight for questions, make sure a file is attached, and reply – mostly so you could have some peace of mind and be sure we had received your work. I will of course look carefully at all of them after the window closes.

Lindsey has asked me to share with you the following conversation:

JAMIE: You should start every reply with the phrase HUGE THANKS.

LINDSEY: Um, are you sure? Do people say ‘huge thanks’? What about ‘many thanks’, that’s much more professional.

JAMIE: No no no, it’s got to be HUGE. I just feel so hugely grateful that everyone is submitting. ‘Many’ isn’t going to cut it.

So, she dutifully sent out hundreds of emails starting “huge thanks”, until I messaged her on Friday and said: “What was I thinking? Who says ‘huge thanks’? Go back to ‘many’, please.”

That was one of those “exclusive behind-the-scenes insights” I promised you when you signed up.

I have previously had a book published by Valley Press. Can/should I submit my next book during this window?

This one caught me off guard, and I’ve only come up with a proper answer today, which I’m afraid is no. Apologies to any authors who have already entered.

I feel a lot of affection and loyalty towards the existing Valley Press authors, enough to generate a significant bias. It works practically too: not only do I know you are reasonable to work with, but also how many copies your book is likely to sell (assuming it bears some resemblance to the last). It’s a safe business decision all round, and we’re at the point in VP history now where I could easily just choose six faces from the past every year, and never publish anyone new.

So, existing authors: please hang on to your typescripts for now, and I’ll run a mini-window just for you around November/December time, for publication in very late 2024 or early 2025.

I am writing a book that would be perfect for Valley Press, but it won’t be finished in time for the current window. When will the next one be?

Hopefully, in September 2024; let’s try and do this at least once a year.

Should I have my typescript professionally edited before submitting?

It won’t hurt your chances, but the answer is still no. It’s no good having a free window so everyone can join in, then only expressing an interest in typescripts that have already received expensive editorial attention. I am looking for what the book could be, when I’m done with it, and in fact only yesterday told a submitter that if accepted, I would want to “completely take apart your book and put it back together”.

Hey wait a minute, that sounds like feedback! I want some feedback too!

I was just giving them a chance to back out; I realised ten pages in what would be needed, and didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.

Oh come on. Can’t you just tell me whether you liked what I sent?

No! Imagine if I didn’t like it: that email would be horrible to write and horrible to read – if it was truthful, anyway, and I certainly don’t want to lie to you. Even if I liked your work and told you so, I’d be raising your hopes unfairly; I like probably two-thirds of what I’m reading, and all but six are still headed for rejection. Even with the submitter mentioned above, I stressed I’d need to read more “before I could even begin to make a decision”, so they wouldn't get too excited. I’m nowhere near a decision on anything at this point.

I am writing in a genre you don’t usually publish. Is my book eligible?

Yes, I really am open to anything. We’ve had quite a few children’s fiction typescripts, and although Valley Press is not known for children’s books, it is an area I’m keen on pursuing (especially with a young reader at home). I feel I must have said this already, as some bright spark sent a children’s book to VP HQ addressed to “Young Master McGarry” – I opened it immediately of course, but it turned out they meant my son.

“Am I a Master??” was his confused/excited response (he doesn’t get a lot of post), and as he walked into school the next day, he said to his teacher: “Did you know my first name is really Master?” I tried to shout an explanation but it was too late; hopefully David Tennant won’t show up at the gates hoping to end his reign of terror.

If my book was previously self-published, are you still interested?

Yes, absolutely. We have re-published self-published books several times in the past, and it’s always gone well.

My book is very strange and different. Are you still interested?

Yes! I love different. Nothing’s more exciting to me than working on something genuinely new. That’s the main reason VP doesn’t specialise in a particular niche; I’d miss out on those regular journeys into the unknown. For example, next month we’ll publish our first bilingual edition, a book-length poem printed in English on the left-hand pages and Italian on the right. I was really animated by that fresh challenge.

If health concerns prevented an author from promoting their book in person, would this sway your likelihood of considering their book?

Absolutely not. In fact, I personally try to avoid any involvement with live events, beyond quietly attending at the back (or, at a recent Prefab Sprout gig, loudly attending at the front – but that’s the sole exception. What a night! Sorry, I digress.)

What I mean is, there will be absolutely zero pressure from me to hold even the tiniest launch event for your book; so for a certain type of author we are your dream destination. For authors who love events, that’s fine too; go nuts!

When will we hear back? Also, will you let us know which six books are eventually chosen?

I still can’t say with confidence when I’ll have made my decisions. What if the rate of enquiries picks up in the second half of the month, rather than drops off? I’d love to get through them all in October, though – wish me luck!

And yes, I think it would be very appropriate, once contracts are signed, to reveal the six “winners” in a grand blog post. I am also considering doing a round of crowdfunding for them (one big one for all six), to boost the production budget a bit and get some really gorgeous editions produced – more on that later.

For now, thank you for reading, and thank you to everyone who has submitted so far. It really has made for an exciting month; every hour of the day, a new arrival drops into the inbox, each completely different to the last… it’s genuinely thrilling, and of course, such a honour.

If anyone has any more questions, you know where to find me. Otherwise, I will see you back here soon.