THE ONE WITH 5 (!!!) R&R REQUESTS
Cat/genre: YA Fantasy
If I were to plot out my publishing experience so far, it would be: fast-paced first act, painfully long middle, an "all is lost" break into act three leading to a plot twist ending.
Let's start from the beginning. I went on sub in October 2020—which from what I've heard was pretty much when everyone who got their agent during the early days of the pandemic went on sub. I was feeling confident. It only took a couple of months to get an agent with this book (after a couple years of failure with the previous book I queried). I hoped the trend would continue into submission.
We started with a robust first round—a dozen editors across Big 5 and mid-sized imprints. I got my first response a month-and-a-half after we went out (a fairly normal timeline—fast even, in pandemic times) and though it was a pass, it was one of those "I loved this and was so close to taking it to second reads" passes that are both the most exciting and the most heartbreaking. But!!! The editor actually referred my book to another editor on their team—so it wasn't even really a pass, just a sideways move.
All the signs were pointing to good news in the near(ish) future. If that was the first response, then surely an offer was only a few weeks away? Right?
Right???
Two weeks later, what we received was not an offer, but a request to revise (R&R #1). Up until that point, I hadn't actually known that editor R&Rs were a thing. I knew about them in the querying world, of course, so it may seem obvious that they happen on submission too. But it took me by surprise.
The emotions that come on the heel of an R&R request are peculiar. It's both gratifying to know that someone (the agent or, in my case, the editor) loves your story enough to want to work with you on improving it. And it's frustrating to know they don't trust you to make those improvements after signing with you or offering you a book deal.
That being said, this R&R wasn't just requesting simple developmental revisions. No, the editor pointed out a fundamental flaw in the world-building and plot that would make it difficult to sell the book. My agent and I immediately agreed that this editor was right and, after a two hour Zoom call to brainstorm with them, I got to working on a total rewrite of my book.
My revisions took me into 2021 where my agent and I sent the fully-rewritten book in an exclusive submission to this editor. As we waited the required two weeks, I was dreaming of the offer I was so sure was coming. Why would the editor put so much effort into this book unless they really wanted it?
Two weeks later, the editor requested a call. Except, instead of telling me they were taking my book to acquisitions (or you know, just throwing six figures at me), they requested another major rewrite (#2).
Well . . . fuck.
After talking it over with my agent, I turned the editor down. I had just finished such a large rewrite that I had no energy to do it again and the editor didn’t even have a clear vision of what they wanted. Instead, my agent sent the book back out to our original sub list.
What followed was a string of rejections. Even though I was positive the book was better because of the rewrite I did, for months all I heard was no after no after no.
I started plotting out my next book, sure that this one wasn’t going to sell.
Finally, in the summer, I received another R&R request (#3). But this one was different. This editor just wanted a revision of the first 50 pages—to tighten it up and make it more exciting before sending it off to second reads.
Since that was a pretty reasonable request, I did the R&R and sent it off. A couple weeks later, the editor told me they were taking it on to second reads! On the very same day, a different editor sent me another R&R request (#4).
My agent recommended we put off responding to this fourth R&R until we heard back from the other editor. So I waited, heart in my throat, to see if this was going to be it.
A month later, the editor got back to us—their editorial team had turned it down.
If you’re wondering how this story gets one of those smiley-face-happy-endings, trust me, so was I. But the R&Rs weren’t done yet.
Despite the editorial team’s rejection, the editor wasn't ready to give up on my book. They asked for one more R&R (#5) to see if we couldn’t get the team onboard.
I told my agent that if I was going to revise my book again, let's see what that other editor wanted too. So we scheduled calls with each editor, then I formulated a revision plan that combined things both had asked for (and that fit my own vision of the book best). And I got to work.
At this point, it had been over a year since I first went on sub and my editor list had dwindled down to just these final two. We could have added editors at smaller imprints, but I was ready to see the end of this book’s long submission journey and divert what remained of my energy into my next story.
This combined R&R was this book’s last chance. I poured my heart into the revision, then sent it off to both editors.
The real plot twist was this. The first editor—the one who’d already taken the book to acquisitions but refused to quit—asked for a full month to get back to us. The other editor—the one whose R&R we’d almost ignored—responded in less than a day.
The response? They loved the revision and were going to take it straight to their team.
The editor gave me the date of the acquisitions meeting (a couple weeks out), and once again, I waited. I tried to keep positive, but I had been burned before, and I was no longer the wide-eyed hopeful writer I'd been a year before. I expected failure.
On the day of the acquisitions meeting, my agent texted me. "No news yet. I'll check in a couple hours."
An hour later, I got the call.
After 5 R&R requests, it finally happened. I had a book deal.
The other editor (of R&R numbers 3 & 5) ended up sending a step-aside rejection, but I didn't care. I was over-the-moon about my offer and so very grateful.
It just goes to show that perseverance really can pay off.
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The stories on this blog are posted anonymously so that authors can speak candidly about their experience. If you have a sub story you’d like to share, drop me an email at: katedylanbooks@gmail.com
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