Breaking into the field as a writer is a tough task, can you give a little rundown on how your relationship with TOR developed?
One of the best things you can do as an aspiring writer is learn about editors who publish writing similar to yours, then attend conventions to meet people and make contacts. I met Moshe Feder, a consulting editor at Tor, at World Fantasy Convention in 2001. He agreed to take a look at my work, so I sent him the manuscript for Elantris , my 6th novel. I didn’t hear anything from Moshe, so I continued writing and submitting. Elantris sat on Moshe’s desk for eighteen months, but eventually he read it, and liked it! I’d moved, so my contact information was no longer correct, but with a little persistence, Moshe managed to track me down and make me an offer for Elantris .
Eighteen months! That’s a long time to wait patiently, what can you recommend to aspiring novelists to help them avoid such a fate…but still get their book published!
I think a writer who has several works to send out, and is actively seeking multiple sources to which to send them, is more likely to get published. Be aware, though, that it is against industry protocol to send a complete manuscript to more than one editor or agent. You can send query letters or partial manuscripts to several sources, but if someone asks for a full manuscript, that person must accept or reject it before you send it to anyone else. It is important to know and follow the submission guidelines for the places to which you send manuscripts.
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