Submitting new work to another publisher while first deal is pending

A family member has had a verbal offer of publication for a book (a collection of pieces), though no contract has been signed yet and the printed book is probably quite a ways off. If all goes well, this would be her first published book (after years of trying). She also has another book (a novel) already written, which she also has been shopping out to agents and publishers. All this is occurring in a country in which the publishing industry is much smaller and more difficult to find opportunities than, say, the U.S.

The question is: is it a good idea or not to send out the other book (the novel) to other publishing companies at this point?

My concern for her was that if the publisher that has offered to publish her collection finds out about this, they will be (understandably) displeased that she has submitted to a competitor, and it may sour her relationship with them for future work. On the other hand, it seems odd for her to tell them, "hey, I also have a novel for you guys!" and that would likely "overwhelm" them and also potentially sour their relationship...but if she waits to submit the novel to them until after the collection is out and (let's hope) selling for a while, it may delay the chance to publish the novel for 1-2 years.

I'd like to help advise her in a way that is strategic and ethical, and in keeping with typical publishing industry standards. Also, is there a term for this situation? It's not really "multiple submissions" because we're talking about two different works.

posted almost 9 years ago

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Chelonian‭

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