The Acquisitions Process: What Should Authors Know?

The book acquisitions process for publishers isn't a cut & dry process. There's a lot that authors should know about the role agents play in submitting their work to find the best home for it. How aware are authors, or many, of the specifics of what it takes to make a book, let alone the stages an editor has to go through to pursue a title. Why do editors pursue some works and not others? How do authors communicate their interests to agents when submitting, and to editors who are interested in their work? What's an auction versus a preempt? This presentation aims to bring authors into the editorial acquisitions process to better understand the projects editors pursue and the ones they don't, and how authors’ work is received at a traditional publisher.