Acceptance seems like the end of the road but there are always significant events to follow.
A friend is dealing with her editor’s broken leg, which will delay her book. Any physical problem with an agent or editor at the publishing house is disturbing. A former agent of mine’s husband fell very ill and she retired for a couple of years to care for him. Another friend’s publishing house went out of business because the owner died, and the only evidence she had of the closing was the absence of royalties. It took a while to find out what had happened, after letters were returned and emails were unanswered.
In this case, the publishing house, SheWrites Press, has merged with BookSmart, a business that does publicity and marketing. The word “merger” turns me wary. The culture changes; the business plan changes. In my case, the cover has been rejected, and they are designing a new one. That’s okay. I already had my doubts about the cover design. They also wanted to remove a word from my title. If that’s as far as they go, I’ll be relieved. Sometimes people are so engrossed in doing their own business that they think they can do yours as well.
So far, Brooke Warner has made smart choices, and hope that BookSmart is another one.