We Are Here! We Are Here! We Are Here! We Are Here!

Against my better judgment, I'm going to be a grumpy bug today and blog about something I probably shouldn't.

I'm sure you're wondering what. Well, you'll have to read on to find out.

I know I'm not the only one feeling this way. I also realize there's really no one to blame. Except the economy, maybe. We can always blame the economy.

But the truth of the matter is, the publishing industry, which used to move at glacial speeds, has slowed down even more (if that's possible). Publishers have restructured--in other words, laid off a bunch of people--and editors have had to pick up the slack. To make matters more complicated, plenty of those laid off people have turned to the agent side of the business, so now there are more agents, and, therefore, more agented material going out to those already swamped editors. Agented submissions used to have a turnaround rate of 6 to 8 weeks tops. Now it's 4 to 6 months or more (take mine, for example, which has been on submission since August--yes, August). And the slush pile? I have some writing friends who have been waiting over a YEAR for word on their unsolicited submissions.

And, though I don't really blame anyone (honestly, I don't), I do kinda feel like the Mayor of Whoville from Horton Hears a Who. Those of us on submission keep yelling, "We are here! We are here! We are here! We are here!" But it feels like we're not being heard--or in this case, read.

I keep hoping for that one little "Yopp!" from Jo-Jo that will open the floodgates.

Come on, Jo-Jo. Where are you?