In this episode, Macmillan editor Rachel Diebel walks us through how acquisitions work at Macmillan, why the numbers aren’t always the determining factor (and what “the numbers” means), and submission guidelines (and what you should think if you are on submission for months).
We also discuss imprints within imprints, publishing in quarantine, and her least favorite thing about the industry.
Rachel is an editor at Feiwel & Friends (an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group), acquiring middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels. Broadly, across all categories, she is always looking for commercial fiction with a unique voice, a great hook, and characters she wishes would be her real-life best friends. She always wants projects by and about people from a marginalized background, and is a huge fan of stories that feature found/chosen families.
Timestamps:
10:45: How she approaches rejections
11:42: How acquisitions meetings work at Macmillan
14:46: We talk about “The numbers,” and what that means
Featured On the Show:
- Join our Facebook group! It’s full of supportive writers in the querying trenches–plus live page critiques, Q&A’s, and more.
- Want more Manuscript Academy? We’re working on new, interactive formats for our podcasts and events. Subscribe for updates.
- Feeling brave? Submit your query or first page for a chance of feedback from our guests.
The Manuscript Academy Podcast is free for everyone, and features interviews with top agents, editors and authors on the craft, business, and community of publishing.
You can find us in the iTunes Store, on Soundcloud, and on Spotify.
The Manuscript Academy Podcast is published weekly. Subscribe to see all of our episodes first.
Get An Email When New Episodes Go Live
