By Lyndsie Manusos
On a Discord that will remain anonymous for confidentiality purposes, authors–most of whom are already represented by agents–with books on submission, exchange editor ghosting stories. Response times have slowed to a crawl since peak pandemic times. One author says their agent believes wait times this past year have been slower than ever before. Another author has gone more than 500 days on submission without certain editors responding. A handful of editors, who were sent submissions three months, six months, or over a year ago…have never responded at all.
The stories pour out. One author is relieved that they’re not the only one going through this. Hug emojis display left and right. These writers dare not speak of this issue openly on social media, because would editors want to work with writers who complain about ghosting?
Yet the issue is there, murmured and whispered, with many authors stewing and despairing alone or to their patient agents, who acknowledge the issue but have no power over the outcome, especially if they’re already politely nudging.
Silence has become the new norm.
In a publishing industry reveling in specific genre booms and easily packaged fanfic-to-shelves releases, debut authors outside these trends, across genres, are often met with silence, both in the querying and editor submission process. This is not the rule, of course, but the number seems to be growing.
Is this a new problem, or one that’s been festering over the years?
Jane Friedman is a well-known publishing professional. Her website, which includes resources, guest blog posts, and her popular newsletter The Bottom Line, is a useful tool for anyone interested in the many facets of publishing. In a June 2025 post on Friedman’s website titled “Silence: The New Rejection That’s Expanding in Insidious Ways,” editor and ghostwriter Jacqueline Salmon writes about ghosting and the new way it’s enmeshed itself in the submission culture, both when submitting to editors and agents:
“Every writer in the publishing business is, or should be, schooled in the ‘Silence means no’ practice of the publishing industry,” Salmon writes. “That is, if you don’t get a response from an editor or literary agent within a reasonable period, assume it is a rejection and move on.”
In some cases, authors are left further stumped, because an agent or editor expressed interest but did not respond. Two of Salmon’s clients were met with silence after submitting projects to agents after both agents expressed strong interest and invited a submission.
“There was not even an acknowledgment to the writer that the submission had been received. Polite follow-up queries by the authors several weeks later asking for confirmation of receipt were also met with silence.”
Writers are then left wondering why. What are the reasons someone might not reply?
In Phoebe Morgan’s Substack The Honest Editor, she considers ghosting in a September 2025 post.
“I suppose they are: that person is overstretched and hasn’t got the capacity to keep up with the volume, which is a problem of the company/industry, not a problem created by authors,” Morgan wrote.
While many might be tempted to blame the editors themselves, it’s important to note that publishing is largely controlled by the trends and business acumen of the Big 5 major publishers, who are also in control of dozens of imprints, regularly acquiring bits of each other and small presses. When these acquisitions and mergers occur, the first question from executives is often: How can we cut costs? Oftentimes, editors from two publishers that are merging are shaved down to a small group. Good editors are lost, their clients orphaned and spread out among a smaller slice of editors, many of whom are already filled to the brim with projects. Already overwhelmed, they are now commanded to acquire new projects–preferably ready-to-publish–and when submissions from agents pour in, they can no longer keep up with the influx.
On January 30th, it was reported in Publishers Weekly that Simon & Schuster had another round of layoffs “in response to market conditions.” As described above, these layoffs were mostly editorial, including high profile positions. An art director, editorial director, and two executive editors, to name a few. Simon & Schuster had no comment on the layoffs. I’d bet, and S&S can absolutely correct me, that those remaining in editorial are expected to pick up the slack.
The root of the problem isn’t editors, though that may occasionally be a factor. The real issue is the industry.
“It is true that some teams are stretched, but I think this probably taps into a wider issue about the industry in general (it is an industry I love, so I am not intending to knock it, just interested in it) – i.e. do people need to have clearer/easier access to working in publishing, and do we need better pay to encourage and retain junior staff (yes),” Morgan wrote in her post.
In a Publishers Weekly overview of the 2024 U.S. Book Show, the panel “Great Expectations” touched on agent/editor/writer relationships. Executive Editor at Disney Publishing Aliya King raised the term ghosting:
“I want to talk about the word ghosting, make sure we’re using this the way I see it,” King said, suggesting that editors losing track of emails and forgetting to respond to agents was not malicious in the way that word implies. “My introduction to ghosting came several years ago, after my divorce.”
Perhaps ghosting is not a good word for it, then. Perhaps editors are as hopeful as writers in what they can get past acquisitions, and what money they might be able to offer. Perhaps editors wish they could respond, clone themselves to respond to each and every submission, but as we know, sometimes emails and to-dos get lost in the chaos of day-to-day work.
So, what’s to be done?
Largely and unfortunately, nothing.
Ghosting, or the act of not hearing a definitive answer from an agent/editor/publisher/reviewer/literary magazine, has become part of the culture. Editors and agents are overworked, burnt out, and don’t even get me started on the influx of AI slop that’s now overwhelming submissions queues. To say that writers must simply endure is patronizing and unhelpful. To hope that executives take note and provide salary stability, affordable health care, childcare, and work-life balance to their editors and junior staff also seems childlike in its hopefulness in this day and age. Because when it comes down to it, money talks the loudest. Sales talk the loudest. Social media platforms and prior audiences talk the loudest. And publishers need all of that to keep the lights on in an economy of vast inflation, censorship, fascism, and growing AI slop.
Perhaps the best thing we can do is endure and keep talking about it. To say it exists. To let those without support systems know they are not alone, and that it’s not their fault. To keep reading, writing, creating, and supporting our work as well as the work of others. To say yes, it sucks, but don’t let it stop you from doing what you love. Don’t stop trying and nudging (politely, of course).
Because, as the late Ursula K. Le Guin famously noted in her National Book Foundation speech, “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings.”
