Welcome back to MAD FOR MIDDLE GRADE!

This post is going to be a bit… unconventional. We’re pulling out all the stops here. And by all the stops, I mean: all the STATS. This post is all about comparing our publishing journeys, and we’re about to prove THERE IS NO NORMAL IN PUBLISHING!!!!

Here a bit of information about this post before we reveal our numbers:

15 authors participated

All the participants were 2014 middle grade debut authors

Each author was allowed to opt in or out of whichever questions he/she choses

All data is presented anonymously

And without further ado:

ABOUT THE BOOKS

Highest Word Count: 78,000 words

Lowest Word Count: 19,000 words

Average Word Count: 53,000 words

Genre?

7 Contemporary

4 Fantasy

2 Historical Fiction

1 Mystery

1 Novel in Verse

1 Science Fiction

Which publishers?

2 books from Abrams

2 books from Candlewick

2 books from Disney-Hyperion

1 book from HarperCollins

1 book from Macmillan

4 books from Penguin

1 book from Random House

1 book from Simon & Schuster

1 book from Sourcebooks

ABOUT AGENTS

Do you have an agent?

Yes: 14

No: 0

Not when the book sold, but yes now: 1

How many query letters did you send out?

Most: 74 Query Letters

Least: 1 Query Letter

Average: 22 Query Letters

A further breakdown:

8 authors had between 1 and 15 query letters.

2 authors had between 16 and 30 query letters.

2 authors had between 31 and 45 query letters.

2 authors had between 46 and 60 query letters.

1 author had over 61 query letters.

How long were you querying?

Longest time: 10 months

Shortest time: 1 week

Further breakdown:

3 authors queried for less than 1 month.

8 authors queried between 1 and 4 months.

4 authors queried between 5 and 10 months.

How many offers did you receive from agents?

One offer: 9

Two offers: 2

Three offers: 2

Four offers: 0

Five offers: 2

How long was the editorial process with your agent?

Longest time: 9 months

Shortest time: No editorial process

Average time: 2 months

ABOUT THE BOOK DEAL

How long were you on submission to publishers?

Longest submission: 2 years

Shortest submission: 9 days

Further breakdown:

3 books were on submission less than 1 month.

7 books were on submission between 1 and 4 months.

2 books were on submission between 5 and 12 months.

2 books were on submission longer than 12 months.

How many offers did you receive from publishers?

One offer: 9

Two offers: 4

Three offers: 1

Four offers: 0

Five offers: 1

How many books did your publisher buy?

One book: 9

Two books: 4

Three books: 2

What was the deal range?

10 Nice Deals

2 Very Nice Deals

2 Good Deals

1 Significant Deal

How long was the time between the book sale and the book release?

Longest wait: 33 months (A little less than 3 years)

Shortest wait: 14 months (A little more than 1 year)

Average wait: 21 months (A little less than 2 years)

ABOUT THE STORY

The numbers below indicate those authors who responded YES to the following questions.

Does your book have:

A girl protagonist? 9

A boy protagonist? 6

Any school scenes? 8

A character who cries? 13

A character who’s a writer? 5

A character with red hair? 3

A chosen one? 0

At least one orphan? 3

Siblings? 10

A first crush? 5

Kissing? 3

Magic? 4

Dogs? 5

Cats? 3

Bunnies? 3

Any references to real-life history? 10

Any references to real-life pop culture? 8

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Thanks for tuning in! Hope you were as interested in some of these numbers as we were!

We will return on Monday December 1st for our LAST Mad For Middle Grade segment. *snozzes into a handkerchief* The wheels are already in motion, and it’s going to be a great post–so tune in next time!

Lauren Magaziner is a 4th grader at heart, watches way too much TV, and loves to steal people’s toes to make Toecorn, which tastes like chewy, meaty popcorn. Only one of those is true. (Okay… you caught me. They’re all true.) Her MG debut THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN WITCHES—about a boy who becomes a witchling’s apprentice in a town full of dangerous, Toecorn-loving witches—is available now from Dial/Penguin.