Acquisitions

Track and manage all routes to new publishing projects in Pubblish.

What is an Acquisition?

An Acquisition represents any potential new project that could become a published title. It’s the starting point of your publishing pipeline - tracking everything from unsolicited submissions to internal ideas.

Think of Acquisitions as your “incoming projects” inbox.

Source Types

Acquisitions can come from many sources:

External Sources

Unsolicited Submission - Authors sending manuscripts directly to you - Usually arrives via email or your submission portal

Proposal - Pitched ideas (not complete manuscripts) - Query letters - Book proposals with sample chapters

Internal Sources

Internal Idea - Your own publishing ideas - Market gaps you’ve identified

Solicited Work - Authors you’ve approached - Commissioned projects

Talent Scouting - Promising authors you’ve discovered - Writers you want to approach

Follow-up Work - Existing authors offering new projects - Sequel or series opportunities

Rights-Based Sources

Rights Acquisition - Purchasing rights to existing works - Foreign rights, reprint rights

Collaboration - Joint ventures - Co-publishing arrangements

Acquisition Status

Track where each acquisition is in your pipeline:

Status Meaning
Idea/Initial Just logged, not yet reviewed
Under Evaluation Being read and considered
Negotiating In contract discussions
Accepted Decision made to proceed
Declined Decided not to pursue
Withdrawn Submitter withdrew
On Hold Paused for later consideration

Priority Levels

Mark acquisitions by urgency:

  • Low - Review when time permits
  • Normal - Standard review timeline
  • High - Prioritize this submission
  • Urgent - Needs immediate attention

Creating an Acquisition

For External Submissions

  1. Navigate to Acquisitions in the sidebar
  2. Click New Acquisition
  3. Set source type to “Unsolicited Submission” or “Proposal”
  4. Enter submitter details:
  5. First name, last name, email
  6. Add submission details:
  7. Working title
  8. Synopsis
  9. Word count
  10. Set initial status (usually “Idea/Initial”)
  11. Save

For Internal Ideas

  1. Navigate to Acquisitions
  2. Click New Acquisition
  3. Set source type to “Internal Idea”
  4. Enter the concept:
  5. Working title
  6. Synopsis
  7. Notes (market research, comparable titles)
  8. Save

Submission Channels

For publishers who receive many submissions, Channels let you organize submission periods with specific requirements.

What is a Channel?

A Channel is a defined submission window with its own guidelines:

Examples: - “Open Submissions 2025” - Your general submission window - “Sci-Fi Anthology Call” - Submissions for a specific project - “Debut Author Programme” - Targeting new writers

Creating a Channel

  1. Navigate to Acquisitions → Channels
  2. Click New Channel
  3. Define your channel:
  4. Name - What submitters will see
  5. Description - Brief overview
  6. Guidelines - Detailed requirements
  7. Set requirements:
  8. Word count range - Min/max words accepted
  9. Requires synopsis - Must include synopsis?
  10. Requires bio - Must include author bio?
  11. Set timing:
  12. Open date - When submissions start
  13. Close date - Submission deadline
  14. Response days - Your target for replies
  15. Save

Channel Status

Status Meaning
Draft Not visible, still setting up
Open Accepting submissions
Paused Temporarily not accepting
Closed Submission window ended
Archived Completed, for records only

Public Submission Portal

Open channels appear on your public submission portal where authors can submit directly. This automates intake with consistent data collection.

Reviews

Have your team evaluate acquisitions systematically.

Adding a Review

  1. Open the acquisition
  2. In the Reviews section, click Add Review
  3. Score the submission (1-5 scale):
  4. Writing Quality - Technical skill
  5. Originality - Fresh concept?
  6. Market Fit - Commercial potential
  7. Give your recommendation:
  8. Decline
  9. Maybe / Needs Discussion
  10. Accept
  11. Priority Accept
  12. Add detailed comments
  13. Save

Multiple Reviews

Multiple team members can review the same acquisition. This helps with: - Getting diverse perspectives - Making fair decisions - Documenting reasoning

Next Steps for Accepted Acquisitions

When you accept an acquisition:

  1. Update status to Accepted
  2. Create a Manuscript to track development, or
  3. Create a Title if the work is ready to publish

The acquisition record remains for your records.

Best Practices

Submission Management

Do: - Log all submissions promptly - Set realistic response deadlines - Keep submitter info accurate

Don’t: - Let submissions languish without status updates - Lose track of response deadlines - Delete acquisitions (decline them instead)

Reviews

Do: - Be consistent with scoring - Write constructive comments - Consider market fit, not just personal taste - Review promptly

Don’t: - Score without reading - Leave comments blank - Let bias affect decisions