[PubQ] Aussie with full manuscript request from Big 5 - next steps?
Hi pubtips community!
So I'm an aussie writer with an upmarket fiction manuscript. With the publishing scene here being much smaller, it's common to submit to publishers directly. I did a live pitch with a Big 5 publisher a month ago and received a full manuscript request from an enthusiastic editor. I sent it off to them three weeks ago.
I've since reached out to just a couple local agents - to no response - but I'm wondering if there's other things I should be doing with this momentum? Should I be trying to directly send this out to other publishers / use the momentum of big 5 interest? Should I be pushing harder to get an agent / reaching out to agents internationally?
For context - there's only about 20 literary agents in aus and most of them aren't open for submission. It's also very common for authors here to publish directly via publishers and not have agents. Submitting directly to publishers is a common route.
Any advice would be great!