I did simultaneous submissions for my book proposal, and I told those publishers upfront. One publisher recently offered the contract, but I want to hear from another publisher before I proceed. Is that proper to tell the publisher that I can’t make the decision now because I’m waiting to hear from other publisher? If not, what would be a good way to let the publisher know that I will need more time to make the decision? Because this publisher is my second choice, I don’t want to lose it, either. Thanks!
No, it's gauche. It's like telling the first guy who asked you to the prom "Sorry, I can't give you an answer until I hear back from Mr. Dreamy."
You can ignore Second-Choice Press's offer until you hear from First-Choice Press. Or you can send a simple, polite e-mail to second-choice press saying that you're pleased to hear that they are interested in the book and you are "weighing your options," or something appropriately vague like that--and that you hope to get back to them more definitively in the near future.
Depending on how long you've been waiting, you should send First-Choice Press a brief, polite note of inquiry telling that "another publisher is interested in the ms" but that you are still very interested in First-Choice Press and wondering when you might expect a reply.
Just to clarify: are you saying that Second-Choice Press has offered a formal contract based on the proposal alone, without seeing the actual ms?? If so, wow. Most academic presses I know want to see a full ms before issuing a contract, especially if the author is new, or new to them. Trade houses often issue contracts based on nonfiction proposals, but you'd be working through an agent if this were the case here.
