If they think your novel is promising they will pass it on to a more senior editor and eventually it will surface at an acquisition meeting The championing editor will not only have to justify accepting your novel on the grounds of intrinsic merit and potential sales but also say whether you as an author seem to be a longterm prospect which you will have assured them of in your letter Also the question is raised of how promotable you are likely to be  an important factor  when a new novel needs all the help it can get To this end publishers often like to meet a potential author before clinching the offer