I sent off the query, with letter and three chapter as requested, some time in November last year and am still waiting. I'm wondering if I should give up on expecting to hear back, a yes or a no, and query another agent.
The agent's website might give you an idea of "normal" turn around times on first queries. Three months or so is probably a reasonable time frame but don't assume the agent won't respond. He or she may not have gotten to it yet. I've heard back as many as 6 months later on cold queries.
If the agent requested the chapters, I would give the agent some more time probably until mid-February. But that's me. As long as the agent didn't request an exclusive, in which case he/she should have set the time limit, you are free to query elsewhere.
After three months, though, you can call the agent's office to check that your chapters actually arrived. If they did (and someone should be able to tell you that), you can ask about their status.
You will probably be told that they are still under consideration, and then you can ask if they have any idea how soon they'll know whether they will want to see the complete manuscript.
If they don't have any idea, thank them and then check back in another three months.
If they never received your three chapters, tell them that you'll send them again right away.
I always understood if I am sending out actual material from the novel, then I can only submit one at a time. Where as, if I'm only sending out query letter and no novel chapters, I can send out as many letters as I like at one time. Am I correct in my thinking, or have I been doing it wrong?
And as I haven't heard back from this particular agent, do I now have to wait before I can submit to another.
I need to check the details of the agent I am waiting to hear from on their website to see if they have a particular waiting time.
quote:
No agent is going to expect an exclusive query.
Actually, I have come across two that did expect exactly that.
[This message has been edited by darklight (edited January 24, 2008).]
If any respond asking for more material, send what they ask for. It is now "requested material" and not a query (even though it's only an outline and three chapters). Put "Requested material" right on the envelope. You're only going to want to send one of these at a time.
When their guidelines say to send three chapters off the bat, and that they want an exclusive query, I'd still just send the letter. If anyone says they want that to be exclusive, ignore them. But if they say they'll take the three chapters and it's NOT exclusive, you might want to do that (a good first three chapters is easier to write than a good query letter), though it will probably take longer to come back that way. (I once had such a package come back to me after 5 years! The agent recommended I run the book through a particular "book doctor" editing service, and had the first page "fixed" as an example. Some of the fixes were grammatically incorrect. Of course, you should NEVER work with an agent who recommends a particular editing service. Also, never work with an agent who takes five years to respond!)
[This message has been edited by rickfisher (edited January 24, 2008).]
So, am I to take it then, that I can send out as many of these types of queries as I like at the same time, as long as they have not asked for exclusivity?
Anyhow, isn't the publisher supposed to employ the editor? Maybe I heard that wrong.
[This message has been edited by darklight (edited January 24, 2008).]
Agents may be different and willing to look at what is called a "simultaneous submission" (text from your manuscript going to more than one place at the same time).
Those agents who require exclusivity are not different from the above editors, and unless they give you a time frame for their response, they are being unfair to you to expect you to query them right off the bat with any part of your novel.
I fully support JamieFord's advice to avoid such agents. If a query letter alone isn't good enough to tell them whether they want to see your work, they can keep you from sending it to someone who really does want to see more.
Even then, most will say if they want an exclusive. I have had an agent say he wanted an exclusive look at a ms. When I told him that another agent was already looking at it and asked if he wanted to look at it anyway, he said that he did. I have heard of agents turning down looking at a full ms. if they can't get an exclusive though.
Submitting to agents and submitting to publishers goes under quite a different set of rules. Remember, they're not offering to BUY it, only sell it for you for a cut of the take.
Many agents do not respond to queries unless they are interested. So I certainly wouldn't wait around whether you included chapters or not.