Waiting on agents

[IceRoadDucker]

I'm a regular but frequent name changer, if that matters to anyone.

My first novel went out for query at the end of last month. So far I have a great success rate - 11 rejections, 3 partials and 1 full. The first partial only went out on 5 Feb but the wait is already killing me! I've been taking the rejections really, really well but I know a rejection on a partial or full will sting.

I'm trying to put my energy into writing my third novel - 48k words in - but I can't write continually and whenever I have a spare moment I'm impatiently drumming my fingers on any hard surface I can find.

No reason for posting this thread except that I need to keep my hands from refreshing Gmail every 10 seconds even though it's way too early to expect replies, I have desktop notifications AND it updates itself automatically.

There should be some kind of agent agent that you could send stuff and they'd then send it to all the actual agents.

No news here either.

Bloody referendum.

For those with fulls, how long's it been now? Are any of you going to nudge?
I'm only up to a month with one and much less with the others but I think I'm going to nudge at eight weeks. Cannot bear the wait.

I keep putting off nudging wishful in case it's bad news daft I know. I need to get on with it to know one way or the other.
It's been over two months

Completely understand Mad. I will be exactly the same. Am trying hard to stay positive. I really don't think it's automatically bad news just because it's been a while.

Not a lot going down over here either but I have, in a round about way, found out that they did indeed receive the full MS. Have sent to another couple this week and got my WaityMcWaitface on.

Tiggy, have you been given an OBE since we last saw you?! Do tell

I've given myself an OBE in protest of me getting banned from Netmums.
After the founders of Netmums were given OBEs there was a congratulations thread on there. One poster said how nice it was that ordinary everyday people got honours. I said I agreed and posted a picture of them typing away at a computer sat next to the prime minister. My post was deleted for "irregularities" and I was banned. For satire!
I thought if Siobhan, Cathy and Sally can get OBEs for copying a successful site and just changing the name slightly, I should get one too.

Ha, ha! I reckon I deserve one too. I've written an unpublished book and given birth...twice.

Tiggy! You are most definitely deserving of that OBE after posting such a very satirical image. Love that you got banned from NM for that! Hun.

Cant - yep, you should too. As should I, for the same reasons. :)

I was determined today would be the day for news!

Alas, not for me.

Anyone else got anything to report.

It's nearly the Summer holidays and they will all hibernate soon...

I've had one rejection from a publisher, but there are more responses due back, so not the worst news. Things move so unbelievably slowly!

Are you asking your agent, MissB or does she let you know?

Responses due back sounds positive. Let us know!

I think she's told me everything, but there's so little to know. She has told me it can take an age. I have prompted once or twice, but there's no news.

Oh Helmet and Miss B, hope you hear something before the summer holidays - does seem likely everything's winding down now though. Sorry about the rejection, Helmet, but as you say there are more responses to come. Fingers crossed.

Nothing yet here. Email inbox a big blank annoying rubbish nothing.

I'm another one who's going to join in on this thread to distract myself - I submitted my picture book text to 4 agents about a fortnight ago and have heard nothing back yet at all. I assumed this was normal until reading around online and discovering that people seem to often get replies within a week?! Hoping the lack of response so far isn't a bad thing...

Nothing here either. Some I have taken as a no due to the time lapse i.e. over 3 months since query. Looks like there's some industrial scale 'ghosting' of aspirant authors going on

Sent a query to one that specified no unsolicited material to be sent and he emailed a couple of days later asking for first 3 chapters. Then, complete silence. What I have taken on board from this is that I have a shit hot query letter maybe not so good manuscript

still waiting ref full MS and some other outstanding queries

mad it's annoying isn't it? I've got RSI from refresh

Some people get quick responses, some slow. Both are normal and often no reflection on the work. It depends on the size of the agency and what time of year it is. April and October are big Bookfair months, and everything goes quiet over the summer, so it's pot luck, I reckon!

Anyone got any news to report? (I'm not at the agent-hunting stage yet, but this thread is great for motivation.)

No news here. It goes very quiet over the summer hols in publishing. I'd be surprised to hear anything before September, but I hope I'm wrong.

Same here, MissB, My only news is how disheartened I am with my no news. :)

Agent made clear that in children's publishing especially (mines YA) everything grinds to a halt over the summer. Darn it! I am finding it very difficult to knuckle down to write anything else either.

Nothing here either. All motivation gone at the moment.

Sorry you've heard nothing yet, Helmet and MissB.

Thanks Madhair.

Helmet- lots of people say the best thing to do whilst waiting is to write something. I'm sort of doing that but it's incredibly hard to write when there's a whiff of rejection and a big dip in confidence in the air. No matter how many times we're told how busy they are and how long it takes, it still feels bad and it still feels hard, doesn't it?