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.

Madhairday - sorry to hear that, it's difficult not to feel disheartened, I had one who said something similar about not being invested in the characters , but agree it is all just down to personal preference (lots of published stuff in bookshops that doesn't attract me at all!)

Mumbles, sounds exciting! Have a lot of revisions been suggested? My agent has mentioned speaking to one publisher (I think just putting feelers out at present) - one I had had in mind actually which is good. But we are still at the revisions stage (sigh!) She has sent me about 5 pages of notes on the recent (2nd ) redraft - the last one was all about cutting which she is happy with but still wants 'more' ( tension, story, seeding of details). It seems never ending - just getting on to it now (supposedly!) hoping this will be the final push.

Dontrock, my revisions mainly centre around enhancing certain aspects of one of the MCs, which I can see is very wise advice, so it's not been too arduous so far - but whether there will then be a new round of suggestions I don't know... I tend to underwrite if anything, and only just reach the 'ideal' word count, which is maybe why I ended up writing quite a plot-driven commercial story (as opposed to the more literary book I had fondly imagined I might write before I started) - I rattle through the plot without daring to risk anything superfluous! Hence now having to expand in certain areas, although I suppose at least I don't have to cut too much out - pros and cons! Your agent sounds very thorough with her feedback, and how lovely to hear her mention a publisher that you already had in mind - exciting times!

Lovely to hear the success stories and all of the supportive comments!

I'm just about to start contacting agents but not really sure what I want out of it, although that sounds ridiculous! I do write (non-fiction) but parted company with my agent at the end of last year. My options for fiction are:

contact agents I have previously phoned who said they would like to see what I have when it is ready (this was probably about 2 years ago and I just let it slide);

contact agents who are currently 'riding high' and see what they say (that would just mean looking at who has done deals recently - it's not a scientific method . . . );

contact an agent I was previously with (who moved over to fiction only which is why she doesn't represent me any more);

give it a go myself by contacting publishers directly.

I did have a perfect agent in mind, but she is on maternity leave and my reasons for wanting her were a bit vague anyway (someone told me she was nice, basically ) . . .

I do feel that if I don't do this now (fiction, that is), I'll never do it - I've been putting it off for years, and part of me wonders whether the handwringing about agents is just another excuse really.

DownHereInTheHorridHouse There's absolutely no reason to pitch to publishers - they won't consider anyone like that. You need to go through an agent.

If you are looking for an agent and go for someone who's riding high, you are pitching to someone who's very busy and in all likelihood will not really be looking for anyone new.

An agent who previously represented you would obviously give you serious consideration. Other than that I'd look for agents who state on their websites that they are actively trying to build their lists. That might be because they are new, because they've gone from part-time to full-time, back off maternity leave, etc. It does mean they'll take more time over submissions.

With all due respect ImperialBlether, agents would indeed consider it if I went down that route. I know I'm lucky to have those contacts, I'm just not sure I have the ability to do it that way. I have been doing my own deals and contracts since I left the last agency and it's worked really well, but that's ghostwriting and I'm perfectly happy to represent someone else's story. Something I would write under my own name is a different matter.

I suppose the question is whether to try and get someone who is smaller and would have more time for you; I certainly want to feel they are approachable and friendly (obviously that works well when they are pitching too, as you want someone publishers like), but most of them are absolutely lovely!

Oh okay, it's just the editors I know have said they won't deal with any fiction authors who don't have an agent. If they know you it must be different.

My agent spent 10 years as an editor, so she knew exactly who to pitch to, and she was right. She knew all the foreign editors, too, so that was a huge advantage.

Mumbles, I think I have the opposite problem to you - I tend to 'write long' apparently and probably fall down on the actual plot part (all advice so far been to bring the plot out more!) Have you got a deadline for your revisions?

Down here, I'd go for your former agent first and ones you previously contacted - don't think it would matter too much that it was 2 years ago if they are interested. What kind of fiction do you write?

Dontrock - no deadline as such - it was more of a 'take as long as you need... but the sooner the better please'. I hope your final polishings are going well and the end is in sight!

Dontrock - it's just that we haven't had any contact at all since I left that agency, so I wasn't sure if it would be better to start afresh. I'm in such a dither about it all, and I'm not like that at all with my 'other' writing . So wary of sticking my own name on something. I have asked around to see if someone else would 'front' it, but they all look at me as if I'm mad! (It's crime fiction.)

If you'd submitted something on the 7th March would you say it's time to give up on those agents or do some agents take longer than 3 months?

I think the longest I waited for a response was 2 months, and that was a request for the full manuscript. One did not reply at all though!

Are you still waiting for a few? 3 months does seem a while, it might be worth sending some more out in meantime.

I've had no more luck getting a full read since the last two. I've sent a few more submissions out and had immediate nos, as it wasn't their type of thing (despite fitting what they said their interests are!) but at least I'm not waiting on hearing from those!

In the meantime I've finished another draft of a new book (that needs work) and started the YA sequel. Onwards!

Great to hear good news from others.

I seem to be getting fewer and fewer replies from agents. I assume they're hoping that by ignoring me I'll stop sending them stuff.

I have the problem that there's no way I can self publish. Children's picture books need pictures. I can't do them and digital children's books are not a popular way for children to use books anyway. I'm thinking maybe I should go for extended story-poetry that doesn't need pictures.

Like this one

Lenny was a fearsome lion.
There were none as fierce as he.
And Lenny had a life long dream
Which was to learn to ski.
The thought of whooshing down the snow
Filled every waking second.
He would be a great world champion
If he tried it, so he reckoned.

Now the animals around him
Thought the idea to be a winner.
They'd rather help him learn to ski
Than end up as his dinner.
They gathered round and called him over
On the plain so hot and sunny,
And got him a taxi, and plane ticket
They'd bought with all their money.

Lenny the lion jumped for joy
And did his special happy dance,
Then Boarded the first plane he could
That flew to Southern France.
He soon arrived, found his hotel
And clothes quite warm yet cool,
Some splendid skis made just for lions
And enrolled in the ski school...

etc.

Without all the technical things that picture books require they seem to come pretty easily. I could do more and stick them in a book. Would people want them? Do people read pictureless stories to children, or would children want to read them themselves?

Hello all.

I've had an agent for two years and he submitted my manuscript to loads of houses and none of them have bitten.

So I've sacked him and am self publishing!!! So excited!!

Tiggy, have you joined SCBWI yet?
I really think it is the way to go if you are writing picture books. As well as the excellent critiquing opportunities you might manage to hook up with an illustrator with whom you could self publish. One of my friends currently has a very beautiful and professional-looking picture book sitting proudly in the window of the local bookshop.
I went to my first SCWBI session recently and we spent half the day on picture books; it was enormously educational. It seems a pity to give up when you haven't exhausted all the possibilities for developing your work.

Hi somethingtosay, that sounds exciting, good luck with it. Did you get any feedback as to why no publishers took it on? What genre is it?

I have had an agent for several months and am on redraft three of my novel - I guess the holy grail at first seems to be getting the agent but it does seem pretty common for this not to actually lead to a publishing deal! At least if I end up self publishing it will be a lot better than it was when I started thanks to her input!

Hi everyone,

I read recently that writing your novel isn't the hard part, and having started the excruciating submission process I can heartily agree. It's bloody awful. You preen and polish your (for me) 97,000 words to a gleaming shine, make your spreadsheet of the prospective agents that might be right for you, and quail just a smidge at the realisation that they all want something slightly different. You agonise over your query letter to the point of madness, shed tears and hair over your synopsis...too long? Too short? Too bland? Too madcap? And then you start sending your precious MS off, personalising each and every submission letter, double and triple-checking that you've obeyed their criteria, hovering over that screaming 'send' button... And then you wait. Trying very, very hard NOT to refresh your inbox every fifteen seconds.

I'm going a bit mad (madder?), so I thought I'd reach out and see what this mad world was like for other brave nutters.

I've got a question too about genre. I agonised about this. My novel is very character-based, so I've called it literary fiction, but it's definitely got strong elements of suspense and romance, although there are plot twists that ask questions of the reader's assumptions throughout. I worry that I should have just called it women's fiction or romantic fiction to appeal to a wider audience (perhaps).

I've submitted to 16 agents, and so far have had two (nice, but form) rejections. I can feel myself already worrying what this means, and although I'm continuing writing on my second book, I know that my full attention isn't really there.

Any thoughts are very welcome! Thanks :)

Hi Sophie - I feel your pain. I had the same experience as you, but in hindsight my book wasn't entirely ready and needed a bit more polish - not that I'm saying the same about yours. Have you had any feedback on it at all?

Re the genre can't offer any advice sorry as that's something I struggle with myself. Good luck with your writing and hope you get a positive response soon

Hi Dontwait,

Thanks for the reassurance. I've done all that I've found recommended online regarding redrafts and he endless edits...and then the pause and reread. I've had a family member, a friend and a complete stranger read it for me and had great feedback from all three of a similar type, so I think (fingers firmly crossed) that it's good.

It's just watching that inbox. Aaagh! I had another rejection this morning, although this one did say that I had 'obvious talent', so I'm trying to see that positively, but by gum it's hard.

Good luck with yours too. I'm both taking heart from it and breaking out in a cold sweat as I read through this thread...

:)

Hi guys, please may I join in?!

It's so heartening to read your successes - I've finished my first novel and sent it off to about 30 UK agents a couple of weeks ago and had three rejections so far. Frankly at first I was just happy that someone had read my work!

My novel is kind of an adventure with suspense and a little comedy but in all honesty I'm not 100% sure which genre 'box' I'd put it in and I feel like that's holding me back when describing it to potential agents. Do you all feel that your novel fits well into the genre you'd categorise it as?

Is it worth trying the US agents too? It would make me feel better knowing that I am doing something while I'm waiting...

Thanks x

Sophie, just saw your post re genre - same problem!

The American system for submitting to agents is a bit different but the discipline of writing an American-style query letter would probably be very beneficial, especially if you're struggling to describe your book.

Batman, I'm so glad it's not just me! It's easy to feel that you're just a muppet for not neatly pigeonholing your novel into a neat genre. For instance, I read all the genre sub-class descriptions and although I thought mine was quite romantic, apparently to be classed as romance the main female character has to end up with the main male character. Well that just doesn't happen in mine, although there is a happy ending. It seems a crazy system to make so many sub-genres and have each one so specific...
I know that that's the business we've chosen to get into, and we have to abide by the rules, but it's just my point of view as a frustrated genre-ditherer!
I can't yet write TO a specific genre, because my characters live and breathe for me, and they almost write their own story, if that makes any sense. I'd be twisting their characters monstrously to meld the story into what the romance genre dictates. Unless, of course, it's not as strict as the genre descriptions tell us poor scribblers...
:)
Had another rejection yesterday, but this one did say I had 'obvious talent', so I'm trying to take that positively...

I have the same problem - my story didn't start out this way, I planned for it to be a straight-forward mystery with perhaps a touch of sci-fi (actual science fiction, not supernatural) but the characters took on another level and I found myself making the lead very snarky and funny and with a slightly dark back-story.

No idea what that would be classed as!

The rejections I've had so far have been brief but not discouraging. I'd kill for an 'obvious talent' comment right now as I need the encouragement...