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Waiting on agents

777 replies

IceRoadDucker · 12/02/2016 13:24

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.

OP posts:
MissBattleaxe · 02/05/2016 22:06

Good advice from Imperial. Do that. ^^

Also, keep a table of who you sent it to and when so you don't duplicate and you can keep track of time scales.

Dontrocktheboat · 03/05/2016 10:31

Hi, joining tentatively and very interested to read of people's experiences! I have been working up (procrastinating!) to sending my novel to agents but not yet had the nerve - I finished it a while ago but have done some redrafting, although find I have lost perspective with the thing and now just want to escape from it and move on!

Great to see that so many people have had success, and some good tips on this thread. Imperial, I had actually identified a couple of the agents on your list to target as a first off so seems I might be in the right ball park!

Just wondering if other people are writing genre fiction or other? mine doesn't really fit in a category, I would probably call it lit fiction (so not v lucrative!)

Am following with interest and wish everyone luck.....

MissBattleaxe · 03/05/2016 12:24

Dontrocktheboat- you are warmly welcome!

Madhairday · 03/05/2016 14:37

Welcome dontrocktheboat - and yes, get submitting, there is some great advice on this thread.

I've heard nothing back yet but I only sent full mss a week ago, so I am being too impatient, I think. I have sent a few more submissions in the meantime in a burst of confidence, but now feel despondent as I had one immediate rejection. Sigh...you really need that tough skin for this thing.

Imperial, I like the idea of waiting to see what agents say, trouble is, the great majority say nothing at all beyond the form rejections - all the personalised feedback ones I have had have been along the lines of good writing, good concept, but not for us - so not much to work with in terms of what to change about the submission :(

Cantfeel - have you sent some subs now? Fingers crossed.

TiggyD hope you get some responses soon. I believe there are a number of small publishers that take unsolicited mss but not many and it must be pretty competitive. Think the yearbook has some.

CantFeelMyFace · 03/05/2016 17:38

madhairday no new submissions since the last lot (4 U.S and 6 U.K) a few weeks ago. Imperial has very kindly given me a bucket load which I'm planning to send to in batches over the next couple of weeks. No news from the first batch although well aware this is early days -almost craving a rejection to have some validation of my existence in the email slush pile 😂😂

Dontrock I don't think I was aiming to write in a particular genre, I wrote it because I like it. When I had a chunk of it it professionally assessed, I was told it was a genre which is different to the one I thought it was! Has anyone looked at yours? They might tell you something surprising 😄

CantFeelMyFace · 03/05/2016 17:41

missbattle I like the idea of a table-I've got an email folder with my sent emails for subs but some submission are on the agent website so makes sense to have it written down- my memory is like a sieve!

Helmetbymidnight · 03/05/2016 17:53

Don't rock the boat, time to rock the boat I reckon :)

Miss Battleaxe, any news?

How about Hustle and Word Association et al?

It is painful. And slow. And painfully slow. I said to DH, "I haven't had a rejection for ten days! That's a record" - and he said, " don't worry, its coz its the easter holidays." Sigh. But then I got a nice one. One is all it takes. (hopefully?)

Several of my agent rejections were of the "I love you, but I'm not in love with you," variety. Turns you into a 17 year old, when the fella you like just wants you "as a friend". Ho hum.

Helmetbymidnight · 03/05/2016 18:16

Re genre- I think ones with no obvious genre tend to become 'contemporary'(?!) or perhaps 'commercial'?

MissBattleaxe · 03/05/2016 18:59

Hi Helmet- thanks for asking. No news. It's going to be a very twitchy week.

TiggyD · 03/05/2016 19:20

I sent stuff to a third of the agents in the yearbook then waited. One gave some useful tips. I sent stuff to another third and waited. Now I've mailed the final third.

I was keeping a record, but only a crap one. Will write it up better using many coloured felt tips.

Helmetbymidnight · 03/05/2016 20:17

Mm, Using a fluorescent highlighter could make all the difference.

ImperialBlether · 03/05/2016 20:23

I set up a spreadsheet (my favourite hobby) with these columns:

Date Agency Agent Notes Reply Date Time Taken Response

You really need to keep a record, otherwise you'll end up writing to the same person twice.

ImperialBlether · 03/05/2016 20:24

Argh, that didn't come out as a table:

Date
Agency
Agent
Notes
Reply Date
Time Taken
Response

Dontrocktheboat · 05/05/2016 10:47

Hi everyone, thanks for the welcome - yes it probably is time to rock the boat! Have set myself a target of getting something submitted by tomorrow (have Friday morning to myself but the rest of the week is just a chaos of work and childcare and have found it difficult to get my head clear enough to feel confident emailing people!)

Helmet, I think I am anticipating rejections but would probably be quite chuffed just to get one that is complimentary and not a standard rejection, so sounds like you are getting somewhere!

Re genre am not sure if mine fits the contemporary bill - it is probably not 'commercial' though (unfortunately !)

Cantfeel - I have not had anyone look at it professionally though I did write it as part of a masters course (to give me some discipline!) so bits of it have been workshopped - though I think the focus at that time was more on creative and aesthetic merit rather than commercial viability (which seemed a far off prospect anyway!)

Just wondering if other people have garnered much opinion from friends/ other writers/ professional agencies before sending off into the ether of the slush pile?

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 05/05/2016 10:49

Several friends (mixture of writers of various sorts and people who read that genre) read mine before I sent it off.

MissBattleaxe · 05/05/2016 11:14

Nobody read mine before I submitted it and I got signed by an agent.

Agents do a lot of editing before they submit to publishers so although it has to be your very best work, if they can see it has potential and want to take you on, they sometimes will work with you to get it up to "Please publish me" level. Even established writers get edited to bits.

It's a good idea to get feedback before you send it though. I would certainly do so next time I submit anything.

wordassociationfootball · 05/05/2016 16:29

Update from me: Sent new draft to agent who signed me in September. She thought lots of things were loads better but that I'd crammed the beginning with unnecessary stuff and it all needs to get going loads faster, but that it really picks up after page 70(!) She is right. I've knitted a lot of things together that need unpicking. It's all a bit.... constipated. I'll have to cut another 10,000 words and do a lot of furniture moving.

Today I've put it all on different coloured post-its on the wall. I was enjoying having my evenings and weekends back!

MissBattleaxe · 05/05/2016 18:47

Sounds like things are hotting up wordassociation! Did your agent mention timesacles at all? when are they aiming to get it out?

wasninah · 05/05/2016 22:35

You don't have to live in London to do a CB course, you can do distance learning. ££ is spot on, though

ImperialBlether · 06/05/2016 09:46

Sorry, I was wrong about having to live in London. I think the price of the courses must have made me blind to the rest of the information!

wordassociationfootball · 07/05/2016 21:21

September submission, Missbattleaxe.

Dontrocktheboat · 08/05/2016 09:39

Just marking place! Have done one submission so achieved my target for the week - know need to do a few though, it is so hard as they all ask for very slightly different things and covering letter is a nightmare! Just waiting for the inevitable rejection now though.....

ImperialBlether · 08/05/2016 13:52

Congratulations on submitting, Dontrocktheboat. I know what you mean about them asking for slightly different things. The advantage of submitting to a few at a time is that if one asks for the full manuscript, you can tell the others (without names) and it really speeds them up. Best of luck!

ImperialBlether · 08/05/2016 13:55

wordassociationfootball, did your agent say why she wanted to submit in September? Don't they just submit when they're ready? (Bearing in mind the fairs.)

Madhairday · 08/05/2016 19:13

Congratulations, dontrocktheboat - it's definitely a place to mark on the journey, your first submission. Hope you hear some great news soon.

Still waiting here, and no more full ms requests apart from the one I'm waiting on. It's torture!