Waiting on agents

[Hazelwood63]

Hello. I'm just looking for company on this long waiting game. Anyone else waiting to hear back from agents at the moment? I sent out five initial submissions at the end of January. So far I've received a really encouraging rejection and two requests for the full. Nothing from the other two so far. It's coming up to a month since I sent off the first full ms, and just over three weeks for the other one. Has anyone else waited over a month for a response to a full and been offered representation, or is it maybe time to think of moving on?

I had a Cornerstone feedback on the content which was really useful. A full editorial plus zoom call with the editor, which was meant to be about an hour, but was over 2 hours. Really really helpful.

I also did a 15 minute with IaminPrint (I think that was the name) which was less useful, but still worthwhile - effectively you get what you pay for there!

The Cornerstones was very positive, the second one less so, but with only having 15 minutes they were focusing on what to improve - as it should be, no time to say what they really liked.

I think part of my frustrations with rejections is:

1. Not usually hearing anything, which I understand with the numbers they get, but it does feel like sending an arrow into the dark
2. The rejections often on the face of it look quite positive and I have about 6 seconds of thinking "oh at least they liked it" before crashing down with "actually I suspect that's a form rejection". So I feel do I continue, or is it just rubbish and doesn't stand a chance.

I had my first rejection. Not surprised though - I haven't worked hard enough on my manuscript.

Sorry to hear about the rejection. It stings!

That sounds great—the editor must have been very enthused by your manuscript to go so long over time! Have you edited based on their comments yet?

The norm seems to be for agents not to give any feedback when they reject your book. I think it's both to save time and because giving feedback encourages the author to respond, to challenge what they've said, to offer to change the book and re-submit, etc. It's best just to say no without entering into any kind of dialogue. If the agent says they liked the book but don't love it, or they encourage you to keep trying with other agents, or something like that, I think it's a really positive sign. This is in the context of them having a huge amount of choice, so that they don't have to compromise on accepting something that's good but doesn't show signs of being a big commercial success. They want that commercial success.

Did you all have Beta Readers for your manuscripts before querying? I confess I didn't. So not really surprised not to have much interest. Although I did run the novel through two critique sites and the revisions were based on some of the feedback.

I had many, many rejections before finally signing with my agent - in general I came to the conclusion that if the response didn’t have specific feedback about my novel (rather than the more generic “although there is much to be admired here…” or whatever), it was a form rejection. Publishing is so very polite that it can be easy to read too much into things! There was almost always specific feedback after a full request, though, which I think is absolutely right.

@AppropriateAdult I’d love to hear about your journey and any tips you can share for breaking through or just how to survive the querying trenches?
Were those many rejections before your agent for the same manuscript which she ultimately signed you for, or was there more than one?
Thank you!

Yes, I edited quite substantially and he was absolutely brilliant. I would thoroughly recommend my experience, although that will depend on the agent.

I understand about the time and reasons for not giving feedback, it's more that the email feels very positive at first glance, but then you realise it's just a standard response and then I feel cheated.

Has anyone had a no that hasn't said something along the lines of "liked but not loved" "Liked but not for me" or "writing is a very subjective business so someone else may like it"?
All of those at first glance feel quite close but if they write that for everyone then it's worthless.

If they're really read it and thought "dreadful, not a chance" then it feels unfair to encourage like that.
If they don't think that they did like it etc then personally (and this is a personal thing) I'd rather they said "no thank you" - nothing to read into there.

Are these rejections after you sending the full or to a first query?

I had the same after my full was rejected—we don’t love it, you deserve an agent who does

Another good thing about query tracker (I don't know if it's for the paid version or in the free one too) is that in the agent profile on the comments section people paste their form rejections. It's so helpful because sometimes it does look like personalised feedback but then it turns out to be a form rejection!

My heart sank at one rejection I got telling me I needed to build out my query letter to include the set up and the stakes (which I thought I had) but then I went to the comments on query tracker and it turned out to be the agent's standard form rejection to everyone!

Second rejection. They are so polite (while not complimentary) I wish they'd be more honest in saying if it's just not good enough (which I suspect). I guess they don't have the time.

Aw condolences! Are you waiting on many more? I’m waiting on about 20 at the moment, sent out in batches (some probably now veering CNR)

Bless, thanks! Eight more queries outstanding.

Good luck to you too - it's a good sign that someone requested a full manuscript!

It was a long road! But there were no tricks to it ultimately; I made a big spreadsheet of all the agencies I could find and sent queries off in small
batches. I queried two novels unsuccessfully before landing my agent - the first one got one or two full requests, the second one got maybe five, but no takers in the end. With the successful novel, the agent who eventually became my agent replied 45 minutes after I sent my query, looking for the full, and I had an offer of representation the following week. But, while that sounds quick, I had been querying the novel for several months by that point, and she was ultimately the only person who offered! But the novel sold, and was published last year, and has been well received.

It really does only take one person connecting with it to make things happen!

Right, I'm joining in! It's absolutely nerve-wracking and I need some company. I've sent out queries for my upmarket (at least I think that's what they call a commercial/literary crossover) novel and am waiting and refreshing my email with such restlessness – and occasional despair.

I sent off 5 queries in late November and have had one full request from those; and otherwise nothing.

I sent off another 8 queries in early Jan, a fortnight ago, and have had nothing from any of them.

I was flying so high after the full request – it came with lots of praise, and was from a very respected agency – and so the radio silence from everyone else, especially given as I nudged them on the full request, is making me feel terrible. The mixed reception does sound quite normal, though.

Can anyone tell me: can we assume that what with Christmas and everything, is it possible that many of the agents just haven't read it? Here I am, trying to keep hope alive...thank you!

I think the end of year/Christmas is a bad period to query (as I discovered after I had already sent several queries) as the agents are clearing the decks ahead of the holidays and then taking time off. Some even said any queries sent during the holidays will be automatically deleted. Apparently they come back to a full inbox in January so it probably just takes time. Although some I queried state on their profile that they only respond if they're interested.

I would think about your next project - that's what I'm doing. I wrote a dystopian survival story with societal commentary and was going to write a follow-up but have had a change of heart and am planning to write a thriller instead of a mid-life woman who kills a man who assaults her and goes on the run. It's exciting to have a fresh idea to sink your teeth into!

We sound like we’re at the exact same place in our journey—first huge batch late November here (rookie error), one full from a great agency, rejected before Christmas. I revised both manuscript and pitch over Christmas and have sent a smallish batch in the last week. Now on tenterhooks. Like you, I’ve no idea if the first lot are all now CNR (even though still within the reading period for most agencies, realistically it looks unlikely).
Have you had a rejection on the full or are you still waiting on that too?
It’s so nerve wrackin. Hoping for some safe words from more experienced trencherwomen!

I also nudged every agency on the full that asked for this in their submission guidelines and heard nothing

This does sound like such a long road—congrats for making it to the end. It’s very interesting to hear how long you were in the trenches. What genre are you writing in? What’s next for your career?

Thank you! It’s literary fiction (where all the big money is, obvs ). I’m currently about 3/4 of the way through Book 2, although it will need a lot of polishing before I send it out into the world…

How exciting. How fast have you got that far on Book Two since you were published?

I wish I had more of a sense of where the lines are drawn between literary fiction/upmarket. I had thought I was writing literary, but I’m not so sure now as I’m also quite plot-driven. Where do you see the distinction, as a published writer of litfic?

Hi @ferntwist – I know what you mean about the rookie error! I was just so keen to get them out because otherwise I thought I might lose the momentum...but doing it just before Christmas was not my wisest move. As you are too, I'm also assuming the first lot are CNR.

What annoys me about one of these November queries is I sent it to an agent who (although she's now moved agency) did a full request of my first manuscript eight years ago! She turned it down (and the book didn't go anywhere in the end) but she told me to get in touch if I ever wrote anything again. I emailed her directly with this submission, reminding her of this, and have heard absolutely nothing. Gutting! To be fair, eight years is a long time. And I honestly felt like I was spamming her by emailing her direct inbox being like, "You don't remember me but trust me, you're gonna want to read this😂"

I'm waiting on the full still. Nerve-wracking.

I'd love to hear literally anything from anyone else at this point, even a rejection. They all say they 'read all submissions' even if you get a CNR, but I'm assuming that can't be the case. Do they really read all submissions? Who knows...

You're right - both these points are very sensible and pragmatic! I'd love to assume they're just coming back to full inboxes and it's just taking them a while rather than the 'we've read it and you're such a terrible writer that you're getting a CNR' thing that I fear...

Your thriller idea sounds fantastic! Good luck with it. I can imagine that a fair few women might be getting behind that one. I've got an idea in mind but it's quite ambitious and I don't have the energy right now to really think it through, so I'm sort of just dabbling with ideas for it, which still feels like some level of forward motion.

Also to anyone who's been watching and enjoying The Traitors, it's been linked to here before but good old Harriet wrote a wonderful and inspiring piece a few years ago about her journey to becoming published. Am linking it again as there's no better time!

https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/harriet-tyce