I got an offer! Now what do I do about outstanding queries?

Rexwriter · Sep 3, 2009

I got "the call" this morning! I am so excited!

I emailed the rest of the agents with fulls and partials to let them know, and give them a chance to respond, but now I'm wondering what I should do about all the queries that are still out. Should I withdraw them (if so, how do I do this?) or should I let them know I have an offer or what? Some of the agents asked for large partials or even fulls with the initial query so should I treat them like the agents who requested the full?

Cyia · Sep 3, 2009

No personal experience, but FWIW:

I'd email anyone who has a partial or full to let them know there's no point in spending anymore time on the reading. With queries, wait and see if anyone contacts you, then you can inform them that you've already signed elsewhere. (This way you don't have to deal with figuring out when "no response" means they passed or if it means they haven't gotten to your letter yet.

And congrats on signing, here's a Snoopy dance for you --> :snoopy:

scarletpeaches · Sep 3, 2009

Invite them all to kiss your arse?

Karen Junker · Sep 3, 2009

Your professionalism does you credit, SP.

scarletpeaches · Sep 3, 2009

I'm often told (by thethinker42) that I'm one classy chica, yes.

lauraannwilliams · Sep 3, 2009

If you've accepted the offer, send out 'sorry, taken' notices. If you havn't accepted the offer, send out 'have an offer! If you want a chance at this, please respond asap' notices, and then pick the best of the bunch.

Rexwriter · Sep 3, 2009

No I haven't signed yet. She's giving me a couple weeks to contact and hear back from the other agents before I decide. The question is do I contact agents who just have queries, or only agents with partials or fulls?

Calla Lily · Sep 3, 2009

Oh! Oh! I know this one! Only those with partials and fulls.

Danthia · Sep 4, 2009

Partials and fulls. You're basically being courteous to those who have already expressed an interest in your work and giving them a chance to offer. If they asked for partials with the query, notify them anyway. Can't hurt, and they might be the right agent for you. I'd skip the ones you only queried with a letter though.

Twizzle · Sep 4, 2009

I'm going to disagree. This time I let everyone know -those who had the ms in some form already and those that had my query. My email basically said I had an offer, I was giving those interested until such and such date, and if I didn't hear back I'd assume they were passing.

I just thought it was rude not to. I mean, someone was going to waste time reading that query and/or pages, so futile or not, I felt bad and did it. (Okay, that, and Giant Baby threatening my life if I didn't. But she doesn't frighten me as much as being rude does. I'm such a dork like that.) And the thing was, of those I contacted who had just the query, I heard back from 4 asking to see the ms. Didn't sign with them, but it certainly helped me decide who to sign with. So I disagree. What can you lose?

And congratulations! It's an exciting time.

Rexwriter · Sep 4, 2009

Hi Twizzle! I came to the same conclusion this morning. If I were an agent I wouldn't like to put time into reading anything, even a query and sample pages, and then request a manuscript only to be told it's no longer available. So I emailed all of them. Within an hour I had three replies. Two very gracious and congratulatory "I'll step aside" emails and one request for a full manuscript.

Darzian · Sep 7, 2009

Plenty of good advice here already.

I'd like to say:

Calla Lily · Sep 7, 2009

Good luck!

Phantom Writer · Sep 7, 2009

Rexwriter said:
Hi Twizzle! I came to the same conclusion this morning. If I were an agent I wouldn't like to put time into reading anything, even a query and sample pages, and then request a manuscript only to be told it's no longer available. So I emailed all of them. Within an hour I had three replies. Two very gracious and congratulatory "I'll step aside" emails and one request for a full manuscript.

That is excellent news Rex-! Congrats and best wishes on the weeks ahead!!!

Stijn Hommes · Sep 7, 2009

It really depends on whether you're interested in the agents who have only a query. If they're down on your wishlist, I recommend you send a withdrawal. If they're your dream agent, tell them you've got an offer.

Kathleen42 · Sep 7, 2009

Betsy Lerner recently posted about this on her blog: http://betsylerner.com/2009/09/01/dont-you-wish-your-girlfriend-was-hot-like-me/

Rexwriter · Sep 7, 2009

Thanks everyone!

Cassiopeia · Sep 7, 2009

If you haven't accepted the offer, then wait. You may or may not come to an agreement.

An email that says, "have offer" is a bit like a real estate agent phoning people who have previously seen the house and trying to drive up the price. Or an employee coming in and saying, "I've been offered (insert dollar amount) to go work for so and so, will you match it or do better?"

At least that's how I see it. So, I'd hold off until you have all the papers signed and the ink has dried for a few days.

mysterygrl · Sep 8, 2009

Cassiopeia said:
If you haven't accepted the offer, then wait. You may or may not come to an agreement.

An email that says, "have offer" is a bit like a real estate agent phoning people who have previously seen the house and trying to drive up the price. Or an employee coming in and saying, "I've been offered (insert dollar amount) to go work for so and so, will you match it or do better?"

At least that's how I see it. So, I'd hold off until you have all the papers signed and the ink has dried for a few days.

It might feel like you're playing games, but if you receive an offer of representation, it's actually common practice (and considered professional courtesy) to inform other agents, and give them a chance to respond. Also, agent contracts are pretty similar, so it's not about getting better terms. It's all about finding the best fit--which benefits both parties.

Cassiopeia · Sep 8, 2009

mysterygrl said:
It might feel like you're playing games, but if you receive an offer of representation, it's actually common practice (and considered professional courtesy) to inform other agents, and give them a chance to respond. Also, agent contracts are pretty similar, so it's not about getting better terms. It's all about finding the best fit--which benefits both parties.

I think it must take very careful wording then because that's fine line there.

scope · Sep 8, 2009

mysterygrl said:
It might feel like you're playing games, but if you receive an offer of representation, it's actually common practice (and considered professional courtesy) to inform other agents, and give them a chance to respond. Also, agent contracts are pretty similar, so it's not about getting better terms. It's all about finding the best fit--which benefits both parties.

For what it's worth, I completely agree with you. And I don't think it's a fine line at all.

Wonderlander · Sep 9, 2009

It's seems perfectly legitimate practice to me to let other agents know straight away that you have an offer and if they're quick they could be in with a look-in. It's business, after all.

The thing that threw me, however, is how this whole "I don't respond to queries I'm not interested in" thing plays with agents when it comes to informing them that you're in talks with someone else. Basically, when I signed, requests for partials, etc still showed up from agents that I had been led to believe wouldn't respond if they weren't interested, and some of these were six months down the line.

I'd been reluctant to inform people that I presupposed had rejected me because, you know, it sounds a bit "I REJECT YOUR REJECTION! HAH!". But if they got into the habit of sending out form email rejections for queries (which you can do with a macro, honestly it's the click of a couple of keys), then when I didn't receive a rejection, I would have known my query was still in play, contacted them with my news, and they wouldn't be going to the effort of requesting stuff that wasn't available anymore.

Twizzle · Sep 9, 2009

Stijn Hommes said:
It really depends on whether you're interested in the agents who have only a query. If they're down on your wishlist, I recommend you send a withdrawal. If they're your dream agent, tell them you've got an offer.

well, that's the problem. there's no such thing as a dream agent. there are agents who might be right for you but I know for me, even though I carefully picked my query list, I had no way to tell for sure until I talked to them if that was the case.

congrats again, Rex!

OpheliaRevived · Sep 9, 2009

I agree with Karen. You can never be too conscientious. Ever.

Cassiopeia · Sep 9, 2009

My hesitancy may come from my contracting experience. Often times a customer or potential customer will solicit a bid from me and then turn around go get others (which they should) and then come back and say....but they can give me a better price will you match it? That's shopping the bid. And I always refused to play. I gave my best estimate out of the gate and that was that...

Perhaps I'm too clouded by my experience.

I got an offer! Now what do I do about outstanding queries?

Rewriting My Destiny

Live a little. Write a lot.

On hiatus

Danthia

Cluck that.

To-to-to-ron-to

On hiatus

Dancing between good and evil...

Know what you write...

crushing on fictional characters

Otherwise Occupied

Otherwise Occupied

Commonsensical Maverick

Bird In Flight

Cluck that.

Real Men Have Gills

Otherwise Occupied