Calling to make sure the agency received the manuscript?

newgreekwriter

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Hi! I hope this is in the right section...Well, over the summer, I went on vacation and I was informed by my family back in the States that an agency wanted to read my manuscript. Joy!
Well, things got complicated and I was forced to move to the country I was "vacationing" in. Nevertheless, I sent the manuscript to the said agency a month ago, almost a month after they first asked me to send it in...Well, since it was to a PO Box, I could not make it certified, so I do not really know if they ever received it or not.

My question is...should I call them to make sure? I do not want them to think that I heckling them, but I want to make sure, considering I spent 26 euros mailing it!
 

KTC

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There's an ASK THE AGENT section. It probably would have been more appropriate there. Maybe a mod will move it for you.

I would just assume that the manuscript made it, myself. But that's just one opinion. I'm sure others will chime in. GOOD LUCK!
 

newgreekwriter

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Oops. I did not see that section. O_O

But thank you, KTC for your advice. However, it's just nerve wrecking. I am thinking about sitting around, waiting for months when I can just be querying other agents.
 

KTC

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I know, I know. I've been there. Trust me. When they ask you to send it, and you do...and then you obsess, "Did they get it." I just go by the 'don't rock the boat' line of logic. But maybe someone will chime in and say that calling is a good idea. I sent one recently to a PO Box. They emailed me about a week later and said they received it. I was not expecting that kindness...but really appreciated it.
 

YAwriter72

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Oops. I did not see that section. O_O

But thank you, KTC for your advice. However, it's just nerve wrecking. I am thinking about sitting around, waiting for months when I can just be querying other agents.


Did you grant exclusive rights? If not, query others now.

If you did, a follow up email would not be out of line. Simply say you are checking on the status of a requested MS. I wouldn't call though.
 

newgreekwriter

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They don't have an e-mail, or at least they do not provide one...nd no I did state anything about exclusive rights. I simply said that I would sent them the manuscript.
 

davidhburton

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I would not call unless you have no email address for the agent/agency and you can't find one anywhere (pretty rare in this day and age). Following up with a polite email after 6-8 weeks seems reasonable. In the meantime, write another book to keep you busy. I know the wait is hard, but phoning is quite widely frowned upon.
 
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newgreekwriter

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Hm...I think I will wait until a month to call if they do not respond. I just don't hope it got lost in the mail, considering the long journey from Greece to NY, and somebody else is reading it!
 

Glass Cases

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I agree with Cyia. Never call. If you have the name of the person who asked you to send it, drop an email in another month. If you sent it a month ago from overseas, it probably took two to three weeks to even arrive in New York. Even if it didn't, one month is not that long in agent-time. Most give responses within 6-8 weeks.
 

Kasey Mackenzie

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I have to say this is one of the rare times I WOULD recommend calling to confirm that the manuscript was received, especially if it was requested by the agency. I know that international mail can be chancy sometimes. But I would recommend this ONLY if you have scoured the Internet and truly cannot find an email address. If that's the case, I would call the agency and, if there is an assistant/receptionist, briefly and politely state that you sent a requested manuscript from overseas and merely wanted to confirm receipt. If there's not an assistant/receptionist, I would convey the same information to the agent. The idea is to be professional, polite, and QUICK and to not give the impression you're trying to pitch to them over the phone or anything.

Also, I would wait longer than a month probably. I'd wait a good 6-8 weeks before touching base.
 

newgreekwriter

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Thanks. I mean, this is overseas, not exactly living in the same continent...you know what I mean? I will wait for now.
 

scope

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Did the request to read your full come from a specific agent?

Have you reviewed their website to see if that agent is still with the agency, and/or if they are still in business?

Do their guidelines say how long they take to reply to their requests for fulls?

Is the address on the net the same as to where you sent your manuscript?

If I get you right, their request for your full sat around for a month before you were even aware of it. Subsequently, it took you another month to send the manuscript to them. So, if their request arrived at your US home in July, you didn't know about it until August, and then sent the manuscript to the agency in September. Assuming their guidelines say nothing about response time to fulls, you have to give them 6-8 week minimum - don't you? If so, that will bring you to end of November. I think that would be the right time to query about the status of your work (if they don't have an email address yu have no choice but to call or write them -- I would roll the dice and call). Why not call now, speak to the operator and tell her that you can't find a listing of the agencies email address -- what is it?
 

newgreekwriter

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it is the ****** Agency. I was given a handwritten note by the assisstant of Rowland. I read the topics before-hand concerning this agency, and I know that the agents work from home...
 
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