Enough with the poking already?

[MarloweCanning]

Hi all. I was requested to send a full manuscript after sending a query and then a partial. It's been nearly five months now. Following advice from the nice chappies on here I initially left it for 3 before poking my perspective agent with a 'agonisingly polite' e-mail... a month later I did so again. It's now a month after that - should I even bother to poke again or is this the sort of time to assume Mr Agent is not interested.
I don't want to seem pushy or desperate and I understand that he may well be busy - but 5 months seems a very long time. I, at the very least expected an e-mail at some stage to at least explain that he hasn't gotten round to viewing the full, but that simply hasn't happened.
It would be good to hear your take on this... am I, do reckon, now simply holding out with little hope on an more than likely hopeless situation.
The agent is reputable, I've researched him.
Thoughts...?

[waylander]

Nathan Bransford's advice http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08/how-often-should-you-follow-up-with.html

My take - keep sending status queries until you hear back. In the meantime send out other queries and write your next book

[cate townsend]

If they aren't answering your polite status-check emails, it's probably an indication of how communicative they'll be if you sign on. It's not pushy to check in every two months, but be aware that some agents will take much longer than 5 months to review a manuscript. Forget about it, and keep querying.

[augusto]

I had a similar experience with an agency and I quit poking. Eleven months after their request of my first book I finished my second one and queried them on that--adding that they still hadn't responded to the first one. Someone new at the agency immediately requested a partial on #2 and said she'd look into #1. It's been two months now, so maybe they're just jacking me around again...but at least they know I wasn't just sitting around waiting for them. Keep querying and keep writing!

[waylander]

When I was querying I never let a full manuscript go. I kept reminding them until I got a response. One of them took 18 months, but they nearly took it on.

[myrmidon]

FWIW, I had sent a full (via mail) per request and waited about five months before sending a status query. I got no response. I continued to send achingly polite status queries about every five or six weeks after the sixth month mark. I never got a response, until month ten I believe, when out of nowhere I received an email from a different assistant at the agency apologizing and saying she'd looked high and low for the ms but couldn't find it and could I re-send. At this point (10 months later) I was knee deep in massive revisions based on other insightful rejections. I explained the situation and asked her if she'd like to see it "as was" or if she'd rather have the new draft when complete. She said for me to send it when finished. Cut to 6 months later that I finally sent the new full - I figured that was far too late for them to remember or care - but within two months of sending the new full I had an offer of representation from them.

I would agree that non-responsive, non-communicative agents/agencies are not necessarily a good sign, but in my case at least, it proved to be more a strange mix-up than anything really bad about the agency. I had another offer at the time I got their offer and for a variety of reasons went with the other agency, but my experience with them, aside from the long wait/lost ms. was really excellent.

So I guess my advice would be that crazy unexpected stuff happens all the time, manuscripts get lost, assistants leave and new ones replace them, etc. Just remain polite and professional and keep sending your status queries and who knows what can happen. In the meantime of course keep querying, writing, revising, etc., so that you don't drive yourself crazy with the waiting.

Good luck - I hope it all works out!

[Wayne K]

I say keep poking till you get a response. If you don't get one soon, it's prolly a "No"

Keep querying until you sign a contract

[Lucy]

Waylander, it took eighteen months but they "nearly took it on"? You're saying it took 18 months to get a good rejection. Right?

[waylander]

That is correct.
I found out later that the agent went on maternity leave, took the manuscript with her and didn't reply until she had returned to work.

[Albannach]

One of my many amusing experiences with agents while querying:

A junior agent at a humongous and highly successful agency (one of the biggest) asked for a full after reading a partial. He said to feel free to follow up after two months if I hadn't heard from him but I gave him a couple of extra weeks. Followed up. Nothing. Followed up a month later. Nothing. Followed up. Nothing. He changed agencies. I emailed wishing him luck at the new agency and asking if I should consider it still on submission with him. Nothing.

And of course in the meantime as he hadn't requested an exclusive I continued querying and had four or five other fulls out. Then I got an offer. I emailed him as a matter of courtesy saying I had signed with another agent.

He immediately responded wishing me luck.

(A little research revealed he had a history of this kind of thing with requested mss. Agents, your reputations do get around. It isn't just agents who talk to each other)

So there are agents out there who simply don't like to say no is my final analysis. They would rather hit delete on an email (quite frankly looking rather unprofessional imho) than deal with a possibly angry writer, I suppose. Anyway, it certainly doesn't hurt to keep poking.

[Monlette]

I'd be willing to bet his initials were J and G.

[cate townsend]

One of my many amusing experiences with agents while querying:

A junior agent at a humongous and highly successful agency (one of the biggest) asked for a full after reading a partial. He said to feel free to follow up after two months if I hadn't heard from him but I gave him a couple of extra weeks. Followed up. Nothing. Followed up a month later. Nothing. Followed up. Nothing. He changed agencies. I emailed wishing him luck at the new agency and asking if I should consider it still on submission with him. Nothing.



This happened to me also. I'm curious...pm me with a name?