Hi. I have a whole lot of questions to ask and I just want to apologize in advance for the length. Please bear with me.
I recently sent out a submission for a manuscript, but because I kept getting rejections or the dreaded no response, I decided to put it to bed and focus on another manuscript. So. I sent out queries for a different piece of work and that is when an agency contacted me for my first manuscript (the one I gave up on). They asked for exclusivity, which I gave them. A couple of days after the exclusivity ended (with me not hearing from them), a different agent asked to see my second manuscript, which I gave to her.
My first question is, should I contact the first agent and let them know someone is looking at that second manuscript? I wasn't planning to contact the first agency for another 30 days in order not to seem impatient. Also, if there's exclusivity on one project, should I consider the second project to be in that state as well?
On to the next batch of questions. Is it possible for someone to have 2 agents? The reason why I ask is because my first manuscript is an African-Canadian romance while my second one is a paranormal romance. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems that US agents don't really represent the former (even I have to ask myself if there's such a thing as African-Canadian romance) and I know from looking on the website of one agency, that they don't represent genre romance. Yes, I know what you're thinking and I'm thinking it too: why did they want to see my first manuscript? (*sigh* I have a bad feeling.)
Where was I...
So, taking the extremely optimistic approach... If the two agents contact me, should I try to feel them out and ask if they would represent me if I went into another genre? Or find out from them what is the normal protocol for such a situation? Or do I just shout "yes" excitedly and run off into the sunset laughing hysterically, waving pages of my manuscript overhead? (Sounds like a poll.)
If this has been addressed before, I'm sorry for bringing it up yet again. Thanks in advance for whatever advice you can give.
I recently sent out a submission for a manuscript, but because I kept getting rejections or the dreaded no response, I decided to put it to bed and focus on another manuscript. So. I sent out queries for a different piece of work and that is when an agency contacted me for my first manuscript (the one I gave up on). They asked for exclusivity, which I gave them. A couple of days after the exclusivity ended (with me not hearing from them), a different agent asked to see my second manuscript, which I gave to her.
My first question is, should I contact the first agent and let them know someone is looking at that second manuscript? I wasn't planning to contact the first agency for another 30 days in order not to seem impatient. Also, if there's exclusivity on one project, should I consider the second project to be in that state as well?
On to the next batch of questions. Is it possible for someone to have 2 agents? The reason why I ask is because my first manuscript is an African-Canadian romance while my second one is a paranormal romance. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems that US agents don't really represent the former (even I have to ask myself if there's such a thing as African-Canadian romance) and I know from looking on the website of one agency, that they don't represent genre romance. Yes, I know what you're thinking and I'm thinking it too: why did they want to see my first manuscript? (*sigh* I have a bad feeling.)
Where was I...
So, taking the extremely optimistic approach... If the two agents contact me, should I try to feel them out and ask if they would represent me if I went into another genre? Or find out from them what is the normal protocol for such a situation? Or do I just shout "yes" excitedly and run off into the sunset laughing hysterically, waving pages of my manuscript overhead? (Sounds like a poll.)
If this has been addressed before, I'm sorry for bringing it up yet again. Thanks in advance for whatever advice you can give.
