How long do you wait to query a different agent at the same agency?

I've seen one to three months a lot. But also keep in mind that some agencies share queries, ie, if one agent isn't grabbed, but they think another would like it, they pass it along. So some places say "a no from one is a no from all." You'd have to check sites and blogs to see if they say it or not. If they don't, assume you can.

As for re-querying the same agent, check their sites or blogs. Whatever their stated response time is, add 30 days and then try again. (or nudge them). Also check to see if they say a no response means no. (some do).

However, if all you're doing it tweaking your query and resending, a'la "let's see if they like this better" type deal, you probably don't want to send more than one additional attempt, unless the query was just horrible, or you reworked it so much it reads like a new book. Agents are pretty good at seeing the essence of a book and tweaking a few words or sentences here and there usually doesn't make a difference if they story isn't grabbing them.

It depends on the agency. Many agencies pass a book around before rejecting it. You need to know this before querying a different agent at the same agency. If teh book isn't passed around, there's no point in waiting at all. If it is, querying a different agent won't do you any good.

Don't query more than one agent from the same agency.

It depends on the agency. Andrea Brown says one no = all no, but Writers House is fine if you query them all (one at a time). If you want to be really patient, 2-3 months is good to wait for non-responders, but personally I think 4-6 weeks is fine. Also, there's no need to wait between querying within the same agency once you have given the first query sufficient time (for no response) or received a rejection.

Michael Drakich said:

Most agents don't ask for any material, just a query letter and at most a short synopsis so I doubt the actual work is the issue, just the query. And, unfortunately, they all ask for credentials of which I have none. I suspect this is my number one stumbling block

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Credentials? They can matter for certain types of nonfiction, but never for fiction.

Well, the only time they could matter is if you have great credentials (as in novels that are successful) and you're querying a more exclusive agent. Otherwise, they don't matter much. Then again, my agent recently said in a Q&A "However, keep in mind that credentials don’t pertain solely to books that you’ve published. Perhaps you’ve published short stories, magazine articles, maintained a blog, or done other types of writing. Or you could be connected to the writing community in other ways, such as working at a bookstore, attending writers conferences, or just having a lifelong love of reading. Those all count as credentials in my book, and they’d certainly be worth noting in your query."

So glad I found this thread! I queried one agent four weeks ago, so far no response. Since then, I've done a lot more research and found that there's actually another agent at the same agency who would be a better fit. (Nothing like late nights with QueryTracker!) Ryan, I'm leaning toward your advice of waiting another couple of weeks and querying that agent in my next query letter go-round.

plaidearthworm,

If it were me I would check querytracker to see if the first agent usually responds (or not) and what the average time frame is. You want to make sure ...

Sorry about that -- I was called away for a bit.

You want to make sure that the first agent truly wishes to pass on your query. I've had requests for submissions up to 2 months after querying.

Hathor said:

Sorry about that -- I was called away for a bit.

You want to make sure that the first agent truly wishes to pass on your query. I've had requests for submissions up to 2 months after querying.

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This particular agent has a 50 percent rate of not giving a response at all, so I feel pretty safe in moving on. But I am going to wait a couple more weeks before I query another agent in the same agency. However, I've picked some good matches from other agencies and will go ahead in the great querying march! Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

I agree with about 6 weeks. That's more than enough time to get back to you. As far as one no meaning no for the whole agency, I'd refer to this:

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2008/04/make-more-mistakes-not-fewer.html

What is the worst that can happen? They tell you another no. Email is free, and you wouldn't have sent one anyway if you thought you "shouldn't". I think if the query is well revised that you should go for it.

amyashley said:

I agree with about 6 weeks. That's more than enough time to get back to you. ...
What is the worst that can happen? They tell you another no. Email is free, and you wouldn't have sent one anyway if you thought you "shouldn't". I think if the query is well revised that you should go for it.

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I agree that 6 weeks is enough time ... but agents sometimes take more. I was flipping through the Guide to Literary Agents and seeing folks who say they respond in 8 weeks or even 12.

In the case here, there is no initial "no" so there can't be another one. The worst that can happen is that agent 1 and agent 2 find out that you've queried both and what they deem an adequate time for agent 1 to respond hasn't passed. Then they both get aggravated because they consider that you have queried two agents in the same firm at the same time. Querying takes months and months. Holding off a couple weeks to be on the safe side means little in the scheme of things. There are plenty of other agents in other firms that can be queried in the meantime.

I didn't see that the poster had a revised query. I didn't say anything about the initial question about requerying agents who haven't responded. In this case, I would only requery if the agent says to nudge them if you haven't heard within a given period of time. Some do. If not, I would only requery if you have revised your work and you think that they might have a different response. (Assuming they say not to requery even if you've revised your book. I've run across that one.)

People can disagree, of course. I remember being on a different thread and there was a dispute about whether one should tell the agent about a previous query. I'm requerying some now and I decided to explain how my book is different now. No one who ignored me initially has responded, but one who sent a form reject has now asked for a submission.

Good luck however you choose to proceed!