Waiting to hear back after an offer

Agents usually don't mind waiting for a little bit--but not too long. Did the offering agent give a specific date? I would give it at least a few business days--I would say a week should be enough time at this point. You may consider telling her a date that you'd feel comfortable deciding by. Agents don't like waiting, but they know what it's like to be on the other side as well.

And go with your gut--the perfect agent isn't somebody who will just make an offer, but somebody who feels enthusiastic about your work and has a genuine passion for it. Good luck!

Saskatoonistan said:

I've been offered representation from an agent and I've contacted the handful of agents who have my full manuscript to let them know. I've not made a decision yet as to who I'd like to represent me and I have another offer on the table. How long should I wait to hear back, particularly if one of the agents offering would like a decision in the next couple of days. Is that unrealistic?

Might be a dumb question but I've never been offered representation from an agent before so I'm kind of winging it here. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

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I believe the standard is usually to give the other agents one week to respond and to tell them so in the email you send them advising them you have an offer. Not positive, though.

Congrats!

I definitely would say no more than a week. When I received my first offer, I had one other full and two partials out. I told the offering agent I needed to let them know, which is considered a professional courtesy, and that I'd get back to him within a week with a decision.

Fortunately, the other agents responded to my emails within about two days, so I got back to him a lot faster.

ETA: Congrats on the offer!

Maybe the couple-days agents thinks you're so hot, he's afraid of losing you.

Congratulations, first of all. It's a great problem to have. There is no standard period. But if the agents you contacted haven't responded within a week, I wouldn't wait any longer for them. A bird in the hand and all that. Since you actually have choices, your decision should be based on a conversation with each agent. The AAR has an excellent list of questions to ask potential reps here.

Good luck!

Oh, they're always afraid of losing you. After all, most of the agents who recognize a good property know they have about the same thing to offer as all the other agents. The percentages and other things they offer are about the same as everyone else. So it all comes down to contacts at publishers and personality.

Have you visited the list of questions to ask an offering agent at the Association of Author Representatives yet? (Look halfway down the page in the right hand column.) You should definitely think about those questions and ask them. After all, you're moving into the business of writing now, so these answers could mean a lot to you years from now.

Congrats!

My advice is to go with an AAR member first. They've made a commitment to good ethics long before they met you. Secondly, you may not have the experience to know if the agent answered the questions correctly or not, so in a way you're going through the cross-examination not knowing whether the witness perjured herself and you missed it.

Finally, and most importantly, timing is everything. I actually know someone here in Houston who got out of Enron in time. I also read an article where a CEO of a small company finally was approved for the millions of dollars he need to take his company to the next level. The deal was closing on a Thursday. But the President and chief financial officer of the company providing the loan were both killed that Monday in the 911 attacks. The company eventually went out of business. Timing...

Good luck.