Hello...I have a question regarding the querying process. Is it okay to query more than one agent at the same agency if the agency doesn't specify not to do this? Sorry for the redundancy. I appreciate any help anyone can off on this. Thanks so much....Reikigirl
Querying Multiple Agents
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My short answer is I wouldn't. Often times agents will share work with each other by passing on something that they think their colleague would be interested in reading. Sometimes the agency will also post on their website NOT to query more than one agent in the same agency. Even if they don't have this policy posted, I would still probably not do this.
There are plenty of agents out there to query, no need to query two at the same agency. Pick the one you like best and query that one. If they reject it, you can always query the other if you'd like. But one at a time within the same agency is best.
Thanks so much Its2Snappy. That's what I figured too. I actuallly got rejected from one of the agents and thought I could re-submit my query to another one who also represents my genre of writing. This querying business is tough boy. Onwards and Upwards! Thanks again. I appreciate the quick reply. ...Reikigirl
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No problem at all! And Jamie is right. There are SO many agents out in the world. You'll find the one that is best for you. If you already received a rejection from one agent, then you MIGHT consider submitting to a different agent in that agency. But, if you do, I would give it a few months, just to be on the safe side.
Don't forget to send out queries in batches of ten or twelve. If you don't get a positive response, consider revising your query. I received EXCELLENT advice on my query in the Share Your Work forum.
Best of luck to you!
Don't forget to send out queries in batches of ten or twelve. If you don't get a positive response, consider revising your query. I received EXCELLENT advice on my query in the Share Your Work forum.
Best of luck to you!
Thanks JamieFord...So you think it alright to query another agent if one had already passed on my query? Like Sanppy2, I'm wondering if the agents might have shared the info with each another. Hmmm. Not sure what to do now. Any further thoughts. Thanks so much JamieFord....Marguerite
Thanks Snappy2..I will certainly wait a few months. I will make a note on my illegible, marked-up, hand-written list. Ha! Thanks so much again for your help. It's so much appreciated...Reikigirl
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Also, thanks for the best wishes and for the advice on querying in batches of ten or twelve Snappy2. It's funny becuase I've recieved 13 rejections now and one partial request and decided to revise my query based on that. It's like the rejections kept on coming after the request for the partial. My confidence started to lag. Will see how the revised query is received. Thanks again...Reikigirl
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Congratulations on the partial request! That's a good sign! The whole submission process is a nail biter!
If the agency says that they share queries and a rejection from one means a rejection from all then follow their rules.
However most agencies do not share queries, I have had a request from the third agent I queried at one agency. Just...wait until you hear back from one (or it expires) before hitting up the next.
However most agencies do not share queries, I have had a request from the third agent I queried at one agency. Just...wait until you hear back from one (or it expires) before hitting up the next.
Yeah, it depends on the agency. There are some that say specifically that a no from one is a no from all (on that book, of course). But otherwise, it's generally okay to query another agent at the same agency if the first one passes. At really big agencies (like Writers House), they don't share. Just double check the directions for the agency in question.
Thanks Everyone for the great advice! I actually double-checked the agency website to see what their policy is on submitting to multiple agents but there was no mention of it. I'm going to check again. I just got the rejection from the one agent today Drachen and she was the President of the company. (Does it depend on the person's title too?) Maybe I should do as Its2Snappy and wait a bit before sending another one out. Hmmmmm. Also, I'm not sure how big the company is litgirl. The size sounds like it would certainly be a factor.
Thanks for the pat on the back Its2Snappy! I got a request for the partial on my third try, beginner's luck I guess. Then it was all downhill from there. Ugh!
Thanks again All!
Thanks for the pat on the back Its2Snappy! I got a request for the partial on my third try, beginner's luck I guess. Then it was all downhill from there. Ugh!
Thanks again All!
Very few agencies, except for the really massive ones, have more than one agent who handles the same type of fiction, which means there's only one agent you can query. Send her the wrong type of fiction, and she passes it along to the agent who handles that type.
Thanks Jamesaritchie...That is good to know. I'm thinking that, since she is the president, she would definitely have passed it along to another agent if she didn't handle my type of mystery. Maybe I'll just take it as a complete pass and move along. I appreciate the feedback on this J....Reikigirl
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My advice is don't wait a few months and don't worry if they say "No for one is no for all". Just query them, one at a time.
They aren't going to say to each other, "Look out for this query, it's awful!" And unless you get a rejection from a different agent than the one you queried, chances are they didn't pass it on saying, "You might like this," either.
Just query. And query. And query. You have no way of knowing who might resonate with your work until it happens.
So: One at a time within the same agency, but no waiting period for querying another agent at the same agency (there's usually a 2 week to 6 month backlog in each agent's query queue anyway) after a rejection and no agency is so psychic that one agent knows what all of them are looking for.
My two cents.
They aren't going to say to each other, "Look out for this query, it's awful!" And unless you get a rejection from a different agent than the one you queried, chances are they didn't pass it on saying, "You might like this," either.
Just query. And query. And query. You have no way of knowing who might resonate with your work until it happens.
So: One at a time within the same agency, but no waiting period for querying another agent at the same agency (there's usually a 2 week to 6 month backlog in each agent's query queue anyway) after a rejection and no agency is so psychic that one agent knows what all of them are looking for.
My two cents.
Thanks RainbowDragon! I wasn't going to bother sending it out again but after reading your post, I'm not so sure. Another Hmmmmm. I did revise my query letter and am curious to see if the other agent bites. Looks like most people here think it's okay to send it. I'll let you folks know what I decide to do. Thanks so much for the input RainbowDragon.
That's great to know RainbowDragon! It certainly expands the playing field by far. Thanks so much again for the input.
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I found this so funny that Jessica Faust at BookEnds posted this on her blog since it's exactly what we were talking about in this board:
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/11/querying-agents-at-same-agency.html
She says that it's perfectly okay to query her and her co-agent as long as it is not at the same time.
So, maybe just wait until you receive a response from one agent before querying another at the same agency.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/11/querying-agents-at-same-agency.html
She says that it's perfectly okay to query her and her co-agent as long as it is not at the same time.
So, maybe just wait until you receive a response from one agent before querying another at the same agency.
That's poor advice. It does no good at all to query an agent who doesn't handle the type of fiction you're written, and darned few agencies have more than one agent for one genre. No matter which agent you send to, it will be passed to the agent who handles your genre, and she's already seen it.
And each agent does know what the other agents receive. If you think they don't talk to each other, don't keep lists of received submissions, don't all stay on the same page, you've never been inside an agency.
They know the query has already been seen by another agent, so, no, you aren't going to receive a rejection from the agent who has already seen it.
Unless more than one agent handles the genre you've written, and unless the agency says it's all right to query other agents within the agency, you're wasting your time, and you;re wasting the agents time, and writers darned sure can get a horrible reputation by poor querying practice.
And, yes, they darned sure do say, "Watch out for this query/writer. It's horrible."
They also say, "This guy wastes everyone's time."
They also say, "That's the fifth time this dummy has queried us with the same novel."
Some writers are known by every agency out there as time wasters to avoid. This makes finding a good agent nearly impossible.
Follow guidelines. Do as agencies and publishers request. They have reason, sound and solid reasons, for whatever policies they have in place.
And to completely contradict James's advice, here's a blog post written by an actual agent that says to go ahead and query other agents if one has rejected.
Thanks for the info JamesR and Deadly Accurate! There seems to be two major differing opinions on this. I think it comes down to doing what we feel most comfortable with based upon the type of information we have at hand. JR, right now I plan on sending out only two queries to the co-workers of the agents who've already turned me down. All of the agents represent the same genre. I'm definitely sticking to that rule. Thanks for the heads up on that JR and for filling me in on the possible downsides to the process.
Thanks again for the helpful info folks and for the blog link Snappy. I'll certainly check that out when I get the chance. Funny but I just sent out a query to Ms. Faust. I'm praying she likes what she sees. She sounds like a real sweet lady.
Thanks again for the helpful info folks and for the blog link Snappy. I'll certainly check that out when I get the chance. Funny but I just sent out a query to Ms. Faust. I'm praying she likes what she sees. She sounds like a real sweet lady.
James may be right for certain genres, but I write YA and many agencies have more than one YA-seeking agent.
If a query is so bad as to induce the kind of gossip James describes, chances are it's not going to interest any agent anyway. But if your work is ready, you'll find most agents are respectful even if "not right for it at this time."
If a query is so bad as to induce the kind of gossip James describes, chances are it's not going to interest any agent anyway. But if your work is ready, you'll find most agents are respectful even if "not right for it at this time."
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RE: Querying multiple agents at the same agency - what a useful thread. I was just wondering about the same thing.
With so many various responses, why can't you just politely ask the agent at the agency after rejection, whether or not it would be within their rules or in poor etiquette to query to another agent at the same agency?
With so many various responses, why can't you just politely ask the agent at the agency after rejection, whether or not it would be within their rules or in poor etiquette to query to another agent at the same agency?
I queried Scott Miller at Trident in April, 2010, and never heard back ('no answer = no' according to their website). Then in late October another agent suggested I query Rob't Gottlieb at Trident. I mentioned having previously queried Scott Miller, and the other agent said, 'go ahead and do it anyhow.'
I did, got asked for a full, and subsequently was offered representation.
So . . . doing it after a lapse of several months seems to be okay.
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