Nudging, should my agent or I?

Okay, for those who've read my previous posts... I have an agent right now for a different book, however he does not deal with the genre my current book is. So I wrote to him asking if I could have the go-ahead to query other agents who deal with this genre while he continues to deal with my other book.

While I waited for his reply I saw a few publishers who accepted non-solicited queries and dropped them a line.

One emailed me three days later that they liked my proposal and wanted to read the first 3 chapters consecutively to see my writing style and get a feel for the story.

Three weeks later they said they "would love to read my full manuscript" as soon as possible. I sent it to them that same day and they emailed me back that it would take 2-3 weeks to review.

As of Friday it was week 5... this Friday will be week 6. (My agent had given the go-ahead to find an agent to represent this project, but because this publisher seemed eager, if they said yes, a new agent may not have been necessary, so I decided to wait for a response.) Since I do not have an agent for this project currently, I wrote to my agent (who is still working on the other book) for advice about whether or not I should nudge them... make sure the attachment worked, so on or if I should just wait it out.

He told me give them a nudge or let him do it for me, because 3 weeks beyond what they estimated is enough time.

now here's the question... Should I nudge them, or should I let my agent do it?

My concern is... I've been the one she's spoken to, and I would hope it wouldn't look weird for my agent to suddenly pop into the picture. (In my original proposal I did mention that I had an agent. I figured if I got a contract before I got a new agent for this project, my current agent could at least look it over for me.) So they know I am agented... but would it seem odd if he took over for me?

My other concern about doing it myself would be sounding as if I'm desperate or rushing them for a decision. I don't want to sound like I'm rushing them, and I want to sound like I'd love to work with them without sounding like I'm begging them to say yes... and I wonder if my agent would handle this more gracefully.

What would you all think?

*Side note, I do trust my agent, that said, he left it up to me if I want to nudge them or have him do it for me. he didn't say "let me do it" he basically told me I waited long enough and I could nudge them unless I wanted him to do it for me.

for the reasons I asked, I wonder which I should do.

Would it look bad for my agent to suddenly nudge them on my behalf when they've been dealing with me right along

or would it look better for my agent to do it for me

they said it would take 2 to 3 weeks to review and they would get back to me. it's been 6 weeks with no word. The only reason I'd consider to nudge is they are fairly time conscious. They replied a few days after my proposal asking for extra chapters and they got back to me in the 3 week period to let me know they'd like to read my full manuscript. So they always seemed prompt.

So I asked my agent (who is working on another book) about nudging and he thinks 6 weeks is enough time before a nudge. See if there are any questions or concerns they need answered, see if they did get the manuscript without issues... so on.

Since they always contact me on a Friday, I may wait till Friday (which will be officially 6 weeks) and then revisit the decision to nudge on Monday... ...

I think if I decide to nudge though, I may do it myself since this agent has not dealt with this book at all... and they've only spoken directly to me.

Sometimes I should listen to my gut a little more. Every time I have a gut feeling about something, but I decide to take a more 'cautious' approach, I usually end up getting burned. Sometimes I have to throw caution to the wind and follow my instincts.

God, please give me the knowledge to know when my gut instincts are leading me down the right path, and when those gut instincts are just a case of gas.

I'll tell you what my gut instinct is telling me.

Follow my agent's advice that a nudge may be a good idea at this point... but my gut is telling me to do it myself.

Do not ask if a decision has been made, simply ask if any questions have come up during the review of the manuscript that I could answer, and offer if any questions do arise, to feel free to contact me at any time and I will answer the questions promptly...

then simply thank them once again for taking the time to review the manuscript.

nothing more, nothing less. A simple "is there anything I can answer for you? Feel free to contact me if a question arises. Thank you again for your time." kind of thing.

That way I'm not asking for a decision or pushing for a faster decision, nor am I pushing my idea on them trying to sway their decision. Just a simple: Nudge.

Like I said though, I may wait till Friday and if nothing happens, then do a nudge on Monday since Monday is the start of week 7. If nudging them ends up being a deal breaker, then so be it. That's show biz as they say. Then I find an agent who deals with this genre and go from there.

well, I threw caution to the wind and decided to send a nudge. (mostly I just stated that if any questions arose, to feel free to contact me at any time and I would reply with the answer as soon as possible.) I kept it short and polite.

I received an immediate reply that they actually were discussing the project with the head editor this afternoon, and once the editor has a chance to fully review the full manuscript themselves, they will get back to me. It will be approximately within the next 3 weeks. They hope to be in touch soon.

So at least the nudge didn't get me an automatic rejection... and now instead of waiting indefinitely not knowing if the project has been rejected and forgotten about... I know it's still being considered and I know an approximate wait period for the final answer. So I feel better.

I was going to write a thank you for the response, but I thought it may be best to leave it at that so I don't sound too anxious.

anyway. Thanks for the advice. I'm glad I decided to do the nudge myself and not through my agent. I think it came better from me since they dealt with me from the get go. Now here's to hoping for a positive answer in the next 3 weeks.

Thanks Medievalist. Maybe I will drop a thank you then.