How long is long enough?

MarkEsq · May 17, 2006

I got a response to my query letter from my first-choice agent, asking for my non-fiction proposal and saying:

"I prefer to read material on an exclusive basis, and return the
courtesy by agreeing to consider your work in a timely manner."

Fine by me and so he has it on an exclusive. The thing is, I have three other agents who want to see the proposal (I know, very lucky!) and I'm wondering how long I should give the exclusive chappie before I ping him an email to check on progress. In agent-speak, what meaneth "a timely manner"? So far it's been a month, which I know isn't long but when I have others clamouring (my interpretation, of course

) to see it, well, I am a little anxious.

dantem42 · May 17, 2006

MarkEsq said:
I got a response to my query letter from my first-choice agent, asking for my non-fiction proposal and saying:

"I prefer to read material on an exclusive basis, and return the
courtesy by agreeing to consider your work in a timely manner."

Fine by me and so he has it on an exclusive. The thing is, I have three other agents who want to see the proposal (I know, very lucky!) and I'm wondering how long I should give the exclusive chappie before I ping him an email to check on progress. In agent-speak, what meaneth "a timely manner"? So far it's been a month, which I know isn't long but when I have others clamouring (my interpretation, of course ) to see it, well, I am a little anxious.

If it's a brief non-fiction proposal, no more than a week or ten days starting from date of receipt. If it's a full-blown book, probably a month is about right.

Daughter of Faulkner · May 17, 2006

My experience

Greetings fellow Southerner!
The agents who wanted an exclusive for me the longest was 30 days with the shortest less than two weeks. The less than two weeks is the one who offered me a contract.
It is not over to sing and dance UNTIL you have that contact in your hand.
You want the right match for you and someone who loves your work and will be straight with you and work like mad to get you a book deal by having the right connections in the industry. If you can find that with the first one wonderful, however it has been my experience to "kiss a lot of frogs" before I found my prince!
Write him and ask him where he is in his reading and if he would be so kind to give you an idea of a time line. That ought to do it.

All good wishes to you.

Keep writing!
:e2BIC:

How long is long enough?

MarkEsq

Clever title pending.

dantem42

Daughter of Faulkner

Always a writer