Can you sim sub to Agents in the UK?

Dollywagon · Jul 9, 2006

I'm thinking of trying to get an agent for my latest childrens pb, but am unsure of the etiquette here in the UK.

We only have about 15 anyway, and 2 of those have full lists.

If I send the story off to say 2 at a time and include the fact that I have sim-subbed in my covering letter, am I still likely to offend anybody?

broughcut · Jul 9, 2006

Send queries to everyone at once, no need to mention the sim sub unless they ask for a complete ms.

Dollywagon · Jul 9, 2006

Thing is, Broughcut, you send out a complete MS for a PB anyway.

I've only done a couple, but the second one I sent out to a publisher came back with encouraging comments. I've sent her another, and even I, "Miss Lacking-Confidence," think it's good.

If she rejects it, firstly you can all gather round and say nice things to stop me cutting my wrists, and secondly I want to send it to agents, but don't want to step on anyones toes either.

Hope you are getting my drift?

My server on here is really dragging it's feet this morning :rant:

Kristen King · Jul 10, 2006

Some agents don't like simultaneous submissions. If you're unsure, the best thing to do is to check the individual agents' submission guidelines. Everyone is different, and it's better not to assume.

Kristen

Dollywagon · Jul 10, 2006

Thing is, Kirsten, only about 4 of them have websites and there is nothing on those about sim-subs. Nobody even touches on the subject in the Childrens Directory, and I'm just guessing here...but I bet they don't want people phoning either.

Is it some kind of secret society??

waylander · Jul 10, 2006

In my experience it is OK to phone UK agents and ask, especially if there is no other easy way of getting the info. This is one of the major differences between UK and US agents.

Dollywagon · Jul 10, 2006

Great stuff, Waylander.

I'll just get into my thick skin before I start :tongue

jvc · Jul 10, 2006

I live here in the UK and have called a few agents who didn't have websites and they, or rather their secretaries, were more than happy to give me their sub guidelines.

I did speak to a very helpful agent at, I think it was CB, who personally took the call and answered quite a few questions for me. He was very helpful.

Dollywagon · Jul 10, 2006

Well, the ones I've phoned so far have been really good.

No problem with sim subs at all. One said it was the accepted process now.

Not that I wouldn't recommend phoning before you submit your particular kind of work, but I haven't hit any problems and everybody has been really helpful.

jchines · Jul 19, 2006

I've never had a problem with simultaneous queries. I've occasionally had agents request an exclusive on the partial or full manuscript, but more often they were okay with simming there, too.

And if you're bored, go read Miss Snark's opinion on exclusives

Dollywagon · Jul 20, 2006

Thanks for that piece of info, Tilda.

I know they prefer a minimum of three complete stories, an idea which I like, but didn't know they were looking for exclusives.

I was sat thinking about what to send them and it's helped me make up my mind.

aruna · Jul 20, 2006

Well, this has been answered already but I would have said: do it and don't mention it, don't ask.
I once attended a talk by the top UK agent Julian Friedmann and that's what he said. If you ask, he said, they're likely to ask for exclusives (this was regarding adult novels). If you don't ask and they don't ask for it nobody's the wiser and it's your advantage. If more than one give you a positive response, he said, well, that's a very nice problem to have!

Several UK agents asked for exclusives of the full when I was subbing last year. This year I am subbing in the US and not one out of the seven requetss for partials and fulls I've had till now has asked for an exclusive.

Andrew Zack · Jul 21, 2006

I am regularly stumped why authors struggle over and over about such questions. There is a basic rule of thumb. Send a simple query letter. Include nothing more than an SASE. If the agent wants to see more, he or she will ask for more and likely specify what they want. Why waste your time, money, paper, or postage doing more?

Just my two cents....

ChunkyC · Jul 21, 2006

A good point. You can send as many queries at a time as you like and nobody will mind.

As for why we authors struggle over and over about such questions, I think it's pretty obvious: with such long odds and so many obstacles to overcome in our quest to get published, we're all deathly afraid of doing something wrong that could sabotage what might be our one chance to hold a book in our hands that has our name on the cover.

If I knew after the fact that I'd done something foolish that cost me my shot, something I could have found out by asking a question at a place like this; I think I just might kill myself.

Okay, I wouldn't kill myself, but the emotional pain would be near unbearable.

By the way -- nice to see you again, Andy. I hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Dollywagon · Jul 21, 2006

For two reasons really.
A) It's for the UK and things are a little different here,
and
B) The question was relating to PB's.

Neither agents nor publishers want queries for them and state specifically that they want the full ms.

ChunkyC · Jul 22, 2006

Thanks for the clarification, Dolly. You hilight the one thing that is the same everywhere: in all your dealings with publishers or agents, etc., follow their stated guidelines.

Dollywagon · Jul 22, 2006

Well, while we are on the subject of US agents and publishers, although this probably would be better suited to posting elsewhere, how on earth do you get across the fact that you can write picture books simply by providing a query?

Yes, you can get the hook in and everything else, but how will be able to ascertain from that if you can actually structure and tell a PB story????

Of course I could open my query with:-
"Dear biggest, bestest agent in the whole wide world!"

:tongue

Mind you, some people probably already do!

Can you sim sub to Agents in the UK?

Dollywagon

broughcut

I Can't Get Started

Dollywagon

Kristen King

Dollywagon

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

Dollywagon

jvc

Fearsome Dragon Mod

Dollywagon

jchines

Got the hang of it, here

Dollywagon

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Andrew Zack

ChunkyC

It's hard being green

Dollywagon

ChunkyC

It's hard being green

Dollywagon