How many submissions to Agents appropriate?

[cureoskitty]

So, being relatively new to all this, how many agents can I query at one time before it gets tacky? I have found about ten I am interested in but don't really know what the appropriate protocol is--can I query them all at once? Five at a time? One at a time (yikes, I fear I will be in my 90's before I get replies from all of them if I do it that way!) Could some experienced writer take me under their wing here?

What are your opinions?

[MThomas2003]

You can query as many as you'd like at one time. That is, the query letter and/or sample chapters. However, as soon as one says they'll take a look, you should consider the work off the table to anyone else, and may have to send letters back to other agents who request a look-see, telling them it's under consideration. So, if you don't feel comfortable with that, you may want to stick to one at a time. I tended to be a little more aggressive when I was doing my agent search, because I knew that for about every ten queries I sent out, I was only likely to get 1 request, if even that, due to my newbie status.

Whatever you do, don't simultaneously submit. That is, don't allow your full manuscript to sit on more than one desk at a time. It's unprofessional, discourteous, and agents *do* talk to one another, especially in specialized fields like humorous fantasy or historical romance. You don't want agents X and Y to end up at a conference somewhere together talking about this manuscript they're reading and realize it's the same piece of work. Agents aren't terribly likely to get in a bidding war over a new author, so making two people do all the work of reading and considering, only to tell one "no thanks" after all that, is a great way to burn bridges. Especially if things don't work out with the agent you choose first. The second agent might not be as likely to consider you a second time because a) you've shown yourself to be a little capricious, and b) you've shown yourself capable of going behind someone's back when it suits your needs.

So query as many as you like, but err on the side of caution when it comes to submitting the entire ms. And if an agent requests the entire manuscript up front, consider it submitted for consideration, and wait on all the others. You may want to leave these agents to the last anyway. Query letters and sample chapters are cheaper postage than the whole thing.:D

[cureoskitty]

Wow, that was a very informative response, thank you. I have a question, if an agent requests the first, say TWO chapters or the first 100 pages, is that considered the same as an entire MSS? Just wondering. I don't want to offend anyone...:rolleyes

[MThomas2003]

No, because a lot of agents request that up front as part of the query package anyway. You might like to think of a query or query package as a job application. Every time you apply for a job, you have to fill out an application. Consider that your query letter. With most jobs, you also send a resume. Consider that your excerpt or 20 pages or whatever.

Now some agents and editors will request the entire ms right up front, and still only read the first couple of pages. Even so, that's a full submission, so no going out on the sly! :)

[cureoskitty]

I feel so much better! I actually sent 100 pages out a week ago and I just heard back from an agent who wants to see my first two chapters, so I am going to send them along, SANS guilt! Hopefully someone will actually REQUEST my entire MSS soon!
Thanks so much for the clarification!