Unresponsive Agents

Elektra · Nov 20, 2006

My apologies if this has been discussed to death.

I was wondering: in your experience, what percentage of agents don't reply to queries, even with an included SASE?

kristie911 · Nov 20, 2006

My experience...maybe 5% do not respond even if you include a SASE. This does not include my experience with e-queries...queries by e-mail have had a much higher rate of no response.

PattiTheWicked · Nov 20, 2006

In 2006, for my adult paranormal/romantic/mystery/suspense doohickey ms, I sent out 10 queries by mail. Eight responded. Of the two remaining, it's only been three months and both say they have a 4 - 6 month response time.

I've also sent out, for the same ms, 11 e-queries, and five of those people have never replied at all.

It would appear the odds are better with snail mail.

icerose · Nov 20, 2006

The odds of response are much higher with snail mail than with equery.

maddythemad · Nov 20, 2006

Ditto with what everyone else said.

PeeDee · Nov 20, 2006

I always sleep on the agents' doorstep, in the halls outside their apartments, and I'll also follow them to work. Usually, I have a reponse of some sort in about 24 hours of some sort.

ORION · Nov 20, 2006

Probably half of my email queries got no response and the other half responded in less than a week...hours later if they were interested.

PattiTheWicked · Nov 21, 2006

PeeDee said:
I always sleep on the agents' doorstep, in the halls outside their apartments, and I'll also follow them to work. Usually, I have a reponse of some sort in about 24 hours of some sort.

Yep, nothing says "I'll read your manuscript" quite like a restraining order

Soccer Mom · Nov 21, 2006

I'd say one or two out of every ten I query fails to respond. I always wonder.

Did they hate it so much they burned it and SASE as soon as they read it?

Did it never arrive?

Did it get lost after it did arrive?

Did I fail to include an SASE?

Did it get lost on its way back to me?

I'lll never know.

PeeDee · Nov 21, 2006

Probably, it's that they're beleagured and busy human beings with a filing system that probably includes locations like "Desk" "Floor" and "Chair." and for every hundred manuscripts that they go through, they lose track of one or two....which eventually adds up.

I have no idea. I'm not too terribly concerned with it. I just get on writing and send it to the next person.

TLHines · Nov 21, 2006

A Differing Experience

I'll be the voice of dissent here and say that, roughly guessing, about half of my queries went unanswered--email or snail mail. But then, no answer is really just a "no," isn't it?

I found this to be somewhat the case even with partials and fulls. Oddly enough, this past weekend, I received a rejection from an agent who had requested a full manuscript three YEARS ago. Really.

Bottom line: Don't wait for an answer. Keep looking until you get a "yes."

blacbird · Nov 21, 2006

TLHines said:
I'll be the voice of dissent here and say that, roughly guessing, about half of my queries went unanswered--email or snail mail. But then, no answer is really just a "no," isn't it?

I once had an agent respond after 18 months, with a request for a full, and an apology that that request had got buried on an assistant's desk for all that time. I sent the full, and never heard anything back.

And that's among the best results I've had from querying.

caw

aadams73 · Nov 21, 2006

*blink* Damn. Blacbird you need to post your query up at SYW.

blacbird · Nov 21, 2006

aadams73 said:
*blink* Damn. Blacbird you need to post your query up at SYW.

Which one? There have been numerous.

caw

aadams73 · Nov 21, 2006

Whichever one is getting absolutely no nibbles.

Unresponsive Agents

Elektra

Don't Call Me Sweetheart

kristie911

Happy to be here

PattiTheWicked

Unleashing Hell.

icerose

Lost in School Work

maddythemad

PeeDee

Where's my tea, please...?

ORION

Sailed away years ago

PattiTheWicked

Unleashing Hell.

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

PeeDee

Where's my tea, please...?

TLHines

blacbird

aadams73

A Work in Progress

blacbird

aadams73

A Work in Progress