I'm getting ready to submit my ms. and I was wondering what plan of attack you guys have taken? For example: send out three queries a week, query agents first, etc. That sort of thing.
Your submission plan
- Thread starter Azure Skye
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The first time we submitted, back in 2004, we sent the query pretty much to everyone who took thriller. This time, we know more and did it quite differently.
First up was reviewing the Writer's Market. We went through, identifying agents who had a focus on thriller. One of the things I noticed was that quite a few of the listing simply said they took everything--and often they hadn't sold any thrillers at all.
After that, it was a trip to P&E to eliminate any problem ones. Then it was off to the agent's Web site to look at their sales. Because of the type of book it is, we were looking for an agent who took both thriller and urban fantasy or women's fiction or romance. If we found that the agent had represented an author one of us had read, the agent went to the top of the list. Likewise, if the agent represented crime thrillers (ours is action-adventure), we would pass on them, or if they specifically stated they didn't want women's fiction.
Then we picked three agents, customized the first line and last lines of the query letter and sent them off.
First up was reviewing the Writer's Market. We went through, identifying agents who had a focus on thriller. One of the things I noticed was that quite a few of the listing simply said they took everything--and often they hadn't sold any thrillers at all.
After that, it was a trip to P&E to eliminate any problem ones. Then it was off to the agent's Web site to look at their sales. Because of the type of book it is, we were looking for an agent who took both thriller and urban fantasy or women's fiction or romance. If we found that the agent had represented an author one of us had read, the agent went to the top of the list. Likewise, if the agent represented crime thrillers (ours is action-adventure), we would pass on them, or if they specifically stated they didn't want women's fiction.
Then we picked three agents, customized the first line and last lines of the query letter and sent them off.
SF is easy, there are only about 12 houses that publish and consistantly get SF in book stores.
So we sent the first book to all 12 of them. They all promptly rejected it.
On a whim I sold the book to an e-publisher who liked it so much they gave it to Daw books who decided they liked it after all.
So we sent the first book to all 12 of them. They all promptly rejected it.
On a whim I sold the book to an e-publisher who liked it so much they gave it to Daw books who decided they liked it after all.
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If I knew then (four years and counting) what I knew now, I would have made sure my query was better for the first two books I sought representation for. I would have given it to beta readers and such, as well as seek out more examples of successful queries. That way, I wouldn't have wasted time and lost chances with agents using queries that weren't quite up to snuff (they still landed me requests for material, but who knows how much more I could have gotten).
I also queried widely, and staggered the process, such as 10 or so at a time, spaced out anywhere from a few weeks to a few years.
I made the decision to find an agent first. Not there yet, but I feel as though I'm making progress.
Also, I think it helps to google and read agent and author blogs, because you might find info that helps you personalize your queries. And I do mean google the h-e-double hockeysticks out of them.
I also queried widely, and staggered the process, such as 10 or so at a time, spaced out anywhere from a few weeks to a few years.
I made the decision to find an agent first. Not there yet, but I feel as though I'm making progress.
Also, I think it helps to google and read agent and author blogs, because you might find info that helps you personalize your queries. And I do mean google the h-e-double hockeysticks out of them.
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Don't go by me, I'm probably doing it all wrong. But I subbed to one agent and now I'm waiting for a response. It never occured to me to send it to more than one agent.
That's sort of how I've been doing it too. I guess it just seems rude to me to send it to multiple agents...but this is probably lousy business sense. When I apply for jobs, I usually apply only one place at a time too.
I wouldn't do it that way.
Your chance of getting a yes from an agent is slim anyway. These people are getting thousands of submissions a year.
A writer has to give himself or herself the best possible chance. In my opinion it's best to query to as many agents at one time, then wait.
I queried to about 15, and then waited to hear.
When I got a rejection, I queried to another one agent.
And so on.
Finish.
Print physical copy in proper manuscript format.
Submit as kindling to fireplace, thereby saving cost of postage and providing useful fire-starting service (it's damcold here), with results exactly equivalent to those derived from postal submission to agents or publishers.
caw
Print physical copy in proper manuscript format.
Submit as kindling to fireplace, thereby saving cost of postage and providing useful fire-starting service (it's damcold here), with results exactly equivalent to those derived from postal submission to agents or publishers.
caw
My last plan of attack:
1. Send out 1 query.
2. Receive request for full manuscript. Send.
3. Receive phonecall and meet with agent.
4. Get freaked out by the triangular nanny Zsa Zsa Gabor specs said agent decides to wear to meeting.
5. Sing a quick round of "Let's Call the whole thing off", reach for daiquiri, swill it down and leave said agent alone in brightly coloured chic downtown bar.
6. Run home screaming, on the inside only----thank you very much, and toss the manuscript into the recycling bin at the curb just in time.
7. Begin next novel.
I queried agents first. Looked through Writer's Market and agentquery.com. Also, since I write romance, RWA has a complete list they send their members once/year. I sent out about 5/week to all on my list (I had my list broken down into groups of preferred agents and sent to my top ones first, second choices next. etc). Didn't wait for rejections/responses before I sent out others.
I did have quite a few partials requested, and often had multiple ones out at one time. When I had full manuscripts requested as follow-ups, I did let each agent know that others were reading. Only once did an agent decline to read the full, in that case.
I queried publishing houses second, in much the same way. Had an offer to read the full ms. from two different houses, about a week apart. I sent off the first one, which ultimately received a contract offer, and emailed the second to let them know the full was being read elsewhere. The 2nd editor declined the full read (but remembered me 6 months later when I queried her about a different project).
If you're sending out letters one at a time and waiting for a response, it's not the best use of your time, in my opinion.
Good luck!
I did have quite a few partials requested, and often had multiple ones out at one time. When I had full manuscripts requested as follow-ups, I did let each agent know that others were reading. Only once did an agent decline to read the full, in that case.
I queried publishing houses second, in much the same way. Had an offer to read the full ms. from two different houses, about a week apart. I sent off the first one, which ultimately received a contract offer, and emailed the second to let them know the full was being read elsewhere. The 2nd editor declined the full read (but remembered me 6 months later when I queried her about a different project).
If you're sending out letters one at a time and waiting for a response, it's not the best use of your time, in my opinion.
Good luck!
So, far, it's gone like this for me:
1. Send out a handful of queries to known reputable agents.
2. Get multiple replies requesting partials, much to my astonishment.
3. For personal and practical reasons, decide to place a request from one particular agent on hold until after I've heard from the others.
3a: Be completely bewildered by the fact that I have enough requests coming in that I can afford to wait to answer one of them. (Seriously, that's never happened before.)
4. Have a mild heart attack every time I see the mail truck, wondering if my luck's run out.
What step 5 is will depend on what happens after step 4. But if worse comes to worst, I'll just have to keep making submissions.
~JM.
1. Send out a handful of queries to known reputable agents.
2. Get multiple replies requesting partials, much to my astonishment.
3. For personal and practical reasons, decide to place a request from one particular agent on hold until after I've heard from the others.
3a: Be completely bewildered by the fact that I have enough requests coming in that I can afford to wait to answer one of them. (Seriously, that's never happened before.)
4. Have a mild heart attack every time I see the mail truck, wondering if my luck's run out.
What step 5 is will depend on what happens after step 4. But if worse comes to worst, I'll just have to keep making submissions.
~JM.
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Send it to biggest agent, get biggest publisher, sell like crazy. This is my tactic. Of course if this doesn't work, I'm screwed.
Os.
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That's my submission plan. Pester people with it until someone says "Yes! All right! I'll buy it!" And then I go on my merry.
I like that and I'll use it as my inspiration. Maybe I'll make it into a banner and hang it in the house somewhere.
I look agents up on Agent Query, then check their websites, then check them here (ie, "WHO HERE HAS ANYTHING BAD TO SAY ABOUT SO-IN-SO? No? Going once-- twice-- sent!)
Usually I send about three or four to start with, and as I hear back from one agent, I send out a new query. Of course it gets complicated when partials and/or fulls are being requested, but I'm not complaining.
Good luck, Azura Skye!
Usually I send about three or four to start with, and as I hear back from one agent, I send out a new query. Of course it gets complicated when partials and/or fulls are being requested, but I'm not complaining.
Good luck, Azura Skye!
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If you do it this way, you eliminate any possibility of the possibility of positive conflict, i.e. competition. It's like when I contact the phone company to say, "I am a faithful customer of yours since xxxx. Phone company B has just offered me a plan that is better than yours. I am giving you a chance to keep me." Great fun.
Now imagine the same scenario with agents. "Why no, I can't offer you an exclusive. Three other agents have requested partials/fulls." "Dear Agent X, Agent Y has offered me a contract and requested an answer by xxx." Creates a nice little buzz, don't it?
From my reading of agent blogs, none of them consider it rude if you're querying several others. Withholding pertinent information, issuing deadlines, and a host of other things are, but not multiple queries.
I think the general consensus is that there's nothing wrong with it, nor is it rude. It's just me being niave and not liking the idea. When I start actively sending around manuscripts (instead of waffling around books) then I'll be more than willing to knuckle under and query multiple agents.
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