Need Advice, don't know what to do

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Mr. Anonymous

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Ok, I'm not sure if this is the right place for this but here goes.

I have requests from two different agents at the same agency (it is a major one).

One wants the full. The other wants a partial. And on the site, it specifically says you're not supposed to query more than one. And now I know why.

The one who asked for a partial SEEMED more receptive. So my gut is telling me he might be the one. Then again, my gut has said that before and it's been, err, wrong.

I'm thinking of sending in the full (I've heard the full guy reviews em pretty quick) and being honest with the partial guy and asking him to wait. Is that a good idea?

And just to clear things up. Neither have seen my actual manuscript.
 

scope

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IMHO you should only submit to one agent, be that the partial or full. I think you should send your work to the agent who most closely matches the profile for your work. I wouldn't listen to rumors. I also believe you only have this one shot at the agency. While I would like it to be true, I can't imagine another agent at the same agency going to bat for your work should it be rejected by another at the agency. And yes, you should definitely tell the agent you submit to about "the mix up" -- don't forget to advise the other agent also.
 

soleary

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Ouch. I can see submitting to more than one agent, but I wouldn't consider it at the same place. On the upside, it seems they like what you're doing. I would go with one, and be honest with the other. He/she might want to see it anyway. Good luck!
 

Mr. Anonymous

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Thanks for your input guys. I see more and more that there is no magic solution to this situation. I guess I'll just be frank and truthful with them. After all, "honesty is the best policy." :p
 

Topaz044

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I myself send multiple queries to an agent, and in my query letter I mention that it is on a multiple submission and if they want to request the manuscript, I would give it to them exclusively. Usually 'first come, first serve' works best, but if they queried at the same time I would go for the better deal.

And unless you plan on writing just one book in your life, you want to avoid building up a bad reputation by being dishonest. Agents talk to each other.
 

GJB

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Two Agent Submissions

I'm inclined to NOT tell the one that the other wants it. Send to the one who seems the best fit, has the most clout in your genre. If he/she wants to rep you and you have the signed contract and you make the sale, confess your little secret. Until then, they won't communicate over the same query, but if you fess up, I fear neither will read your partial or full with the same eye as if he/she did not know. Good luck. g.
 

Topaz044

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I'm inclined to NOT tell the one that the other wants it. Send to the one who seems the best fit, has the most clout in your genre. If he/she wants to rep you and you have the signed contract and you make the sale, confess your little secret. Until then, they won't communicate over the same query, but if you fess up, I fear neither will read your partial or full with the same eye as if he/she did not know. Good luck. g.

Respectfully, GJB, I'm not so sure. I've read from some Agent's Blogs that they prefer it
if people are straight up with them, and the fact that I have it on my query didn't stop
a big publisher from looking at it, or from a few agents saying that they're interested. You could be right, and it might be killing my chances. But I'd rather not be in a situation where I have to tell an agent that I secretly found a better one.

(shrug) but then again, I'm still pretty new to the agency game.
 

geardrops

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Did the guy who requested the full ask for exclusivity? If not, what's stopping you from sending to both, simultaneously? (Whether or not you tell them the situation is an entirely different matter.)
 

Birol

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That's a good question right now.
You know, I think you need to remember that Agents are not a different species. They are human. In my experience, when dealing with those human creatures, honestly usually works best. That is, unless you're deliberately trying to con, scam, or hoodwink them. That's when you want to be dishonest.
 

JoNightshade

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Most of the time, if an agent at an agency reads a book and feels it is good but is a better fit for someone else at the agency, they will pass it on.

So my advice is to send it to the one who asked for a full. Don't mention the double-send to him. Write back to the one who requested a partial and say you're really sorry, but you sent a query to the other guy without realizing they were at the same place, and you've already sent him the full.
 

Mr. Anonymous

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Did the guy who requested the full ask for exclusivity? If not, what's stopping you from sending to both, simultaneously? (Whether or not you tell them the situation is an entirely different matter.)
Well, they are at the same agency. And it says not to query two agents at once. I guess I'm just worried that they'll be upset and might not want to deal with me if they realize I'm trying to play two sides. Also, while he did not specifically ask for exclusivity, it does say on the site that the agency prefers to review fulls on an exclusive basis.

JoNightshade- Yea, I'll probably do something along those lines. I figure, an agent to author relationship is very much a business partnership. And I don't think I'd like to start off something like that by being dishonest. Just hope it works out for the best.

Anyway, thanks for all the input guys.
 

GJB

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This great little thread provokes in ways I would not have imagined. Power balance between agent and writer, fear by us of them, yearnings and needs by us of them. Of course honesty is the best policy, and I would never suggest fibbing about the two submissions and two requests. Out of need and yearning for a clean read, I wonder if voluntarily telling either or both of them of your initial faux pas will not cause an automatic "no thanks" without any read by either one, or less of a clean slate read. If you are inclinced to confess, perhaps submit to each one what each asked and very nicely explain how you got into that predicament and ask them to decide between each other who gets first shot at the partial or the full. Maybe then the interoffice competition for you will intrigue them both, and they'll surely talk about you and your good query--not all bad. Anyway, most interesting. g.
 
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Mr. Anonymous

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Update fellas.
The guy who asked for a partial, to whom I explained the situation to, never responded.
The guy who asked for the full said, "It's well done, but I'm afraid it's not quite right for me. " So yea. Now I'm scratching my head trying to figure out if that's a euphemism for "it sucks and will never get published."

Moral of the story? Fuck honesty. lol.
 

IceCreamEmpress

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Update fellas.
The guy who asked for a partial, to whom I explained the situation to, never responded.
The guy who asked for the full said, "It's well done, but I'm afraid it's not quite right for me. " So yea. Now I'm scratching my head trying to figure out if that's a euphemism for "it sucks and will never get published."

Moral of the story? Fuck honesty. lol.

Yeah, that's not the moral of the story. I think the moral of the story is actually "do your research" or perhaps "sometimes things just go wrong, even though you've done your research."

On the bright side, "Well done but not right for me" means pretty much what it says. Keep querying!
 

ChaosTitan

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The guy who asked for the full said, "It's well done, but I'm afraid it's not quite right for me. " So yea. Now I'm scratching my head trying to figure out if that's a euphemism for "it sucks and will never get published."

I know it sounds like a brush-off, but it pretty much means exactly what it says. Agents must love the book in order to truly be effective at selling it (and you). You could send an agent the most well-written book ever created, but if they don't think they can sell it, they won't take you on.

Keep at it, Mr. Anonymous. :)
 
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