I queried Ethan Ellenberg in June via e-mail and still haven't heard back. Has anyone else queried him via e-mail? If so, how long did it take for a response? He says he accepts e-mail queries.
gp101 said:I queried Ethan Ellenberg in June via e-mail and still haven't heard back. Has anyone else queried him via e-mail? If so, how long did it take for a response? He says he accepts e-mail queries.
gp101 said:I queried Ethan Ellenberg in June via e-mail and still haven't heard back. Has anyone else queried him via e-mail? If so, how long did it take for a response? He says he accepts e-mail queries.
James D. Macdonald said:Nope. Start at the top and work down.
Jim's right. You're wrong.Julie Worth said:I say do it randomly. Your query will get better. If you start at the top, you’ll be matching your worst query with the pickiest agents. If you query randomly, though, you’ll have a few top agents left when you’ve finally polished your query into a bright and shiny gem.
HapiSofi said:Jim's right. You're wrong.
You're betting against yourself by assuming no one's going to accept you right off.
If you can't polish your query on your own, what makes you think the responses you get from agents will help you buff it till it burns with a gem-like flame? Make it good now -- if you're a writer, you should be able to do that -- and send it to the top of your list.
And when Nicholas told that story, was he wincing at his own naif stupidity and thanking God that things worked out well even though he'd been dumb as a brick? Because I very much doubt he was telling it as an example to new writers of how to go about getting an agent.Julie Worth said:As to sending them out randomly, that’s what Nicolas Sparks did: “I then sent the letter off to 25 agents, picked at random.” That’s not to say he didn’t do some research first, but still, you never know where the best fit is going to be. In fact, none of the 25 worked out. It was an unknown agent with no sales who picked up his ms and called him. And he only went with her after all the others turned him down.
Aconite said:And when Nicholas told that story, was he wincing at his own naif stupidity and thanking God that things worked out well even though he'd been dumb as a brick? Because I very much doubt he was telling it as an example to new writers of how to go about getting an agent.
Birol said:That seems one of those exceptions to the rules stories. How many times has a new writer been burned when they've chosen to go with a new agent with no track record compared to what happened with Sparks?
Absolutely yes, contact him and remind him of your previous submission. When agents say they want to see more of your work they mean it.