I have just started my research process about getting an agent. I already have a list of some possibilities to query and am working on polishing my query and turning my book proposal ideas into an actual proposal.
I thought how I knew how to proceed and went to the library to get some books about writing book proposals and ideas for marketing (for that section of the proposal). Another book caught my eye, Susan Page's The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book. Now I'm confused because she gives advice I haven't seen before. (But then this may be standard advice. If there have been threads on this subject already, please tell me. I tried searching AW but all I was getting was threads about agents asking for exclusives.)
Ms. Page says to proceed as follows. Query a group of agents (she suggests 12). Tell them in the query that you will only send your proposal to one agent at a time and so to respond ASAP. In ten days you see who has responded. You pick out the agent you want the most and send him/her the proposal, explaining that no one else is reviewing the proposal, and you hope to hear back soon. You wait 3 weeks. If you've heard nothing, you call the agency and ask when you might expect to hear back. If given a reasonable time frame, wait for that. If you get a vague response, you wait 2 weeks and call again. From what they say you decide whether to wait or move on. If you decide to move on, you write and say that, since your proposal hasn't been reviewed thus far, you want to show it to someone else, adding that if you don't hear from them in a week's time you will do so. An alternative is to send the agency a big SASE and tell them you want your proposal back.
According to Ms. Page, this procedure gets agents to respond quicker and also makes the singled out agent feel, well, singled out.
Is this standard advice, intriguing advice (that may work), or goofy advice that will create problems? I will continue to search out other books on the subject, but I thought it would be useful to ask all the experienced folk on this forum.
I note that the book in question was published in 1997. The market or the expected protocol may have changed since then.
I thought how I knew how to proceed and went to the library to get some books about writing book proposals and ideas for marketing (for that section of the proposal). Another book caught my eye, Susan Page's The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book. Now I'm confused because she gives advice I haven't seen before. (But then this may be standard advice. If there have been threads on this subject already, please tell me. I tried searching AW but all I was getting was threads about agents asking for exclusives.)
Ms. Page says to proceed as follows. Query a group of agents (she suggests 12). Tell them in the query that you will only send your proposal to one agent at a time and so to respond ASAP. In ten days you see who has responded. You pick out the agent you want the most and send him/her the proposal, explaining that no one else is reviewing the proposal, and you hope to hear back soon. You wait 3 weeks. If you've heard nothing, you call the agency and ask when you might expect to hear back. If given a reasonable time frame, wait for that. If you get a vague response, you wait 2 weeks and call again. From what they say you decide whether to wait or move on. If you decide to move on, you write and say that, since your proposal hasn't been reviewed thus far, you want to show it to someone else, adding that if you don't hear from them in a week's time you will do so. An alternative is to send the agency a big SASE and tell them you want your proposal back.
According to Ms. Page, this procedure gets agents to respond quicker and also makes the singled out agent feel, well, singled out.
Is this standard advice, intriguing advice (that may work), or goofy advice that will create problems? I will continue to search out other books on the subject, but I thought it would be useful to ask all the experienced folk on this forum.
I note that the book in question was published in 1997. The market or the expected protocol may have changed since then.