E-mail Puzzler

Carmy

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"E-mail queries to personal addresses will not be answered."

Recently, the above sentence has been popping up all over agent sites and it bothers me. What happens when an e-query reaches the agency?

Some agencies don't handle my genre. If a new agent joins who is interested in the genre I write, how can I be assured my e-query will reach him or her?

If the agency rejected an earlier submission because it wasn't in a genre they handle, do I dare submit to the new agent?

I've done a test submission, addressing the e-mail to the agency's main address as requested and then addressing my query letter to the actual agent. This seems the logical thing to do, but I'd love to know how others are approaching or would approach this.
 

auntybug

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It sounds like you are doing it the only way you can. I see most agencies have a "submissions@" address and want things to be filtered there. If I have someone in particular I want to address, I put their name above the company name & address & personalize it to them "Dear so & so."

My humble FWIW.

Good Luck!
 
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Carmy

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Thanks auntybug, I'm glad you agree.

I can only hope that whoever does the filtering picks up on the "Dear So-and-So" and forwards it to the right person.
 

ChristineR

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The "right person" is an intern or an aide. She will read the e-mail, and if she thinks its interesting enough, she'll forward it to the agent she thinks should read it. I would assume that if you mention a particular agent in your mail, she'd be smart enough to send it to that agent, but her info about what agents read what sort of submissions is more complete and more recent than yours.
 

Carmy

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I hope so, Christine, but that's what worries me. How familiar is that intern with a new agent and that agent's requirements?
 

IceCreamEmpress

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I hope so, Christine, but that's what worries me. How familiar is that intern with a new agent and that agent's requirements?

The person who is sorting the email will have been familiarized with how to sort the email correctly. If not, you don't want to be represented by that agency, because if they cock up that most basic element of business, they will certainly cock up your contracts.