Prospect Agency

Emily just rejected my full--she had some nice things to say, but ultimately felt she wasn't rooting for my character as much as she needed to.

Timeline:

Online query & 3 chapters-7/23
Full requested- 8/27
Full rejected- 11/17

CharleyGirl said:

Emily just rejected my full--she had some nice things to say, but ultimately felt she wasn't rooting for my character as much as she needed to.

Timeline:

Online query & 3 chapters-7/23
Full requested- 8/27
Full rejected- 11/17

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Sorry CharleyGirl

Senora Verde said:

Sorry CharleyGirl

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Thanks for the sympathy

Good luck to chimita (who still has a full out, I think)!

CharleyGirl said:

Emily just rejected my full--she had some nice things to say, but ultimately felt she wasn't rooting for my character as much as she needed to.

Timeline:

Online query & 3 chapters-7/23
Full requested- 8/27
Full rejected- 11/17

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that. I'm going to query them this evening.

Sushi said:

Sorry to hear that. I'm going to query them this evening.

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Best of luck, Sushi!

I queried Becca Stumpf a couple of days ago, got a full request yesterday. Fingers crossed!

Edited to add: a day later, she called and left a message, reiterating that she really wants to read this full! Very excited now!

Queried Becca this morning. Hoping for good things!

I queried Becca on Sept 29 and she requested the full on Sept 30, which I sent out the same day. I haven't heard anything yet and although the paranoid part of me wonders if she ever received it (which is a really scary thought), I know chances are she's just been really busy and my full *hopefully* made it to her just fine.

Here's hoping for good news! She's definitely at the top of my list

And congrats to VickCorren!

I just sent a query letter with synopsis and my first three chapters to Becca Stumpf this afternoon. Keeping my fingers crossed! I'm prety impressed by their on-line form. It appears as though they have a genuine interest in learning about their authors.

Prospect Agency - Emily Sylvan Kim

Emily requested a full from me in December of 2009 (query filed in July of same year). It's now January 2011, and I still have not heard a thing. I've sent several reminder emails but they go unanswered.

I'm probably going to write this one off.

Keep us posted, Peg908. I had been considering Becca, but if the agency is this slow, maybe not.

Filigree

Buckeyegirl, Empress Awesome, VickCorren and Sushi- have any of you gone a step further in the querying process with this agency? Request for fulls/revisions, offers of representation and the like?

Does anyone have any experience with Becca Stumpf?

I'm not one of those guys, but I received a full request a few months back when I was querying another book. It took almost three months from query to request, and then she got back to me on the full in about three weeks. Request came from Emily Sylvan Kim. I haven't heard back on my query for the new story yet.

Aurora Falsestart said:

Buckeyegirl, Empress Awesome, VickCorren and Sushi- have any of you gone a step further in the querying process with this agency? Request for fulls/revisions, offers of representation and the like?

Does anyone have any experience with Becca Stumpf?

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Nope, haven't heard a thing.

I'd love to know more about Becca, too. I'd like to throw a big epic fantasy her way, but if she's more into UF these days, I'll hold off.

Filigree

Thanks, Kaitie and Empress.

Filigree, let's hope a few more responses roll in. Speaking of genre, anyone know of any agents that have advertised a specific interest in contemporary coming-of-age with no genetically-modified demigods or supernatural creatures?

Aurora,

I haven't heard from Becca on my full yet and it's coming up on the four-month mark, though I read earlier in this thread that it is typical for her to take 3-4 months to read a full. My biggest concern is that she didn't receive my MS because the other agent who asked for my full sent a confirmation that she received it, though I hear it isn't typical to send a confirmation. I just remind myself that anxiety over whether or not an agent received your material is part of the query process : ) From what I've read, she seems like a great agent and a really sweet person, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Filigree, I think you should go for it. Her bio says she loves fantasy with a high-concept and broad appeal. The worst thing she can say is no, and at least you won't wonder if she might have said yes. Suzie Townsend has also requested a full from me (another amazing agent and very kind person, from what I've read), and her bio on FinePrint Literary Management's website says she's looking for epic fantasy, so maybe try her as well?

buckeyegirl said:

I just remind myself that anxiety over whether or not an agent received your material is part of the query process : )

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Hi, buckeyegirl-

Thanks so much for having written that. One of the agents with my full right now never confirmed receipt after two separate instances of email communication but it's only been two months and change since I sent it.

Now that I see it is not rare for agents to take three to four months, I feel a bit more at ease. Fingers crossed for you on all of the material you have out!

-A

Thanks Aurora! Fingers crossed for you too!

Thanks, buckeyegirl. I'd already tried Suzie, and got a rejection back, but that was on a previous version of my query.

I think I might try Becca, after all.

Filigree

Becca is my agent, and a few months ago she sold my debut epic fantasy in a 2-book deal, so yes, she likes epic fantasy!

I just posted a detailed account of how I got Becca as an agent on the author group blog I'm a member of - here's a link to the post:
http://night-bazaar.com/the-great-agent-hunt.html
(It's "agent week" on the blog, by the way, so check out the other members' posts for more "how I got my agent" stories.)

I know Prospect is on the glacial side in terms of responding to queries (or even requested material, sometimes)...but let me assure you that Becca is super responsive with her clients (responds to emails within 24 hours), and works incredibly hard for us. I had a bit of a rollercoaster ride while on submission, and she was awesome throughout the whole thing, and then did a great job of negotiating for my contract. Heh, before I got an agent I often wondered what exactly kept them so busy that they couldn't read queries promptly...well, now I know. Maybe sometimes the road to a book deal is easy...but sometimes it requires a lot of discussion, negotiation, and creative strategizing.

So good luck to all waiting, and hang in there. IMHO, there's no question Becca is worth the wait.

Thanks Coloradogirl! Congrats on the 2-book deal! That's awesome

I can just imagine how incredibly busy agents are, and I'm not really worried about the response time on my MS with Becca. My biggest fear is just that nagging thought of "what if the e-mail didn't go through, what if something went wrong?" I know that every writer goes through this though. It's just part of the process. From everything I've heard and read, I am really excited to have such a great agent looking at my MS, and I have no doubt that she is worth the wait.

Thanks, Buckeyegirl! And yeah, I totally hear you on the "what if they didn't get it?" worries. Sounds like you're coming up on the time to nudge (~4 months), so you can certainly email Becca to check then.

One suggestion for future ms requests....when you email your full to the agent, you can always ask for them to send a super-short "yes, got it" response if they have the time. I started doing that in my agent-hunting days after having a few emails go astray, and most agents (Becca included!) were fine with sending a brief acknowledgement of receipt. (Though don't panic if it takes them a few days to do so - and note that I only did this for fulls, not partials.)

I think I win the slow response contest. Becca requested a full from me in October 2009. In December, at her request, I sent a revised version I had completed during talks with another agent. In April, 2010 she emailed to check if the manuscript was still available for representation. It was. She said she was still interested and would get back to me within a few weeks. I haven't heard anything from her since.

I did email her in May of 2010 asking if she'd like a first look at another manuscript I'd fiished. No response. Another "nudge" email in August to see if she'd made a decision about the first. Still no response. Perhaps asking about the second manuscript wasn't kosher. Anyway, 16 months after requesting a full I still have no response, and at this point, I'm not expecting one.

Becca Stumpf Thread

ColoradoGirl/Courtney: I really enjoyed reading your blog about the evolution of your life from author to published author. Very exciting. Congratulations!

It's very helpful to those who, like me, are still trying to catch the attention of an agent, or waiting for responses. (I fall into the first category.) On days like today, after the receipt of yet another rejection email, it's encouraging to hear about others who've dealt with the same frustrations and played that waiting game, only to have it finally pay off in the end.

Again, congrats.

Carol B