I got a helpful, personalized rejection to a 50 page partial from Jennifer Azantian. She seems very professional.
Stats for Jennifer:
Query + first chapter: April 13
Request for first hundred pages: December 11
It's like a zombie query, coming back to life unexpectedly. It's more welcome than a real zombie though.
Full request: December 30
Synopsis request: Jan 4
She says she wants to share the synopsis with her colleagues. I'm not sure if this is a good sign or not, but it's not a flat out rejection...
It's a good sign. It means she's going to sell it to her agency.
It's a great sign. I understand that at this agency, new manuscripts with merit are decided by the agency as a whole, not just a single agent.
GOOD LUCK!
You can still query Taylor! She's at Full Circle Literary now. Here's her latest interview.
I just want to jump in to agree with those who say Jennifer Azantian seems very professional and encouraging. Her rejection was more encouraging than some of the partial and full requests I've gotten:
"Dear ____,
I must apologize for the lateness of my reply. I try to get back to authors within six weeks, but sometimes that isn't feasible. In this case, the reason for my lengthy reply is that the projects I am seriously considering tend to take longer to get to and more of my time. With that being said, KISSING THE LION is very strong and drew me in right away. You have talent, but, unfortunately, I didn’t fall completely in love with it in the way that I need to in order to take it on. I do want you to know that it was very hard for me to pass on this project, and I’m certain that if it hasn’t already found a home, it will soon. I wish you the best of luck on your writing journey.
Warmest,
Jennifer"
It's too bad, really. It sounds as though she would be a lovely person to work with.
Geez, Pisco, you're on fire.
Anything else of Thao Le? I'm compiling my final query and trying to decide who should be in the top group.
I know someone repped by Thao. She seems very happy with her.