Does that 25% (or whatever number people want to use) query response rate apply to top-tier agents?

gbhike · Oct 15, 2017

I know people have different strategies for tiering and sending out their queries. But I see a lot of posts on here about what a "good" response rate is for agents asking for a full manuscript.

But what if someone starts from the top-down for example? Going with the biggest name, ultra-top agents. Should their query attract attention from even those agents? Or is it more like, overall, out of all the agents you'll ever query combined?

The Otter · Oct 15, 2017

I think it's more overall. Your odds of getting a full request from a "top-tier" agent are going to be lower, regardless, because they're getting like a hundred queries a day. If you're trying to gauge how good your query is by the response-rate, the top 10 most popular agents are probably not going to be a good representative sample, so you might want to try mixing it up a bit.

Caveat: I'm not an agent, just an author.

gbhike · Oct 15, 2017

The Otter said:
I think it's more overall. Your odds of getting a full request from a "top-tier" agent are going to be lower, regardless, because they're getting like a hundred queries a day. If you're trying to gauge how good your query is by the response-rate, the top 10 most popular agents are probably not going to be a good representative sample, so you might want to try mixing it up a bit.

Caveat: I'm not an agent, just an author.

Thanks, this is sort of what I figured.

Aggy B. · Oct 15, 2017

Egh. It kind of depends. I got a higher percentage response off top-tier agents than new/lower tier agents. (Mine was 1 out of 10 overall.) So, there are a number of things that could effect that rate.

I looked pretty closely at who repped material similar to mine. The top agents I queried were folks who felt like a good fit, while lower tier agents repped my genre but may not have repped the same sub-genre or similar style books.

Top agents may be faster to jump on a coming trend (due to better connections and awareness of what editors are looking for).

My experience could have been a fluke of timing.

I did always query a mix of top/lower tier agents - sending out about 5-10 queries every couple of weeks, plus at least one query any time I got a rejection/pass. Best of luck with your search.

Old Hack · Oct 15, 2017

When I was querying last summer I got responses from all but one agent. I queried about fifteen in total, and a handful of those said no but passed it onto their colleagues with my permission. Most asked for fulls. A few offered representation, or told requested a phone call. They were all top-tier agents.

Agents tend not to respond now to works they're not interested in. Not because they can't be bothered with writers they don't want to represent: it's because they are trying to avoid receiving abusive messages from rejected writers.

The best way to get a good response is to write a great book, and submit it appropriately.

gbhike · Oct 16, 2017

Old Hack said:
When I was querying last summer I got responses from all but one agent. I queried about fifteen in total, and a handful of those said no but passed it onto their colleagues with my permission. Most asked for fulls. A few offered representation, or told requested a phone call. They were all top-tier agents.

Agents tend not to respond now to works they're not interested in. Not because they can't be bothered with writers they don't want to represent: it's because they are trying to avoid receiving abusive messages from rejected writers.

The best way to get a good response is to write a great book, and submit it appropriately.

Wow! Is your query floating around here somewhere so we can see how effective it was and learn from it?

Old Hack · Oct 16, 2017

Nope, it's not. I was told the query was ok but it was the pages I included which impressed them. So it was all down to my writing.

Last week I separated from the agent I signed with in the end, so am now going to have to go through it all again....

eqb · Oct 16, 2017

Old Hack said:
Nope, it's not. I was told the query was ok but it was the pages I included which impressed them. So it was all down to my writing.

So far I've had ~~ten~~ ~~eleven~~ twelve full requests, all of them top agents, and I'm certain it's because of the pages I included, and my previous novel credits, not the query itself.

Old Hack · Oct 16, 2017

Hurrah, eqb! That's great! I hope you have better luck than I did.

eqb · Oct 16, 2017

Old Hack said:
Hurrah, eqb! That's great! I hope you have better luck than I did.

We shall both have our victory!

Fuchsia Groan · Oct 16, 2017

Just another data point: After getting a fairly positive response on QLH to my query, I had a 10 percent request rate on 26 queries. Based on that, I figured my writing must be the problem, and I was preparing to give up or revise extensively when I got an offer. The book sold with the same first page it had when I queried it. By contrast, my earlier book with the 35 percent request rate didn't sell. Maybe agents just really weren't into serial killers when I was querying; I dunno...

gbhike · Oct 16, 2017

eqb said:
So far I've had ~~ten~~ eleven full requests, all of them top agents, and I'm certain it's because of the pages I included, and my previous novel credits, not the query itself.

Holy cow! Eleven full requests from top agents? Out of how many queries of top agents? That's insane.

How long on average from the time you queried to the time they requested full pages?

Filigree · Oct 16, 2017

She won't boast, but eqb's previous novel credits are enough to catch agents' attention.

Sorry to hear about the separation, Old Hack. There's a lot of that going around.

I had a (for me) giddy first round response to my early summer queries, including three fulls and four partials out of 32 queries. But none of them clicked, and I cut short the experiment to take a small press offer. Could I have gone further toward Big Five publication if I waited for the rest of the agents? Maybe. But most had already rejected an early version last year. At least the thing will be out in the world next summer.

eqb · Oct 16, 2017

gbhike said:
Holy cow! Eleven full requests from top agents? Out of how many queries of top agents? That's insane.

Hee. I had much the same reaction. I do have a few books already published, and two more under contract. That does help to a point. I would also like to think that when I completely rewrote this book last year, I did a decent job.

How long on average from the time you queried to the time they requested full pages?

The shortest time has been 45 minutes. The longest time so far...consults spreadsheet...almost nine weeks. I even had one where the agency website said "consider it a pass after X weeks" and a week after *that* the full request came.

There's no way to predict, actually. It depends on your query, your pages, what's going on with that particular agent at that particular time. Having a spouse that feeds you support and chocolate helps.

eqb · Oct 16, 2017

Filigree said:
She won't boast, but eqb's previous novel credits are enough to catch agents' attention.

*blushes* Thank you.

Credits aren't everything, but yes, they do help a lot. Several agents specifically mentioned them to me.

I had a (for me) giddy first round response to my early summer queries, including three fulls and four partials out of 32 queries. But none of them clicked, and I cut short the experiment to take a small press offer. Could I have gone further toward Big Five publication if I waited for the rest of the agents? Maybe. But most had already rejected an early version last year. At least the thing will be out in the world next summer.

Yeah, clicking is important. A good agent isn't necessarily a good agent for everyone.

WeaselFire · Oct 17, 2017

gbhike said:
I know people have different strategies for tiering and sending out their queries. But I see a lot of posts on here about what a "good" response rate is for agents asking for a full manuscript.

My experience only, but I have never really cared about the response rate from agents of particular tiers. I don't select my tiers based on who is a top agent, I select them based on which agent is most likely to be able to rep the particular book I'm querying. If I have written my query well and my book is sound and fits a genre the agent can sell, I'll get a response of either "Sorry, we just added an author to our stable that your work would directly compete with" or "Please send the full manuscript, it seems just what I'm looking for." After that, I'm on my own for getting the agent to bite and my work has to stand up to the scrutiny.

The other way I submit is with a letter that says "I met with you at the XYZ conference and am sending you sample chapters from my work, as we discussed."

Jeff

eqb · Oct 17, 2017

Absolutely, we should only query agents who could best represent our work. For me that means not just the current book, but the rest that we plan to write. After that filter, then yes, I do want to query the top agents. I'm at the point in my career where I need an agent who can advise me on which project to take on next, and how best to build my career.

Filigree · Oct 17, 2017

For me, the agent hunt had to pause for a year or so. The series I'm committed to now is sewn up at a small press, and can't be agented. The agents who liked one part of my mms portfolio, didn't rep the other stuff. So when I write something that can fit more of those agent 'likes', I'll get back into the game.

Does that 25% (or whatever number people want to use) query response rate apply to top-tier agents?

gbhike

The Otter

Friendly Neighborhood Mustelid

gbhike

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

gbhike

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

eqb

I write novels

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

eqb

I write novels

Fuchsia Groan

Becoming a laptop-human hybrid

gbhike

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

eqb

I write novels

eqb

I write novels

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

eqb

I write novels

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing