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Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation

Giant Baby

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Haha! So maybe I was wrong.

Naw. Query confusion does not equal reading comprehension. Like MS Word does not equal Excel.

There's reading, and there's keeping stuff straight. They're both important, but the latter will come in time. I've got my fingers crossed for the former on account of my partial.

If she rejects someone else accidentally, I'll just status check her in a few months, I suppose, and thank the poor recipient of my reject!

:D
 

karo.ambrose

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Giant Baby, when did Joanna request the partial, if I might ask?
 

Tuuli

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FYI: Joanna Stampfel rejected my query the same day I sent it. A very nice rejection, I might add. Discouraging, but she's definitely fast and seems very nice, from the way her letter was worded.

Joanna IS really fast. I sent a query this morning and received a request for a full less than two hours later.
 

karo.ambrose

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Joanna IS really fast. I sent a query this morning and received a request for a full less than two hours later.

She is actively seeking new clients, and since she just joined with Nancy Coffey, she probably hasn't received a deluge of queries yet. Or she is simply stellar. Or both.

Congrats on the full!
 

Tuuli

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She is actively seeking new clients, and since she just joined with Nancy Coffey, she probably hasn't received a deluge of queries yet. Or she is simply stellar. Or both.

Congrats on the full!

That's the advantage of querying a new agent. Though I queried Kate Schafer Testerman and received a request for a partial 2 days later. Funny how requests come a lot faster than rejections...at least in my case.
 

Tuuli

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I queried her 1/9, she requested 75pp 1/11.

Weird that she's requesting different number of pages from everyone.

Giant Baby, did you include a sample with your query? I have the first 2 pages on my blog, which I mentioned in my query. She asked to see more of my work and requested the full. Guess that means she read the excerpt.
 

Giant Baby

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I pasted the first five pages onto the end of my e-query.

I always include them, whether email or snail, unless the guidelines request something other... or specifically say "no stuff with query."
 

Tuuli

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Karo, sorry to hear the news. Giant Baby received her request for a partial on 1/11. What about you? Were you before or after that?
 

karo.ambrose

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she requested on 1/13 ... I'm sure times might be different for fulls vs partials.

it was a very polite personalized rejection she sent me. but still, a no is a no.
 

Tuuli

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Thanks Karo.ambrose

I figure there must be at least several more partials and fulls before mine. I also have a partial out at another agency and don't expect to hear back for at least another 6 weeks for that one. The ms was rejected by another agent because it was too romantic for the agent's taste, otherwise she really liked it. I'm hoping that Joanna is still in that nothing-is-too-romantic mood since she's a newly wed. There's always hoping....

Good luck with your outstanding ones.
 
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sharla

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Queried Joanna Stampfel last night and received a very nice, personal rejection letter this morning. Very fast. While R's stink, they are easier to shoulder like this than when you get "Dear Author"...
 

AKB

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I'm a new member and this is my first post so I apologize if it sounds...well...like it came from a newbie.

Based on what I read in this thread I e-queried Joanne and while she sent me a rejection (next day) she gave me really helpful comments on my query and positive feedback on my writing, saying its "strong" and describing specific quotes as "awesome". While of course I'm dissapointed, at least I have something to re-read and give me hope each time another 'r' comes in.
 

Tuuli

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I'm a new member and this is my first post so I apologize if it sounds...well...like it came from a newbie.

Based on what I read in this thread I e-queried Joanne and while she sent me a rejection (next day) she gave me really helpful comments on my query and positive feedback on my writing, saying its "strong" and describing specific quotes as "awesome". While of course I'm dissapointed, at least I have something to re-read and give me hope each time another 'r' comes in.


AKB,
Congrats on such positive feedback. Most agent don't take the time to comment on ones query such as Joanna did.

Many writers see a rejection as a rejection, no matter what was said. Sad for them. In this industry, publication is rare. We should all rejoice on all the little accomplishments. The only rejections we should truly be disappointed with are the form letters, especially the ones that begin, "Dear Author."

Good luck with future queries.
 
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Tuuli

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No word yet from Johanna, but I'm in no big rush. Jodi Reamer from Writers House requested a partial last week but it's going to take about a month to find out if she wants a full. It was most unexpected.

Why does this whole querying thing have to be so stressful?
 

Julie Worth

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Joanna read one of my books and suggested a rewrite. I'm not going to do it, as it struck me as something a published writer would never be asked to do (fitting into the narrow mold of a particular genre). She was very nice about it, though.
 

Tuuli

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I finally heard back for Joanna. It was a rejection but it was a great rejection. She didn't exactly explained her reason, but she pointed out several big mistakes I made throughout the ms that were so easy to fix. Or at least for me they were easy to fix once I knew what I had done wrong. I went back to re-edit it, and asked Ms Reamer's assistant if I could resend my partial (which I could). Due to Joanna's advice, the result is much better. No one else who had rejected my partial or full had pointed out my errors. So if anything, I highly recommend querying her just for that. She's been known to provide indepth feedback on most partial and full requests she rejects. Of course, she won't be able to do that for much longer once she gains more clients of her own.
 

ohjammer

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ne day turnaround on a rejection, based on a query letter only.
Thank you for querying me. Unfortunately I am going to have to pass at this time.
Please don't take this rejection as a comment on your writing ability, because it isn't intended
to be one. I'm sure another agent will feel differently.

Best of luck to you with the submission process.

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe
Agent
Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation
 

Juneluv12

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I got the same one day rejecton turn around. At least she inserted my name instead of just doing the Dear Author thing. She sounds like a nice agent. Good luck to the rest of you with partials out.
 

Tuuli

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I got a partial request the day after e-querying Joanna. Wish me luck. Sounds like I may need it.


Good luck, Dara! Remember, even if she rejects it, you will benefit from her feedback, so it'll be even better for the next agent :)
 

Wonderlander

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This was what I got too. Such a shame, I commiserate!

ne day turnaround on a rejection, based on a query letter only.
Thank you for querying me. Unfortunately I am going to have to pass at this time.
Please don't take this rejection as a comment on your writing ability, because it isn't intended
to be one. I'm sure another agent will feel differently.

Best of luck to you with the submission process.

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe
Agent
Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation
 

Erin

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I'm still waiting to hear back on a full sent to Nancy at end of October! I'd love to query Joanna on my YA Fantasy, but I can't until I hear on the first sub.
 

anthonyjcardieri

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Nancy Coffey

When I wrote my first novel 11 years ago, Nancy had requested to see it. After reading it, she turned me down. This year I tried her again with a different manuscript. Again she requested to see it and then turned me down again. All the other agents I queried turned me down without even wanting to see it. So it made me appreciate Nancy all the more for at least giving me the shot at having it read. Anyhow, I ultimately got the manuscript into St Martins Press where the lead editor Ruth Cavin really loved it and signed me to a contract. The book comes out in December 2009. I figured it would be easier to pick up an agent now that I have a big publisher so I tried Nancy again. I wanted her as my agent all along. I sent her a letter and Joanna Stampfel called me up the other day and asked if they could have the manuscript again so they could re-read it. I will hear from them shortly, they said. Hopefully this time around, they will represent me. Her credentials are great. ANT