[Agency] Inkwell Management

Wayne K said:

Me too. I sent off requested proposal this morning.

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Good luck!

Good luck to all the Inkwell hopefuls. I want to equery, just not sure who to direct it to...narrative non-fic

Sent a status query to Nat Jacks last night (he requested partial, which was sent 5/21). He replied this morning with the following:

"After reading, my initial reaction was that it's probably not right for me. But I'd like to get a second opinion. Will let you know."

<sigh>

Here's hoping whatever associate he shows it to LOVES the premise and the writing.

Sushi said:

Sent a status query to Nat Jacks last night (he requested partial, which was sent 5/21). He replied this morning with the following:

"After reading, my initial reaction was that it's probably not right for me. But I'd like to get a second opinion. Will let you know."

<sigh>

Here's hoping whatever associate he shows it to LOVES the premise and the writing.

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Good luck!

Sending a query to Catherine right now.

tilt190 said:

Sending a query to Catherine right now.

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Good luck, and come sit next to the rest of us nail-biters.

I got this polite rejection today after a request for the full manuscript on 7/10. I suppose it's a form rejection. Regardless, I appreciate the kind sentiments and responsiveness of Kim and her co-agents.

"Thank you for sending me [Title]. You are clearly a talented and imaginative writer – there is much to be admired in this book. Your writing is bold and idiomatic and, in the best sense, youthful. It was a pleasure to live in [Place] with your characters.
That said, in today’s crowded marketplace, I just don’t feel confident that I would be able to place this with a major trade publisher. Given these reservations, I am going to pass on these so you can go ahead and find a representative who will give your work the full enthusiasm it so richly deserves.
I am sorry to disappoint you, and to pass on such original works. Others will surely feel differently and I certainly wish you the best of luck in finding the right agent and publisher."

Wow that is a very nice rejection. I must say, with all the praise that was said, it really does kind of suck that they turned down your novel. It must have been a great read nonetheless.

Remember, it only takes one agent to fall in love with your book, best of luck as your search for representation continues.

Alisha,

You're too kind. I suspect Kim's message was a form rejection. Indeed, I posted it here because I'm curious if anyone else has received a substantially similar rejection from Kim Witherspoon. I would have appreciated some constructive criticism, but I recognize that agents have only so much time, especially to spend on rejections. This whole process is so exciting, frustrating, depressing, etc. Sigh.

/s

living to query another day

John Dillon, I like thee.

I suspect an agent will too, very soon. : )

Catherine Drayton read my partial pages and wants a full! I'm so excited. I've had other full requests, but they came straight from the query. This is the first time an agent has requested a partial then asked to see more. It's a great feeling. Here's the timeline so far:
Query - Jul 29
Partial Request - Aug 5
Full Request - Aug 8

John, that is not a form rejection.

Form rejections are much more general.

rifferaff said:

Catherine Drayton read my partial pages and wants a full! I'm so excited. I've had other full requests, but they came straight from the query. This is the first time an agent has requested a partial then asked to see more. It's a great feeling. Here's the timeline so far:
Query - Jul 29
Partial Request - Aug 5
Full Request - Aug 8

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Sounds great! I'm crossing my fingers for you.

I'm still waiting for Charlie to get back to me about my full. I'm running out of nails to bite, lol.

Question: as the "submissions" email is generic (all of the agents read from the same email), who should I address it to, a specific agent anyway, or a plain "Inkwell Management"?

Always a specific agent.

Each Agent usually has a set genre they like to stick with. Some are adult, some prefer young adult... check out their website and read the agent bios. Always a specific agent.

Good luck on the Full rifferaff, I'm still patiently waiting to hear back on my full that Catherine has.

Thank you both. Almost blew it there. I'm having trouble figuring out the agents' likes and dislikes though from their tiny profiles. Probably will query Catherine too though because she does make her preferences known.

Should I attach a sample chapter to my query? Again, it's difficult to tell whether it's a good idea or not.

Rebelcheese, if you don't already know about QueryTracker and Agent Query, these are great sources of info. Looking up Ms. Drayton on Agent Query, it says under her submission guidelines that she wants to see only the query, so that's what you should send.

Don't rely only on the agent's profiles on their website, do some Googling and find interviews with them all across the web. In this way, you can find more specific likes and dislikes.

AlishaS and Dorothy thanks and good luck to you too!

Sushi said:

Sent a status query to Nat Jacks last night (he requested partial, which was sent 5/21). He replied this morning (7/29) with the following:

"After reading, my initial reaction was that it's probably not right for me. But I'd like to get a second opinion. Will let you know."
.

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End of this story: Received a polite rejection email from Nat Jacks on 8/6:
"Your premise is original, entertaining and inspiring. You've constructed a
genuinely heroic protagonist; I was rooting for her more and more with each
sentence. But despite the positives, I could not connect enough with the story to
justify taking on the book."

Back to the query slough...

rifferaff said:

Rebelcheese, if you don't already know about QueryTracker and Agent Query, these are great sources of info. Looking up Ms. Drayton on Agent Query, it says under her submission guidelines that she wants to see only the query, so that's what you should send.

Don't rely only on the agent's profiles on their website, do some Googling and find interviews with them all across the web. In this way, you can find more specific likes and dislikes.

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Thank you. I need to read up on Agent Query more often when checking agents. I rely too much on their profiles and P&E.

I did query Catherine Drayton. Must cross fingers and hope she's interested, or finds someone in Inkwell who is . . .

e-queried Ms. Drayton 8/23 for YA Horror / Romance but haven't heard back yet. Wonder if she's still on vacation or something? She's usually lightning fast with queries, isn't she?

she's fast, but it took me 6 or 7 days to get a response (which was a request) earlier this month.

Does anyone know anything about Charlie Olsen, Kristan Palmer, Julie Schilder, Lauren Smythe, or Jenny Witherell? None of their interests are posted on the site. Do you guys know if any of them are interested in YA fantasy?

rifferaff said:

she's fast, but it took me 6 or 7 days to get a response (which was a request) earlier this month.

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thanks for sharing, rifferaff.

Well Catherine's had my full for over a month, her response time previously has all be super fast. Now I'm worried... I hope she is one of those agents who sends out rejections when she has a full that she doesn't like.
Fingers crossed still for me.