The Daily Rejection

What is the general etiquette on submitting to an Agent from an agency containing an Agent that has already rejected you?

M.T.Logue said:

What is the general etiquette on submitting to an Agent from an agency containing an Agent that has already rejected you?

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Each agency has its own policy about this. Check the agency's web site to see whether its policy is "a no from one agent is a no from all" or not. I know, for instance, that the Knight Agency has that policy, but others do allow you to query other agents at the same agency.

Good luck!

Beyond checking as qdsb suggests (provisions like that seem relatively rare), I've never heard of any other etiquette involved. You certainly don't have to mention that someone's colleague already passed.

I've even queried agents in the same firm as someone who has failed to respond, but I've waited months before doing so.

I query other agents at agencies where a no is a no from all. What's the worse they can do? Get upset for thirty seconds and delete your query? They'll move on and forget your name. Just don't mention you've queried other agents at the agency.

I queried one agent in a big agency, waited two months (no response), then sent to another agent in that same agency. Funny thing is, I got a quick rejection from the 2nd agent -- and a very unexpected request for a full (three months later!) from the original agent! LOL That was weird.

Still no word from agent dear. *pouts*

But, my mentor loved the changes in the end. She suggested I change some sentence structure in some spots and expand a scene, but other than that...I'm ready. Yay?

Carleree said:

But, my mentor loved the changes in the end. She suggested I change some sentence structure in some spots and expand a scene, but other than that...I'm ready. Yay?

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Oh, that's fantastic! What a good feeling, to get validation that way.

Carleree said:

I query other agents at agencies where a no is a no from all. What's the worse they can do? Get upset for thirty seconds and delete your query? They'll move on and forget your name. Just don't mention you've queried other agents at the agency.

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Maybe that's why Karma is after you?

Oh, and yes, yay!

Carleree said:

I query other agents at agencies where a no is a no from all. What's the worse they can do? Get upset for thirty seconds and delete your query? They'll move on and forget your name. Just don't mention you've queried other agents at the agency.

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What can I say...in addition to not querying another agent when they say no is from all, I also don't include sample pages when they say send only a query letter...

I'm very rules-oriented. But that's just me.

Yay for your mentor's positive response. Good luck!

qdsb said:

What can I say...in addition to not querying another agent when they say no is from all, I also don't include sample pages when they say send only a query letter...

I'm very rules-oriented. But that's just me.

Yay for your mentor's positive response. Good luck!

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But this could be the difference between getting an agent and not getting one. One of my dear friends got a no from one agent at D & G and then queried another, though they specifically say not to. She signed with the second agent.

The only time I don't send sample pages is when an online form won't let me, or if the agency specifically says adding pages will result in an automatic no. Those are few and far between.

Thanks for the luck

I think it's really critical to include the first few pages ... up to five, unless like Carleree said, it's specifically forbidden. So for emails, that means pasting them below your query letter, cleanly formatted for email (no special characters, etc.), or five printed pages behind your query in snail mail subs.

An agent has to get a sense of your writing style, and if the query doesn't do that, I think it's going to generate a lot more NOs than the work likely deserves. And once you've sent a query without pages, you can't go back and requery that same agent with pages, not if you use the same query.

WOOT! Another partial request today from a total longshot. We'll see. At least my letter is working.
P.

Only a few scenes left to tweak, then my MS is off to my final proofreader. Spent the day away from my computer (I know, I'm shocked too) and managed to go to a playground without any kids getting injured. Dear daughter got into my school of choice--ahead of other kids in the catchment--so no more worrying about that. Phew. The only thing that went wrong today is the viris I managed to download onto my comp this morning.

I do not know this "catchment", you strange canadian woman!

Polly: school catchment= school zone boundary.

Yay, Carleree and Polly
I also plan to work today. (It's too hot outside to get distracted by my garden.) I forgot how slow it is to polish, thesaurus at hand. Or is that just me?

It took a week, but the first politician (Harry Reid) has used "that's a clown question, bro."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-question-bro/2012/06/19/gJQAR0GUoV_blog.html

Hathor said:

Yay, Carleree and Polly
I also plan to work today. (It's too hot outside to get distracted by my garden.) I forgot how slow it is to polish, thesaurus at hand. Or is that just me?

It took a week, but the first politician (Harry Reid) has used "that's a clown question, bro."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-question-bro/2012/06/19/gJQAR0GUoV_blog.html

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Thanks for the link I giggled.

Sent an EQ to an agent in January and just got an email asking me to resend. Now. Why now? It's been 6 months!

Carleree said:

Sent an EQ to an agent in January and just got an email asking me to resend. Now. Why now? It's been 6 months!

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Maybe he or she just heard from the grapevine about your fabulousness.

Hathor said:

Maybe he or she just heard from the grapevine about your fabulousness.

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Must be. She just asked for the full. Squeee!

You're hot!

Wow, congrats, Carleree!! Fingers crossed.

As we old farts used to say, "Right on!"

Hathor said:

As we old farts used to say, "Right on!"

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Oh Hathor, you're such a dinosaur dork. Commander Please!

Carleree said:

Oh Hathor, you're such a dinosaur dork. Commander Please!

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And an "oovil snetch" right back at ya.