Agents that do not accept queries??

donatos · Mar 30, 2011

Do you still contact agents that do not accept queries?
I know the obvious answer is no, but don't know if there is a back door secret knock involved. It just seems like the finest agents I look up don't accept queries but they tend to be awesome.

KosseMix · Mar 30, 2011

I think the only reasonable way you'd ever pitch to an agent who accepts no queries is if one of the agent's clients referred you to the agent. I don't think that happens often though.

Pyekett · Mar 30, 2011

You also might meet the agent at a conference or lecture event and get an invitation to send a query. Don't know how rare that is with the biggest agents, though.

ChaosTitan · Mar 30, 2011

If an agent isn't accepting queries, then they aren't looking to take on new clients.

Someone will probably come around and tell you to "query them anyway, because you never know." And you don't. You might get a positive response. Or you might get filed away as "clueless and can't read submission guidelines."

There are a lot of terrific agents who are open to queries. Concentrate on them.

CDancourt · Mar 30, 2011

Interesting question, given I was wondering about the same thing, and I do the following : send an email to the agent (not a query), asking in the title of the email if she was taking queries again. I had a good excuse, the last entry in her blog mentioned that she was back from the trip she had given as a reason to stop taking queries... And that entry dated from January... So maybe you can do some homework, try to know why the agent is not taking queries, and decided afterward...

Jamesaritchie · Mar 30, 2011

donatos said:
Do you still contact agents that do not accept queries?
I know the obvious answer is no, but don't know if there is a back door secret knock involved. It just seems like the finest agents I look up don't accept queries but they tend to be awesome.

The only back door is a recommendation from someone the agent trusts, such as one of her bigger clients, or another agent.

Otherwise, don't waste their time, or yours. If the agent wanted, needed, or had room for more writers, she would be accepting queries. Refusing to take no for an answer just makes you a name that agent will not remember for any good reason.

mscelina · Mar 30, 2011

The only answer to this question is NO.

My agent does not accept queries. That's because she is not actively seeking new clients--her list is full. However, that being said, she loves going to conferences and will solicit submissions from writers if (1) she is referred to them by one of her clients; (2) she meets and likes the writer; and (3) she is interested in their pitch.

But anyone who just cold queries her? She doesn't even read their emails.

donatos · Mar 30, 2011

Thanks for the replies guys. This is a great forum.
I wasn't going to send a query but damn those play-hard-to-get agents are the ones I most want!

Terie · Mar 30, 2011

donatos said:
Thanks for the replies guys. This is a great forum.
I wasn't going to send a query but damn those play-hard-to-get agents are the ones I most want!

I appreciate your frustration, but why are you attributing it to 'playing hard to get'? Do you have a day job? Do you ever have more work than you can accomplish in the time alloted? What do you do when someone wants you to do more?

If an agent doesn't have room for more clients, they shut down to submissions. If they want to take on maybe one or two new clients, and choose to query existing authors for recommendations first and not open to a flood of additional slush, why is that 'playing hard to get'? Actually, it's just plain, old fashioned business sense not to take on more work than you can successfully accomplish.

blacbird · Mar 30, 2011

donatos said:
It just seems like the finest agents I look up don't accept queries but they tend to be awesome.

Which is why they don't need to accept queries.

donatos · Mar 31, 2011

Terie said:
I appreciate your frustration, but why are you attributing it to 'playing hard to get'? Do you have a day job? Do you ever have more work than you can accomplish in the time alloted? What do you do when someone wants you to do more?

If an agent doesn't have room for more clients, they shut down to submissions. If they want to take on maybe one or two new clients, and choose to query existing authors for recommendations first and not open to a flood of additional slush, why is that 'playing hard to get'? Actually, it's just plain, old fashioned business sense not to take on more work than you can successfully accomplish.

I was just joking

Agents that do not accept queries??

donatos

KosseMix

fixing a limp query...

Pyekett

I need no hot / Words.

ChaosTitan

Around

CDancourt

Jamesaritchie

mscelina

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

donatos

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

blacbird

donatos