30 day exclusive ran out. Pls help me with the follow up e-mail.

Prawn · Aug 7, 2007

Hi!

First week of June, I get an e-mail requesting the first three chapters of my novel, a few days later the agent's assistant calls saying they really liked them and they'd like the full with a 30 day exclusive. I sent them the full on June 8 (with delivery confirmation, so I knew it did indeed arrive). I was away on vacation when the 30 days ran out, but now I am back in town, and ready to send more queries and I'd like to know what's up. Tomorrow it will be 60 days since I sent the ms, and I am going to shoot the agent an e-mail. I realize that his silence might very well be a rejection, but I don't want to burn any bridges. It's my first novel and my first request for a full, so I am still figuring out the process, and I would like your advice. Which would be better in an e-mail:

Re: 30 day exclusive on "Across the Green Line"

Dear X,

Thanks for reviewing my manuscript. Please let me know if there's anything more I can provide.

Yours,

Me

If I don't hear back, I'll start sending out more queries. Or would this version, which is perhaps more aggressive, be better?

Re: 30 day exclusive on "Across the Green Line"

Dear X,

Thanks for reviewing my manuscript, "Across the Green Line", which I sent you on June 8th with a 30 day exclusive. Since it is now August 8th, can you please tell me if my manuscript is still under consideration? If not, I would like to submit the manuscript to another agent. If so, let me know if there's anything more I can provide for you.

Yours,
Me

I am sure I am over-thinking this, but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Preston

Ziljon · Aug 7, 2007

I like the first but with a little more info:

I've just inserted the info line from the second into the first:

Dear X,

Thanks for reviewing my manuscript, Across the Green Line, which I sent you on June 8th with a 30 day exclusive. Please let me know if there's anything more I can provide.

Yours,

Me

They'll be able to tell that the time is up, but it is completely innocuous.

Good luck!

san_remo_ave · Aug 7, 2007

Preston,

I'd suggest you be as direct and specific as possible. I don't think you need to ask for permission for anything since the 30 day agreement has expired. Consider the following:

Re: 30 day exclusive on "Across the Green Line"

Dear X,

Thanks for reviewing my manuscript, "Across the Green Line", which I sent you on June 8th with a 30 day exclusive.

Since it is now August 8th and well beyond the 30 days requested, I plan to resume submissions to other agents.

If there is anything more I can provide for you, please let me know. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours,
Me

I think if they want to maintain exclusivity, they would contact you immediately upon receipt.

JasonChirevas · Aug 7, 2007

Ziljon said:
I've just inserted the info line from the second into the first:

They'll be able to tell that the time is up, but it is completely innocuous.

Good luck!

That's exactly what I suggest.

-Jason

JamieFord · Aug 7, 2007

Dear X,

Thanks for reviewing my manuscript, "Across the Green Line", which I sent you on June 8th with a 30 day exclusive. Since it's August 8th, can you please tell me if my manuscript is still under consideration?

Yours,
Me

And I'd go ahead and start querying other agents. I would have as soon as 30 days passed, whether you heard or not.

Julie Worth · Aug 7, 2007

Never grant an exclusive, but if you do, it's still okay to send out queries. After all, all you granted was an exclusive read of the full. As for sending them an email, I'd wait another month. In my experience, reminders tend to do nothing but garner a quick rejection.

giftedrhonda · Aug 7, 2007

I like what sanremoave wrote, FWIW.

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 7, 2007

giftedrhonda said:
I like what sanremoave wrote, FWIW.

Ditto. Don't make an obvious assumption that it's a rejection, which your first email implies. Your tone should be more "you snooze, you lose," because you want them to think that they're missing out on something great. Of course, you want the "threat" to be very mild, because you're looking at making them anxious, not angry.

And if they want to maintain exclusivity, I would give them no more than two weeks (if I were inclined to grant exclusivity at all, which I'm not). And then don't contact them when the two weeks is up; just start querying again.

Prawn · Aug 7, 2007

My first instinct was to send an a-mail. How about a phone call either to the agent, or to the assistant that I spoke to before?

Bufty · Aug 7, 2007

If you were away - for a month apparently - and have only now returned how do you know they didn't try to contact you by phone? Just a thought.

Prawn · Aug 7, 2007

Bufty said:
If you were away - for a month apparently - and have only now returned how do you know they didn't try to contact you by phone? Just a thought.

I was away about a month, but I checked my messages weekly, and if they called, they didn't leave a message. I also checked my e-mail several times a week. I was certainly reachable. I was thinking I would have a rejection in my accumulated mail when I returned, but I didn't.

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 7, 2007

Duped said:
What about a little white lie, saying another agent is interested? Or did you tell them you had not sent it out to other agents before approaching them? Just a thought. In which case, say, after the 30 days had expired, you queried another agent and he is interested in signing you, but because you queried them first you would like to give them first refusal!

You probably won't like the above, but that is the sort of thing I would do.

Never lie. Not only is it unprofessional, but the publishing world is a small place.

Bo Sullivan · Aug 7, 2007

Yes, you are right. I deleted my post.

KAP · Aug 7, 2007

I'd begin querying other agents. You granted a thirty day exclusive. It's long over. The agent doesn't need a notice that it's no longer exclusive.

If you want to prompt, that's a separate item. I'd simply ask status.

Best with this. I'm sure it's frustrating for you, but hang in there and get back to querying while you wait.

kap

Maprilynne · Aug 7, 2007

Prawn, for what it's worth, the agent you granted an exclusive to is one I granted an exclusive to as well and I never did hear back until I contacted him 6 months later. Really, do contact him! Sometimes agents just need a little nudge.

Prawn · Aug 8, 2007

Maprilynne said:
Really, do contact him! Sometimes agents just need a little nudge.

Thanks, Maprilynne! I was going to PM you, but I figured you were busy with the baby. Congratulations on the arrival GKK!

P

GeorgeK · Aug 8, 2007

My source may be wrong but I've read that when an agent has a short timeframe like that, it's a bad sign. Any time they are pressuring you to sign, or if they habitually can't be reached or don't call back when they say they will, the concern is that they may be a scammer.

Prawn · Aug 8, 2007

GeorgeK said:
My source may be wrong but I've read that when an agent has a short timeframe like that, it's a bad sign. Any time they are pressuring you to sign, or if they habitually can't be reached or don't call back when they say they will, the concern is that they may be a scammer.

No, this guy has plenty of sales. I don't think that a 30 day exclusive on a full is out of line in any event.

Prawn · Aug 8, 2007

Here's the e-mail I sent, which was very similar to sanremoave's suggestion. I will post here if I hear back from him yea or nay. Thanks so much for everyone's help!

Dear X,

Thanks for reviewing my manuscript, "Across the Green Line", which I sent you on June 8th with a 30 day exclusive. Since it's August 8th and beyond the 30 days requested, can you tell me if my manuscript is still under consideration? If there is anything more I can provide for you, please let me know.

Yours,
Me

Prawn · Aug 8, 2007

Within an hour I got a reply from his assistant, the one I spoke to on the phone back in June. She said,

Hi,

Thanks for your email about ACROSS THE GREEN LINE. We are still reviewing it and thank you for your patience.

We’ll get back to you just as soon as we can with a response.

Best wishes,

X

So at least it isn't no. So I am going to send out some more queries. A Question: If another agent asks me for an exclusive, what do I say? I can't give them one while this full is out, right?

THanks again to everyone for your help!

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 8, 2007

Prawn said:
A Question: If another agent asks me for an exclusive, what do I say? I can't give them one while this full is out, right?

"I'm unable to offer exclusivity at this time, because another agent [or other agents are] is currently reading the manuscript. Would you like me to send it anyway?"

Prawn · Aug 8, 2007

Sounds good to me! I hope I have to use that line soon!
P

Julie Worth · Aug 8, 2007

It's unlikely another agent will ask for an exclusive, at least in my experience. Maybe one in ten or twenty will try that.

Prawn · Aug 21, 2007

Got a form rejection on that full. The antidote: send out five more queries!

KAP · Aug 21, 2007

Bummer on the rejection. Good antidote and good luck.

30 day exclusive ran out. Pls help me with the follow up e-mail.

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