Querying: What to Expect?

Molly, many agents do respond over the weekend because many of them take their work home with them. I personally received a contract from an agent on Christmas day. But I wouldn't hold my breath, okay? Try and concentrate on future packages, or get involved with a new project. If your experience is anything resembling normal, be prepared for much rejection and waiting. Try to adjust to it and keep your spirits up, and remember that it is all part of the process that every writer goes through.

Tri--welcome to the Sub-terranean world.

I can't help with the agent side of things because I don't have one. I do with triceretops that you should start another project. Keep writing and you won't have time to worry about the in box. And welcome to AW.

I have gotten some responses over the weekend; my very first partial request came on a Sunday evening. Anyway, I would just try not to focus on it (yeah right, huh?!); if you do get a response, it'll be there when you come to your inbox- no need to sit on it all weekend. But don't worry, if you do sit in front of your computer checking your e-mail all weekend, we'll forgive you. We've done it, too!

I've never received good news from an agent on a weekend. I think some agents send out Sunday night rejections. But that is only my experience. My advice is to be waiting for way more than seven queries. If you send out 20 to 25 more you are bound to get a few more requests, and it is better to be waiting on partials and fulls than queries, again my experience. Good luck. Now if you excuse me, I have to start my weekend of refreshing my email and waiting to see if an agent will love me 4eva.

If you've sent out only 7 queries and already gotten a request for a partial, you're off to a really good start! Better than me....but it's not a competition....I won't get insecure....

the secret, of course, is not to expect or hope for ANYTHING and move on to all the other exciting things in your life. Then whatever comes is a great big wonderful SURPRISE!

Easier said than done.

And now I'm off to send out some more queries.

Agents respond when they respond if at all. The best advice when sending queries is to "send em and forget em". Well don't actually forget them because you don't want to query the same agent twice with the same thing, but send them and move on to something else. Either work on a new project or look for others to query.

Most of the time you will get a rejection either stated or assumed by a no-reply. It's just how the business works. So don't sweat it by refreshing your inbox over and over.

If something positive comes along then you react to it. If not don't panic. This business is much more of a marathon than it is a sprint. Just keep plugging away.

What they said.

But it's completely normal to obsess about these things at first and then you really will start to calm down and forget about them. In addition to writing, maybe you can research another batch of agents you'd like to query, either to be ready when the first lot have run their course, or to send out a few more. That way you won't have to focus on just those 7....speaking as someone who has about 20 out there right now!

Congratulations on the partial request. It means your query is working, and that's a great start.

Good luck!

JudScotKev said:

the secret, of course, is not to expect or hope for ANYTHING and move on to all the other exciting things in your life. Then whatever comes is a great big wonderful SURPRISE!

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Have you been spying on me?

Whenever I opened my email and found an agent reply, I told myself it was just another rejection. Always. So if I opened it and discovered a request for material, it was a terrific surprise. When I saw an email from an agent who'd received the full only four days prior, I was sure it was a rejection. Turned out it was an offer of representation.

I'm not saying, though, that you should be pessimistic about the process. Far from it. Just be realistic. Every response won't be a no, just as every response won't be a yes. Expecting that big yes every single time will just sent you to the funny farm faster.

And I'm also with everyone else who said to start working on something new. It's the best way to keep your mind off what's currently on submission elsewhere.

ChaosTitan said:

Have you been spying on me?

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No, but I'd be happy to send over my raccoons to dig around in your trash!

Welcome to AW, Molly! You're in the right company here. Everyone's experience on this path is so different - it's impossible to get a feel for what yours might be based on what happened to others. The best thing you can do is follow the advice here in the previous posts - work on your next project, start researching another batch of agents, etc. And even though I say this (I've queried many more agents than you), I still check my email obsessively as I work on my next project.

BTW, though, I got a request for more material on a Saturday morning once, via email.

Molly Golightly said:

Hi there,

I'm really new here and I'm really new to the querying process. I just finished my first ms and am querying agents. It was heartening in a misery-loves-company kind of way to know that I'm not alone in all the waiting-agony. Anyhow, I only have about 7 queries I haven't heard back about and one partial sent one week ago to an agency.

Part of me can't believe I'm about to type this, but it's Friday and I can't keep checking my inbox all weekend!
In your experiences, do agents respond over the weekend?

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I've gotten responses on the weekend.

And watch out for Mondays....I got 4 rejects today, obviously everybody's getting caught up this morning.

JudScotKev said:

And watch out for Mondays....I got 4 rejects today, obviously everybody's getting caught up this morning.

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Ouch. Sorry to hear that, Jud. I always dread Mondays too.

I'm brand new here and am so happy I found others who are going through this, too! Something that is making me crazy is that when I get rejected it is full of good things about my book and presentation, but that it would be a hard book to sell. argh! If there was only something I could do to increase my chances. I just have to rely on someone catching my 'vision' and taking a leap with me. Does anyone know of any agents who are into gambling??

Thank you for the response! It's so hard to not be discouraged. I've had some big names look at my stuff and pass, but the two months that they have it I have way too much time to daydream and hope. ugh! I'm waiting to hear back from three agents right now, so we'll see....

Indigestion.

Molly Golightly said:

How polished does the ms have to be?

Thanks again!

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To perfection. Or at least what you feel is the best it can be.

The process:

write write

edit edit edit edit

polish polish polish polish polish polish....

You only have one chance to make a first impression - make it a great one.