Querying Multiple Agents for Multiple Projects

Status
Not open for further replies.

sunday morning

Voguing
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
59
Reaction score
2
Location
The Underground Wall
I'm not new to the querying process, but I have a question that I've never really heard answered anywhere. Generally, I know it's best to work on querying/selling one project at a time, but I wondered if it was okay to do otherwise.

Backstory...I've been querying one of my novels since August. I think I've done 75 - 80 of them. From them, I've had seven requests for fulls or partials. All were form rejected -- "I like the premise but I'm not passionate enough to represent it." So I don't know if there's something wrong with my book or if it just means that the wrong people have read it. Anyhow, I just got the last of the fulls back the other day.

In this time frame, I've written and edited another novel that I like better than all the rest. I'm ready to start querying for it, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up on the other one, either. So, would it be okay for me to query both of them to different agents? Book A with Agent X and Book B with Agent Y, and so on? Best case scenario (and very lucky), I get offers of representation for both. How would that work? Are agents and/or publishers okay with that sort of arrangement?

If it makes a difference, the older one is YA and the new one is adult.
 

scope

Commonsensical Maverick
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
Messages
2,763
Reaction score
251
Location
New York
For a number of reasons I wouldn't recommend submitting both works at the same time to different agents. I think your first and foremost focus should be to get one agent who will hopefully represent all your works. As you've already learned, that alone is a job unto itself. To divide your time and efforts to two different sets of agents for your two novels could be daunting. For instance, what happens if you're lucky enough to get positive responses from two different agents asking for revisions on both of your works? It could be extremely difficult to try and work on both at the same time. And what if you submit your YA novel to one agent who also reps adult novels (and vica versa with your adult novel and YA novel)? This could put you in waters that are difficult to navigate.

Since your first novel hasn't yet met with any success, and since you apparently like your second novel more, why not just concentrate on novel two for now?

Again, the key right now is for you to get an agent, and it seems as if that's more likely to happen if you put all your time and effort behind your novel two. Once you get an agent you can discuss novel one with her at the appropriate time.

Best of luck.
 

Aschenbach

Moral Marjorie
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 13, 2008
Messages
545
Reaction score
60
Location
Sunnydale
I'm certainly no querying expert, but I think querying different books to different agents is fine, especially if they are in different genres.

You are allowed to query one book to multiple agents; if that is allowed, what is wrong with querying a YA book to YA agents and i.e. a romance book to romance agents?

There might be a problem if both were accepted at the same time and there was a fight over who would represent you. But that has to be a longshot, for any writer, surely?
Maybe you could query your two books under two different names. Deal with acceptance problems if and when they arise.

If you have two novels ready to be queried I don't see the point in holding the second back until every single agent in the world has rejected the first. That will take years. And years. And years. And yea......
 

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
18,615
Reaction score
4,029
Location
Brillig in the slithy toves...
No. No...no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no..no.

Just No.

Don't split your focus, and send two books to different agents. Take the stronger book and query agents who rep both genres. Once it's agented and edited, then fix up the other book. Many agencies handle a wide array of genres and age groups, if you're not searching for those when you have books that need that kind of range, you do yourself a disservice. If you sign with an agent for YA, then with one for adult and both agencies rep both, you put yourself in a pickle.

Did I mention No?
 

Aschenbach

Moral Marjorie
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 13, 2008
Messages
545
Reaction score
60
Location
Sunnydale
No. If you sign with an agent for YA, then with one for adult and both agencies rep both, you put yourself in a pickle.

That's a pretty convoluted set of circumstances. If an agency is interested in the YA book then you can mention you have an adult book ready to go. If they want to see it you can show it to them, and if it is on query elsewhere you can simply withdraw it if YA publisher wants it. If they want to rep it, all well and good.

But until you get an offer of representation, I don't see any harm in the author spreading their bets and aiming different genre books at the agents who rep that genre. Like I say, a problem will only arise if you get an offer, and that can be fixed by going exclusive with the offerrer.
 

sunday morning

Voguing
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
59
Reaction score
2
Location
The Underground Wall
Thanks everybody. :)

I think I'll start working on the new query, then. It's been six months with the other, and I know that doesn't mean it's done for, but it feels like it's time for something else, too.

You are allowed to query one book to multiple agents; if that is allowed, what is wrong with querying a YA book to YA agents and i.e. a romance book to romance agents?

Aschenbach, I'd thought the same thing, kind of like fishing with two poles. I hadn't thought of the double revisions possibility, though. I'll try the new one now, I just hope it does better.
 

Danthia

I always felt this was a big no-no, but I've heard sound arguments and reasons why this is okay (On this board I believe, so possibly do a search for the thread). I can't remember specifics on this, though. Sorry :(

That said, if the first book has already gotten 70-80 rejections and no specific feedback from anyone, odds are the book isn't ready to be published. If you have a new book, it makes sense to me to shelve the old one and start querying the second.
 

scope

Commonsensical Maverick
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
Messages
2,763
Reaction score
251
Location
New York
:(

That said, if the first book has already gotten 70-80 rejections and no specific feedback from anyone, odds are the book isn't ready to be published.

I think that should really be the guiding principle regarding the specific question asked by the OP. To split her time querying two different novels when one work may have some problems that need to addressed (or perhaps shelved for now) does not seem to be making the most valuable use of her time.
 

Red-Green

KoalaKoalaKoala!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Messages
4,392
Reaction score
3,782
Location
At the publishing party, whacking the piñata
Website
www.bryngreenwood.com
If you have any queries outstanding on Book #1, though, be prepared for zombie requests. I thought I'd moved on and was querying Book #2. Then last week, unanswered queries from Book #1 rose from the dead and requested the MS. I'm still trying to figure exactly how to handle. Good luck.
 

Amarie

carpe libri
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 5, 2008
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
2,913
Location
never in the here and now
I was in a similar situation. I had a full out of an adult thriller and then queried a middle grade at a different agency. When that agent requested the full of the middle grade, I told her about other full I had out. She didn't have a problem with it only because at the time her agency exclusively repped children's and YA. She said the other agency might have a problem if they did both. Luckily it ended up so it didn't matter. The other agency rejected the thriller and I signed with her.
 

jclarkdawe

Feeling lucky, Query?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
10,297
Reaction score
3,859
Location
New Hampshire
Like Melia, I had two books out at the same time as well. One was about an old man and the other was about a teenage girl.

Found an agent who likes the old man but hates the girl. She had no problem with me continuing to query the girl, but I ended up pulling back on it for several reasons.

One thing to understand is that an agent is probably going to want you to specialize, at least to start. She's rejecting the girl based upon her idea for me to aim at the elderly market. Obviously a teenage girl doesn't work with that theme.

You can have two agents, but you're going to have some problems with your initial marketing.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe
 

ChaosTitan

Around
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
15,463
Reaction score
2,886
Location
The not-so-distant future
Website
kellymeding.com
I think that should really be the guiding principle regarding the specific question asked by the OP. To split her time querying two different novels when one work may have some problems that need to addressed (or perhaps shelved for now) does not seem to be making the most valuable use of her time.

I'm going to agree with scope here and say to focus on Novel #2. Put #1 on the backburner for now. There are many, many agents who rep both YA and adult novels, so chances are if you land representation with the adult, you'll have a chance, at some point, to present your YA novel to your agent (which may not happen right away, because as Jim said, both agent and editor may want to get you established in the adult market before you branch into YA).

A little over a year ago, I was on the back-end of querying a project I really believed in. I had one outstanding full out, but also a pile of rejections on requested material. I had also just finished writing and polishing a new, somewhat different novel. I decided to put the older project aside, and put all of my energy into querying this new project. The old project did eventually receive its final rejection.

In the meantime, I sent nine queries, had four material requests, and eventually an offer of representation on the new book.

The time away from that older project has given me a chance to really look at it with new eyes and see its flaws, and I hope to present it to my agent soon. So there is hope for older projects. Your YA just may not be what gets you in the door.
 

sunday morning

Voguing
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
59
Reaction score
2
Location
The Underground Wall
Thanks again, guys. I appreciate your input. I really didn't know what to do next.

I'm going to agree with scope here and say to focus on Novel #2. Put #1 on the backburner for now. There are many, many agents who rep both YA and adult novels, so chances are if you land representation with the adult, you'll have a chance, at some point, to present your YA novel to your agent (which may not happen right away, because as Jim said, both agent and editor may want to get you established in the adult market before you branch into YA).

A little over a year ago, I was on the back-end of querying a project I really believed in. I had one outstanding full out, but also a pile of rejections on requested material. I had also just finished writing and polishing a new, somewhat different novel. I decided to put the older project aside, and put all of my energy into querying this new project. The old project did eventually receive its final rejection.

In the meantime, I sent nine queries, had four material requests, and eventually an offer of representation on the new book.

The time away from that older project has given me a chance to really look at it with new eyes and see its flaws, and I hope to present it to my agent soon. So there is hope for older projects. Your YA just may not be what gets you in the door.

This is good to hear. Four requests out of nine queries is really good.

And I haven't thought of this until now, but if the agent and editor want me to be established in one market or other, I'd rather it be the adult instead of YA, as I mostly write adult, not YA except for that. So it'd probably be best if I started with the new one.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.