Just Curious

Madisonwrites · Mar 3, 2009

I am waiting to hear back from several agents on my middle grade fantasy novel, Khaladin. But I've never gotten asked to send a full mss. on anything, so my question is this. Say an agent wants a full. Do I send it with my original query and "Here it is. Hope you enjoy it" or do I do that and add a time limit? I have heard several stories where agents have had stories for longer than six months, making the poor author wait in agonizing silence. Is putting a three to six month time limit on my manuscript OK? I just don't want to be waiting for a year for an agent to get back to me. I understand that I am not the only one they are looking at, but neither are they the only agency that I'm looking at.

An answer to this question would be most appreciated. Like I said, I'm in no serious need of the information right now, but I like to be prepared!

Again, thanks all!

Danthia · Mar 4, 2009

Do NOT put a time limit. That flags you are "needy unprofessional writer" in most agent's eyes. I can think of two exceptions, but those are very situational. If you got an offer from another agent the same time you got a ms. request, you could set a time limit since you need to know quickly due to circumstance. Or if you granted an exclusive, then you'd set a limit. Otherwise, don't do it. The waiting can be rough, but it's part of the biz. Just keep querying and writing and put it out of your mind as best you can

jclarkdawe · Mar 4, 2009

If an agent doesn't request an exclusive, you send out your manuscript, hope the slush pile isn't too large, and sit back and wait. Meanwhile, you continue to query the hell out of the manuscript. Sending out a full is not an excuse to stop submitting to agents.

However, if an agent requests an exclusive, it is very reasonable to ask the agent for a time period. Unless your book is more than 150,000 words, the agent should be able to deal with reading it within a month, but at the risk of repeating myself, ask how long the agent needs.

Then put in a date certain. For example, let's say an agent requested an exclusive for my manuscript today (Wednesday 4 March 2009). I say great, and ask for how long. Agent says three (3) weeks. I write back, "Great, I'm granting you an exclusive through Monday, 30 March 2009. (Notice I've tucked in a couple of extra days including a weekend. I want to come across as more than reasonable.) You want a definitive date so that everybody is clear.

If I have not heard back from the agent by noon on the 30th, an email will go out requesting status and asking whether the agent needs an extension. This is entirely a business-like approach and any agent that would have a problem with it, I'd be nervous off.

During the time it's on exclusive, I would not be sending out any other fulls or partials, explaining to requesting agents why not, and that I would be sending it to them on 31 March 2009. I would not send out any new queries.

Other than for exclusives, you sit back and wait. I've got one full that's been out for about a year and a half and another that's out for a year. For some reason, I doubt that I'm going to hear from either of these less than impressive agents. (These submissions have been put up on agent tracker and become part of their statistics.)

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Madisonwrites · Mar 4, 2009

Thanks, guys! Sometimes it gets confusing when you hear so many different stories, but it's better to ask the questions and know what to do rather than just think you know what you are doing.

Thanks again! Rep points for both of you!

Just Curious

Madisonwrites

The Unicorn Writer

Danthia

jclarkdawe

Feeling lucky, Query?

Madisonwrites

The Unicorn Writer