Is it ever okay to call an agent?

KelleyVitollo

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Yesterday I got an email from an agent. She had my partial. she loved the voice and requested the full. She then said to use her personal email if I needed anything and that if I don't hear from her within a couple days to rattle her cage because she is beginning to think email isn't her friend.

I replied and let her know I had agent interest. A call set up that night and that I had to give them an answer on Tuesday so if she is interested, I need to hear before then. I haven't heard back. I feel bad if she interested and didn't get the email or something and won't have the time to consider the book too. But, I don't know if it is okay to ever call them in a situation like this. Her company phone number and cell number were at the bottom of the email.

Thanks!
 

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Yesterday I got an email from an agent. She had my partial. she loved the voice and requested the full. She then said to use her personal email if I needed anything and that if I don't hear from her within a couple days to rattle her cage because she is beginning to think email isn't her friend.

I replied and let her know I had agent interest. A call set up that night and that I had to give them an answer on Tuesday so if she is interested, I need to hear before then. I haven't heard back. I feel bad if she interested and didn't get the email or something and won't have the time to consider the book too. But, I don't know if it is okay to ever call them in a situation like this. Her company phone number and cell number were at the bottom of the email.

Thanks!

I wouldn't call. She said to use her personal email, but didn't give you permission to call. That's just me, though.

Congrats on the interest!
 

aekap

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Am I correct in reading that you have an offer from another agent which you intend to accept if you don't hear back from the agent in question?

If so, I would go ahead and call (the office, not the cell). What do you have to lose?
 

KelleyVitollo

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Am I correct in reading that you have an offer from another agent which you intend to accept if you don't hear back from the agent in question?

If so, I would go ahead and call (the office, not the cell). What do you have to lose?


Yes I have an offer and will give the yes or no on Tuesday at another call we have already set up. So if she would be interested I would need to know before that. I just know I always hear agents say how frustrating it is when they're interested in a book only to find out the author signed and didn't give them a chance. Especially since she also mentioned email issues to to email again in a couple days if I needed anything. The only thing here is if I wait a couple days it will be too late.
 

KelleyVitollo

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I find it very odd that you have a deadlline for accepting an offer. Usually the writer sets that time limit, as in, I'll let the other agents know and get back to you within a week. You have to tell us by Tuesday seems weird and pushy.

I told her I would let her know by Tuesday because of the holidays.
 

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Just so you know--I think many agents wouldn't freak out if you pushed back the deadline a day or two. When I was fielding offers, on THE morning I was set to make a decision, a very big name agent emailed to say he'd just gotten handed the ms by his associate and wondered if I could give him 24 hours to finish it.

I was so, so worried about doing that, but when I emailed the 2 agents I was still considering (who were both expecting an answer that day) to ask them for another day, they were both totally gracious about it and said to take the time I needed because it was such an important decision. You're in control--just be professional and make reasonable requests, and things will work out. AND CONGRATULATIONS!!!
 

KelleyVitollo

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Just so you know--I think many agents wouldn't freak out if you pushed back the deadline a day or two. When I was fielding offers, on THE morning I was set to make a decision, a very big name agent emailed to say he'd just gotten handed the ms by his associate and wondered if I could give him 24 hours to finish it.

I was so, so worried about doing that, but when I emailed the 2 agents I was still considering (who were both expecting an answer that day) to ask them for another day, they were both totally gracious about it and said to take the time I needed because it was such an important decision. You're in control--just be professional and make reasonable requests, and things will work out. AND CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Great! Thanks so much!
 

KingM

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First of all, congratulations. You're in a great spot.

Answering your question, I'd stick to email. You're unlikely to offend the agent in this case, but what is most likely to happen is that you'll call and won't be able to get hold of the agent. She'll be out, on the other line, have a strict gatekeeper, etc., and you'll end up leaving an awkward phone message. This is what happens when I try to call another agent I work with, so I can only imagine what it must be like for a prospective author.

I would email one more time. If you don't then hear back, go with the first agent, assuming you would otherwise sign. The second agent knows there is a deadline and knows you have interest. If you have communication issues during the love-at-first-sight stage of the relationship, there's a good chance this will be an ongoing issue.
 

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I would email one more time. If you don't then hear back, go with the first agent, assuming you would otherwise sign. The second agent knows there is a deadline and knows you have interest. If you have communication issues during the love-at-first-sight stage of the relationship, there's a good chance this will be an ongoing issue.
I second this. (I bolded what I see as an important point.) There was an agent--a top agent--whom I had trouble with in the back-and-forth communication re: my full. It went on for awhile. I know of two other people who had trouble with communicating with her too. (One signed w/ her, but left and signed w/ another agent a few years later.)
 

kaitie

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I know my opinion doesn't really matter here, but personally, I'd call (requiring the previous email had been to her personal address). I would also plan out exactly what I was going to say in advance, though, and practice it in my head a few times so I could sound professional and confident.

Probably something like, "I just wanted to let you know that I have an offer on the table, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to read the manuscript before I accepted. I tried emailing but am afraid my message might have gotten lost in the ether."

Of course, this is all requiring this is an agent you'd really LOVE to have. If it's someone you're uncertain on and you'd be happy with the offering one, I'd leave it at that, but if it was me, and it was someone I really wanted, I'd definitely call. I figure the worst that can happen is she'd say no, and you still have the other offer on the table.

That's me, though. And generally I am an advocate of Don't Call Ever, so I don't expect you to take this as advice. This is just my line of thought. I do think there are some circumstances that could warrant it, but I'd do my best to make sure I knew what to say to avoid an awkward conversation.
 
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kaitie

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I second this. (I bolded what I see as an important point.) There was an agent--a top agent--whom I had trouble with in the back-and-forth communication re: my full. It went on for awhile. I know of two other people who had trouble with communicating with her too. (One signed w/ her, but left and signed w/ another agent a few years later.)

Does this still apply if she said specifically "I don't always get my email," though? I mean, it sounds to me like she's saying "I'm someone who tries to stay in touch but something might go awry."

Though I suppose it would be worth looking on the B&BC threads and seeing if this is a common problem. My first take was that it's more an issue of the emails not going through than her intentionally not responding, but I don't know the agent in question, so I could very well be misinterpreting.
 

amyashley

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Normally, I'd say a call would be okay.


But I am with KingM on this one.

Let's just say hypothetically that this lit agent suspects a problem with her email. That is a BIG issue. It needs FIXING. If she were my agent and that issues wasn't resolved within 24 hours, or she wasn't asking people to use an alternate e-mail in the interim (until she was certain it worked), I'd be nervous and maybe pissed. What if a publisher's email got lost?

Yeah, poor judgement in e-mail in this business is probably not a good sign. I can understand some situations and want to give benefit of the doubt, but with another offer on the table I'd pass.
 

kaitie

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My ex-agent didn't like it the one time I called (after I signed) because I disturbed him when he was reading a ms.

But as I said, the other agent (whom I didn't sign with) was terrible w/ email.

So.... *shrugs* A lot of help am I, huh?!

Lol, I feel unhelpful, too. The worst part is that I think the real answer is "it depends." And unfortunately, it's really hard to know whether the agent in question is one who would welcome a call or be annoyed. It's kind of a gamble that way. :/
 

richcapo

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She gave you her professional and personal numbers -- I say use them and follow up with an email. If she absolutely, positively wanted to prevent you from ever calling her, she wouldn't have given you those numbers, I bet.

Besides, like she told you, she's been having Internet issues. She may not have gotten the email you sent informing her of your time frame. You may have no choice but to call her because of that.

_Richard
 
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KelleyVitollo

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Lol, I feel unhelpful, too. The worst part is that I think the real answer is "it depends." And unfortunately, it's really hard to know whether the agent in question is one who would welcome a call or be annoyed. It's kind of a gamble that way. :/


Thats the hard part. I think you're right on the "it depends". It's a gamble either way.
 

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You could email again and repeat the information about the offer, adding a bit about being aware she's been having trouble recieving emails, so if you don't hear back from her by tomorrow, you'll give her a call to be sure the message gets through.

I'd say at that point you'd have done all you could to respect both her personal space and her interest in your manuscript.
 

KingM

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Email is difficult to manage as an agent. In life, 90% of emails can be written in under a minute, but you know those emails where you really need to think about things before answering? Maybe you need to follow up on something first, or you need to carefully consider tone, or you can't answer in a satisfactory way until you get a response to your own email to someone else. As an agent, you can get several of those a day. If you're not careful, they'll pile into an unmanageable mess. It's the reason why so many agents seem unresponsive. They got behind and now they're overwhelmed and behave like an overdrawn person hiding from creditors.

There are agents who still sell lots of stuff who are difficult communicators. If communication is important to you, however, you should consider initial impressions. They are rarely wrong in this particular case.
 

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Sounds great, Kelley. Congrats

(and I would have called in this case if I didn't get a response, although I hate talking on the phone)