Etiquette Question Regarding a Non-Responsive Agent

Kilawher · Feb 23, 2011

Last April, Agent X requested a full of my last work. He's known for not responding a lot of the time if he's not interested, so after nudging and not hearing back, I gave up. I'm getting ready to query my new manuscript now and I'd really like to query Agent X with it. What is the proper thing to do here? Do I query and mention the previous full, or query without mentioning it? Or hold off on querying him all together?

Susan Coffin · Feb 23, 2011

He asked for a full almost a year ago and then never responded to your status requests or gave you an answer either way? I am not sure, but I think some of the seasoned writers have had full manuscripts out for around a year before getting an answer. Hopefully, they will come in and give some advice.

I don't know how others feel, but if it were me I might not query him again because he did not respond to any status requests after requesting a full. It just seems courtesy to respond to periodic status emails when a full has been requested. Then again, I have been gaining my query experience during the last few months. I'm sure I might learn something here too.

Just curious- did you ever find an agent for that particular book?

Becca C. · Feb 23, 2011

Personally, I don't think I would query someone again who didn't even respond to a full. Not responding to queries, I can understand, but a full? Doesn't sit right with me.

cate townsend · Feb 23, 2011

Query him again.

Susan Coffin · Feb 23, 2011

Cate,

Do you mean to query him with the new work? Or, query him again on the novel she did not hear back on?

Kilawher · Feb 23, 2011

Susan Littlefield said:
He asked for a full almost a year ago and then never responded to your status requests or gave you an answer either way? I am not sure, but I think some of the seasoned writers have had full manuscripts out for around a year before getting an answer. Hopefully, they will come in and give some advice.

I don't know how others feel, but if it were me I might not query him again because he did not respond to any status requests after requesting a full. It just seems courtesy to respond to periodic status emails when a full has been requested. Then again, I have been gaining my query experience during the last few months. I'm sure I might learn something here too.

Just curious- did you ever find an agent for that particular book?

According to his Querytracker, he tends to either respond with a yes or no in a month or just never respond at all. He's also known for having an overly vigilant spam filter - I had to send my query twice before he finally got it, so it's possible that he never got my status queries at all, I guess. And nope, I never landed an agent for that book - I'm hoping this one will be the one

Susan Littlefield said:
Cate,

Do you mean to query him with the new work? Or, query him again on the novel she did not hear back on?

Ditto this question.

Anne Lyle · Feb 24, 2011

Personally I wouldn't want an agent who couldn't be bothered to respond to a full. Queries, sure, some agencies get thousands a month, but a full ms? It doesn't bode well for his general communicativeness...

Filigree · Feb 24, 2011

I wouldn't bother to query him again, on any project. He's had your full for nearly a year. At least one of your status inquiries probably made it through his spam filter. If he's well-known for being a non-responder, take it as a rejection and move on. It's probably not actual rudeness on his part, more likely over-work and under-organization. Both of which would make me cautious about accepting his representation, at this point.

Filigree

Kilawher · Feb 24, 2011

Becca C. said:
Personally, I don't think I would query someone again who didn't even respond to a full. Not responding to queries, I can understand, but a full? Doesn't sit right with me.

Anne Lyle said:
Personally I wouldn't want an agent who couldn't be bothered to respond to a full. Queries, sure, some agencies get thousands a month, but a full ms? It doesn't bode well for his general communicativeness...

Filigree said:
I wouldn't bother to query him again, on any project. He's had your full for nearly a year. At least one of your status inquiries probably made it through his spam filter. If he's well-known for being a non-responder, take it as a rejection and move on. It's probably not actual rudeness on his part, more likely over-work and under-organization. Both of which would make me cautious about accepting his representation, at this point.

I thought this too for a while, but all of his clients seem to be thrilled with him and he makes great deals, so I would still like to query him again. I read an interview somewhere with one of his clients where she says he's great with communication

I guess you have to sign with him first though.

cate townsend · Feb 24, 2011

Susan Littlefield said:
Cate,

Do you mean to query him with the new work? Or, query him again on the novel she did not hear back on?

Sorry... Query him with the new work, and continue to nudge about the previous. No need to mention previous full in query; just treat it as it is: a completely different project.

waylander · Feb 24, 2011

I would never stop very politely nudging someone who has my full, even if it has been a year.

popmuze · Feb 24, 2011

I wonder how polite you can be after a year? Even after six months?

Filigree · Feb 25, 2011

Six months is still worth politeness. Anything over a year calls for icy efficiency, if not the assumption of non-interest.

If he digs the thing back up after a year and calls you, you'll have to make that judgement yourself. Can you balance other clients' glowing reviews with the fact that he cannot organize his office?

Sad to say, it may just be that he wasn't interested. A growing number of agents have opted for a no-response tack with rejected fulls, because they really don't want to sling emails back and forth with bewildered and disappointed writers.

Filigree

kellion92 · Feb 25, 2011

I would take the lack of response as lack of interest and query the new project, treating it as a separate entity.

Some agents are great communicators with prospects and poor with clients, some have the reverse situation (some are bad with both, some good with both). If this is the right agent for this project, you'll know soon enough.

Kilawher · Feb 26, 2011

Thank you all! I'll query again and hope for the best.

LimariC · Feb 26, 2011

Please do let us know how it went! I wish you the best.

Delectability · Mar 2, 2011

Do whatever you feel is right, but I see both sides. I might send another status request on the previous work, but send the second to another agent. Regardless of what you choose, I would not mention 1 in Query 2.

Good luck!

Etiquette Question Regarding a Non-Responsive Agent

Kilawher

Chronic Semicolon Overuser

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is

Becca C.

cate townsend

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is

Kilawher

Chronic Semicolon Overuser

Anne Lyle

Fantastic historian

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Kilawher

Chronic Semicolon Overuser

cate townsend

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

kellion92

A cat may not look at a king

Kilawher

Chronic Semicolon Overuser

LimariC

Delectability

Slave to the Squirrels...