Amazing agent wants exclusive but I have 4 fulls out already. What to do?

I'm a little confused by your question. Do you mean she's going to wait until you've heard from the others?

Your best bet here may be to ask for clarification.

My guess is that she has now placed the ball in your court (i.e., you decide whether and when and if you want give her the exclusive).

Good luck with your decision,
~STS~

When you explained you could not offer an exclusive at this time, did you also send the pages she requested? If so, she probably wants you to keep in touch if you hear about representation, etc., so if she reads and likes your pages, she can counter-offer if need be (or request a couple more days to catch up and read).

If she doesn't have pages already, then yes, it sounds like she wants an exclusive when you're available to give one. But it's probably best to clarify.

Ack. I would have sent the requested pages with an "It's out with four other agents at the moment, but didn't want to make you wait." If you didn't send and now have her waiting, it's okay for you if you get an offer or offers out of the four, but if you do get rejected by all four, you'll go back to her with those rejections, which seems to put them in a frame of mind of "Well, if those four didn't want it, do I really want it?"

It sounds to me like she wants an exclusive when you're able to give one (ie, when the other four reject.) But if one of them offers rep, she'd probably appreciate you telling her and giving her a chance to read.

That happened to me with a dream agent. I told her what I had out and that I would agree not to send out others and she waived the exclusivity for the MS already out there.
I think it's weird she won't take it--she should want to jump on it if you have 4 people already interested, as long as you agree to tell her if you get an offer and give her a week to match it or pass.
I would not nudge the others to try to get in her favor. She's offering a read, not a contract. I'd get back to her after you either get an offer or hear back. 3 months for partials and 6 months for fulls is the time you should wait before to consider nudging.

This is an enormously awkward situation. What if one of the four full-reading agents never replies? Even if you nudge them a hundred times? How many unanswered nudges and months without response have to pass for it to be okay for you to offer an exclusive to the first agent even though you don't know for definite that all four agents have passed? What if another agent asks to see the full (non-exclusively) in the meantime? Are you supposed to tell her that she can't see it because at some undetermined point in the future you might have to give somebody an exclusive? But if you do send out the full to other agents, when will you ever be able to grant that exclusive? I wish agents wouldn't do this. Either request or don't.

This may be just me, but I would not stop sending out queries and I would not sit on my hands until all four fulls came back. I'd continue on as before and if you get an offer, get back to this agent and say--I have an offer would you like to look at it too. If you get more requests for fulls--send them! And if you suddenly end up with no fulls out, then that would also be a time to get back to her. But unless she's the only agent you have left in your query queue, don't stop querying.

charmingbillie said:

This may be just me, but I would not stop sending out queries and I would not sit on my hands until all four fulls came back. I'd continue on as before and if you get an offer, get back to this agent and say--I have an offer would you like to look at it too. If you get more requests for fulls--send them! And if you suddenly end up with no fulls out, then that would also be a time to get back to her. But unless she's the only agent you have left in your query queue, don't stop querying.

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I'd do the same thing.

I don't think this is all that complicated or unusual. You sent queries out to 5 agents and the first 4 asked to read your manuscript without asking for an exclusive read. The 5th will only read your work if you give her an exclusive. First, re the 4 who have your manuscript, what do their guidelines state as far as giving you an answer. If nothing is stated I think you have to give them at least 3 months before you can nudge them. If you are hot to get your manuscript to the agent asking for an exclsive read, you could email the first 4 and withdraw your work from consideration. If you don't want to do this then you have no choice but to wait. If it were me I would do as others here have said, I would continue to query other agenta while at the same time waiting for answers from the 4 you mention. I'd also send an email to the agent who wants an exclusive read and find out for how long she wants said excusive, while also telling her that facts as they are and that when you can give her an exclusive read for (X) weeks--if the amount of time asked for is acceptable to you-- you will be more than delighted to do so.

I agree with all those who said keep sending out queries. It looks like you've got a manuscript agents are interested in. So the more the merrier. Frankly, it doesn't sound like your dream agent is all that frantic to look at your manuscript, otherwise they would have agreed to waive the exclusive to read it as soon as possible.

popmuze said:

I agree with all those who said keep sending out queries. It looks like you've got a manuscript agents are interested in. So the more the merrier. Frankly, it doesn't sound like your dream agent is all that frantic to look at your manuscript, otherwise they would have agreed to waive the exclusive to read it as soon as possible.

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Tell them you'll give them an exclusive.

That's your current intention ie today.

Obviously if you change your mind in a week when someone else ponies up $100k then that's fine because that will then be your current intention.

It is in your interest to have a bidding war. If you've already sent stuff out to other agents then you don't need to tell them.

Just don't send out to any more i.e. any promise you make relates to future conduct.

Agents don't worry about hurting authors' feelings. You should not feel remotely bad in returning the compliment.

C'mon guys...be tough!!!

Hillgate said:

Tell them you'll give them an exclusive.

In other words you suggest lying?


It is in your interest to have a bidding war. If you've already sent stuff out to other agents then you don't need to tell them.

Again, lie. What a great way to begin a relationship with an agent and maintain integrity within the industry.

Just don't send out to any more i.e. any promise you make relates to future conduct.

What are you taking about, or are you just mocking?

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ss

I know she's your dream agent, but she's not making any concessions for you. I've been asked for an exclusive 3 times and all 3 times I already had my ms out with another agent. They waived the exclusivity and read it anyway. So if she's not waiving, I wouldn't take it as a great sign.

I would not nudge the other 4. And if you get offered rep from an agent who is good, I would seriously consider taking it unless your dream agent is willing to read your ms and get back to you quickly.

This is business and you have to take your emotions out of it. Your dream agent needs to be the one who is going to offer you rep and sell your books. I'm assuming the other 4 who have the ms are good enough to rep you or you wouldn't have queried them. You don't want to screw yourself out of a sure thing and gamble on an agent who doesn't seem to be chomping at the bit to read your work.

Good luck!

This strikes me as being a bit weird. If I was an agent who wanted an exclusive, then the knowledge that 4 other agents already had the full manuscript would definitely encourage me waive exclusivity on this occasion. Maybe I'd ask you not to send it out to anyone else until you'd heard from me, but I wouldn't not take the MS at all until everyone else either said no or offered. That's just plain bizarre, imo.

Unfortunately I agree with the poster above, who said that super-agent can't be that fussed about the MS if she's happy to sit on her hands. Sorry to hear about your situation.

Tell them you'll give them an exclusive.

That's your current intention ie today.

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Bad advice. In order to give an exclusive, she would have to pull from the other four agents. Otherwise, she's lying. Honesty is always the best policy. Intention has nothing to do with it--you don't start off any business relationship lying.

Obviously if you change your mind in a week when someone else ponies up $100k then that's fine because that will then be your current intention.

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Huh? Some more deception.

It is in your interest to have a bidding war. If you've already sent stuff out to other agents then you don't need to tell them.

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I disagree. If someone wants exclusivity, and you want that agent, you would have to let the other agents know and pull your work. Otherwise, that one agent is not getting the exclusive.

Just don't send out to any more i.e. any promise you make relates to future conduct.

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I don't understand this.

Agents don't worry about hurting authors' feelings. You should not feel remotely bad in returning the compliment.

C'mon guys...be tough!!!

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It's not about hurt feelings, it's about being honest from the start.

Bunderful,

You have four fulls out. This agent does not want to drop the exclusive. I would just let those four other agents continue reading and not worry about the one who won't grant an exclusive. It sounds like you've written something that agents believe will sell, therefore the wait might be wroth it. You are on the right track!

Please listen to Susan- she knows her stuff. Dishonesty has a nasty way of coming back to bite you in the butt and even if it doesn't give the same respect you expect in return. It's the right thing to do.

Never, never compromise on being professional.

Don't compromise on writing well, and don't compromise on behaving ethically.

Hillgate said:

Obviously if you change your mind in a week when someone else ponies up $100k then that's fine because that will then be your current intention.

It is in your interest to have a bidding war. If you've already sent stuff out to other agents then you don't need to tell them.

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Since no money should be changing hands at this stage, I don't see how the phrase "bidding war" enters into it. This is agents we're talking about, not editors. The main deciding factors between agents is a) their experience and nous and b) whether you feel confident and comfortable working with them.

And I agree with the others - starting off your relationship with an agent by lying is not professional.

The relationship between a writer and agent is set up for the long haul. There will be a lot of back and forth on issues through the years, and the agent puts his or her professional reputation on the line as the intermediary between the writer and other professionals in the business.

That agent has to trust you will play it straight with him or her and not behave in a way that reflects badly on anyone else involved. When a writer dicks around, it affects a lot of different parties.

Don't start out by getting a reputation as someone that nobody wants to invite to the party.