I know this has been covered before, but for the life of me I can't find the thread anywhere.
Here's the deal. I've got a full MS in review with an agent (let's call him Agent A) who has had it for about two months, and who has told me he's not had a chance to read it yet and will need some more time before he gets to my spot in the pile. This is absolutely not a problem for me, as I didn't expect him to get to me immediately.
Today I received a reply from Agency B who said they'd like to see the first 100 pages, "provided that no other agency is now reviewing the work." They go on to say that in return for the courtesy of an exclusive read, they will guarantee me a "prompt response."
Obviously, I don't want to bite myself in the butt by calling Agent A and saying, "Hey, dude, hurry it up so someone else can read this." On the other hand, I don't want to diddledork around waiting for him to reject me so that I can give Agency B their exclusive six months down the road.
Would it be appropriate to tell Agency B, "Look, I know you want an exclusive, but there's one other guy who's had the MS for two months, and if that's okay with you I'd still like to send you my 100 pages?"
Here's the deal. I've got a full MS in review with an agent (let's call him Agent A) who has had it for about two months, and who has told me he's not had a chance to read it yet and will need some more time before he gets to my spot in the pile. This is absolutely not a problem for me, as I didn't expect him to get to me immediately.
Today I received a reply from Agency B who said they'd like to see the first 100 pages, "provided that no other agency is now reviewing the work." They go on to say that in return for the courtesy of an exclusive read, they will guarantee me a "prompt response."
Obviously, I don't want to bite myself in the butt by calling Agent A and saying, "Hey, dude, hurry it up so someone else can read this." On the other hand, I don't want to diddledork around waiting for him to reject me so that I can give Agency B their exclusive six months down the road.
Would it be appropriate to tell Agency B, "Look, I know you want an exclusive, but there's one other guy who's had the MS for two months, and if that's okay with you I'd still like to send you my 100 pages?"