Querying Multiple Agents: Simultaneous or Successive?

Since agents can take months to respond to a query -- and since some will never respond at all by way of saying no -- sending one query at a time is not something you can afford to do. Unless, of course, you're immortal.

Definitely send simultaneous queries. Agents expect that you're doing this. I did five a week, every week, until I accepted rep with my agent.

Now, if an agent requests your MS and asks for an exclusive read, you may not allow any other agent to read the MS until the exclusive period is up. If other agents are already reading partials or fulls, you must tell the exclusive seeker this, and then she can decide whether to wait or to read the book as a nonexclusive.

It's in the author's interest to avoid exclusives, but if you like the agent enough, make the period short. 3-4 weeks should suffice, IMO.

Whether you send out more queries while you have an exclusive out is up to you. The problem is that if you get more bites, you'll have to tell the newly interested that someone else has an exclusive at the moment. Could make them shrug and move on. Could make them even more interested.

But definitely, barring an exclusive, keep casting out queries until you get a bite or run out of fish in your particular sea.

Mr. Mask said:

I would like to think that I am correct in remembering a motto being somewhere on this site, which I can no longer place. Should I try to recall, it was something to the light, "The only stupid question, is one you don't ask." I would like to test this motto, to its fullest extent.

When you are querying multiple agents, which is better? To prepare numerous queries then send each of them simultaneously? Or, to prepare one query, send it, then work on preparing and sending the next?

Click to expand...

That is the smartest question I've heard all day!

I query in batches of about five, with each letter addressed specifically to that agent.

I've been querying in batches of 4-5, sending them out one at a time throughout a week. I take the weekend to really dig into each agent's info, double-check their submission guidelines, and prep my queries, and then I double-check everything before sending them out throughout the week. For me at least, it's a little less intimidating than sending out a bunch all in one day.

Mr. Mask said:

Thank you for answering my question. The more I look at it, the more I wonder why I even asked it.

With your five queries a week: Did you send them one after the other, working on them individually--or did you work on several at once, and send them out together, if I may ask?

Click to expand...

Maybe I'm not understanding your question. Most people only have one query that they write, edit and polish until it's as perfect as they can make it. Then they just change out the agent's name and maybe some personalized stuff that might only apply to specific agents. But the meat of the query is the same. You don't have to write a new query for every agent.

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Sometimes, it's good to send out just a few and see how they do. If the query gets no bites, rewrite the query; if it gets some, send out more. If the bites all end as rejects, rethink the ms or partial or whatever.

The physical action of sending queries depends on your computer. I prep one and send it, etc. With my old computer, I'd prep all of them and send all at the same time.

Hope that answers the question.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

Mr. Mask said:

Thank you for answering my question. The more I look at it, the more I wonder why I even asked it.

With your five queries a week: Did you send them one after the other, working on them individually--or did you work on several at once, and send them out together, if I may ask?

Click to expand...

Actually, I spent about a month researching all the agents who might possibly be interested in my genre. I ranked them from OMG! to Don't Contact and recorded all their contact info. In another category were agents of interest who weren't currently accepting queries.

Every week I'd pick five victims, quickly recheck their contact info and preferences, then fire away. I didn't run through all my OMGs at once, because what if the querying process led me to revise? Which it did, in fact. Also, what did I know? As long as an agent was legitimate, Pretty Good might be a better fit for me than the OMGiest OMG.

Given I got the heavy lifting research out of the way first, it only took me about an hour a week to send out queries, with a few minutes here and there to update my submissions log.

In the end, my agent was hiding in the Doesn't Accept Unsolicited Queries list. Because periodic rechecking turned up the fact that he WAS accepting. And did.

Little Ming said:

Maybe I'm not understanding your question. Most people only have one query that they write, edit and polish until it's as perfect as they can make it. Then they just change out the agent's name and maybe some personalized stuff that might only apply to specific agents. But the meat of the query is the same. You don't have to write a new query for every agent.

Click to expand...

This was my confusion, too. I have two different versions of my query that I have spent hours of agony in QLH grooming. I have a list of agents I've researched and am ready to query. Then each week, I send out about 5-10 queries.

Phaeal said:

Actually, I spent about a month researching all the agents who might possibly be interested in my genre. I ranked them from OMG! to Don't Contact and recorded all their contact info. In another category were agents of interest who weren't currently accepting queries.

Click to expand...

That was what I actually did! But I picked 10 instead, and send them all out by mid-May. Now is already approaching 3rd week of June. So far I've received two encouraging rejection letter. But my dream agent has yet to reply.

I'm thinking of querying the 2nd batch of agents, though I know it might take the 1st batch max. of 12 weeks to reply.

And yes, I'm very careful in sending out submission cos' different agent requires different format. At least, I leave a good impression on attentiveness.

I have never asked for an exclusive, and I've never honored one. Either they want your business, or they don't.