When to Move On?

JoshSpaceCole · Sep 16, 2014

I am starting to consider moving my two year old query quest to small publishers, but I still have one agent reading my full manuscript. I would love to work with her and I think I have a chance, but she's busy enough that she still hasn't responded to a two month old nudge. I sent the revision she's reading now in early spring, but the original submission was more than a year ago.

So here's the question: when I start submitting to publishers on my own, should I tell her I'm doing so? I know it's a terrible idea to sub to publishers and agents at the same time, but I need to move on at some point.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

popgun62 · Sep 16, 2014

After getting rejected nearly 100 times for my first book, I eventually moved on to small publishers and landed one within a year. A year later, my book was published. My next book followed suit. Five years and four books later, I landed an agent after first securing a four-book deal with a mid-sized publisher. It's a long road, so don't let it break you. Keep slogging ahead and you'll get there. It's definitely worth it.

As for telling the agent what you're doing, it couldn't hurt if she's still looking at your manuscript. If you never hear back, oh well. At least you're doing something.

mayqueen · Sep 16, 2014

I'm not sure about the etiquette for informing the agent or not, but I would say if the agent still hasn't responded at the three-month mark (I think I'm reading this right -- you nudged her two months ago?) I would either nudge again or start sending queries to small presses. You may never hear back from this agent. It sucks, but I've had agents respond to a nudge about a full and then never get back to me. Yes, be patient and professional, but also don't spend too much time waiting on agents.

quicklime · Sep 17, 2014

you have 19 posts, so you have not subbed in QLH.

The sad truth is there are many people who are dying by their query letters, and query letters can be difficult, but are utterly fixable in most cases.

Get your post count up, and go visit the SYW forum, and QLH in there. If there's glaring issues, maybe you still have a shot at fixing things....

JoshSpaceCole · Sep 17, 2014

Thank you for the feedback! I don't want to blow my chances with this agent but I'm eager to get this book moving, if only so I can focus on querying the novels I've written since. It would surprise me if she really never responded, since we've communicated already, but I do know she's crazy swamped.

To clarify, here's the full timeline (aided by the wonderful QueryTracker!):

Query: 7/01/13
Full Request: 8/28/13
Nudge: 3/5/14 (She responded to this the next day confirming that she had received and was still considering.)
R&R: 4/14/14
Resubmit: 4/14/14 (She had identical concerns to another agent's R&R, so I had the revision ready.)
Nudge: 7/14/14

mayqueen · Sep 17, 2014

Oh, it was an R&R? Hm. That's a different situation. Have you checked the agent out in the Bewares and Background Checks forum? That might give you a sense of if this is typical and you should wait, or if you should just go ahead and move on.

Quickbread · Sep 17, 2014

I second what Quicklime said. Get to 50 posts and pass your query through the commenters in Query Letter Hell, just to make sure it's working as hard as it can for you.

Why not query another round of agents now that you have a revised, and presumably improved, manuscript?

JoshSpaceCole · Sep 18, 2014

Bewares and Background Checks was not particularly enlightening, but I've posted in the agency's thread to see if anyone's heard. It already seems somewhat atypical, if only because she replied to my nudge before the R&R so quickly.

As far as queries go, I did hit a new round of agents when I revised in January and got a fair number of manuscript requests. I look forward to working with QLH on this and future queries, but for this story the next round of queries is going to small presses.

Thank you all!

mayqueen · Sep 18, 2014

Hmmm. I don't know. I think it's a personal call at this point. When I was in this situation, I nudged again after three months of hearing nothing, and then a month after that, I considered it over and done. It's especially frustrating when it's an R&R.

Undercover · Sep 18, 2014

Yeah, I've had no responses on fulls, and one r&r. It's the pits. But eventually you have to move on. Then again you've been dealing with this agent for over a year now, corresponding back and forth. There's a good chance you still might hear from her.

I would continue querying in the meantime though.

JoshSpaceCole · Sep 18, 2014

Okay, thanks all! It sounds like I'll nudge once more in a couple weeks, and then call it and start querying publishers - with a new and improved query!

Thanks again!

When to Move On?

JoshSpaceCole

Mostly I just avoid real life

popgun62

Keeper of the pace.

mayqueen

practical experience, FTW

quicklime

all out of fucks to give

JoshSpaceCole

Mostly I just avoid real life

mayqueen

practical experience, FTW

Quickbread

JoshSpaceCole

Mostly I just avoid real life

mayqueen

practical experience, FTW

Undercover

I got it covered

JoshSpaceCole

Mostly I just avoid real life