Agent collusion?

Julie Worth · May 5, 2006

Something odd...

For my most recent book, I sent out email queries in three groups of ten agents each, a couple of weeks apart. For group one I got an eighty percent response, mostly with personal notes explaining why they were passing, and one request for a partial. For the next two groups, almost no response--about 15%, and only one personal note. What gives? The paranoid in me says that there’s a website somewhere with my project listed on it. A reaction to a deluge of emailed queries, perhaps. Anyone else notice this?

Jamesaritchie · May 5, 2006

agents

It's the 80% response rate to group one that puzzles me. The numbers for group two are much closer to average.

Julie Worth · May 5, 2006

Jamesaritchie said:
It's the 80% response rate to group one that puzzles me. The numbers for group two are much closer to average.

That hasn't been my experience. For my previous book, it was also 80%.

maestrowork · May 5, 2006

Interesting. I'm with James. My response rate was usually 1 in 6, which is less than 20%.

stormie · May 5, 2006

Mine was 50% responses, email. (I only snail mailed about three queries. Those generated 100% responses.) And that was within the last four months.

triceretops · May 5, 2006

I'd say my respones to mostly email queries ran about 50% to 60%. And I'm talking about giving it a month for those to show up with a yes or no email. In other batches of 7-10 subs to agents, I've received as low as 30 percent responses. But I can never honestly remember pulling 15%, and all of my stuff is mostly email.

Tri

Julie Worth · May 7, 2006

Drat! I just discovered what may have been the problem. Sending myself a query and then replying to it, the reply never got to me. It’s still out there, sitting on my server. It’s not listed as spam, but still, it never made it to my inbox. Worse, last week I deleted some 500 emails from the server, assuming I’d received them all, but no, obviously I didn’t. Some may have been requests for partials. Oh what a flipping waste!

FloVoyager · Jul 9, 2006

I'm becoming very leary of e-mail queries, because of all the touchy filtering software out there, not only on peoples computers but on big systems like AOL. You never know for sure if something gets through unless they reply and you get the reply. I'll only send out e-mail queries now if that's all they'll accept.

Jamesaritchie · Jul 9, 2006

FloVoyager said:
I'm becoming very leary of e-mail queries, because of all the touchy filtering software out there, not only on peoples computers but on big systems like AOL. You never know for sure if something gets through unless they reply and you get the reply. I'll only send out e-mail queries now if that's all they'll accept.

I hate e-mail queries. They're easy, they're convenient, and they're used by millions. All very bad things, if you're looking for a yes.

stormie · Jul 9, 2006

Jamesaritchie said:
I hate e-mail queries. They're easy, they're convenient, and they're used by millions. All very bad things, if you're looking for a yes.

Ah, James, not always. And remember, queries and mss. can get lost in the postal mail, too.

veinglory · Jul 9, 2006

How did you form the groups--not randomly, I imagine? and using percentages with a sample of 10? Your margin of error is probably about 7 with those numbers...

stormie · Jul 9, 2006

(Is Julie still around???)

Popeyesays · Jul 9, 2006

My response rate is much better with e-mail than I see being talked about.
I exchanged six e-mails with one editor who tore me a new one, but kept coming back with suggested changes and suggestions.

I've gotten more personal SOUNDING notes than auto-rejections, too. One guy explained that he was largely in international marketing for stuff from movies and books, but did not have any other sci-fi writers he represented, so he regretted, saying he did not think it would pay off to start a new effort for one writer in that genre. I doubt that was a canned response.

I have not sent a lot of snail mail queries, but I have two ready to go on Monday.

Agent collusion?

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

Jamesaritchie

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

stormie

storm central

triceretops

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

FloVoyager

Will write for chocolate

Jamesaritchie

stormie

storm central

veinglory

volitare nequeo

stormie

storm central

Popeyesays

Now departed. Rest in peace, Scott, from all of us