He loves me, he loves me not...?!

Gee, an informed response calls for agent mind-reading and I left my aluminum antennae on my other hat.

What does the agent's website say re: average response time? If still within those parameters I wouldn't nudge yet. If outside them, or they're not specific, I still think I'd wait one more week before following up.

Congrats on the expressed interest though. You must be pretty excited.

Just email him and remind him who you are, then ask if he has any questions, needs more information about your proposal, etc.--you know, the old "I'm asking if you have questions or need more information, but I really want to make sure you haven't forgotten about me" email.
Good luck!

Mark, if it makes you feel any better, when I change my hat from evaluating manuscripts to submitting them, I get the same way. It's completely illogical but it happens to me, too. Let us know what happens!

But...what about firewall's?

Hi,

One point to bear in mind is the advent of automated scrubbers and filters in e-mail firewalls. A proposal would logically have one or more attachments and, attachments attract firewall scrubbers like fleas flock to a hound. Most firewalls catch and kill the e-mail and attachments without you or the recipient ever knowing about it or, at best it dips into their junk bin and is lost along with other 'scrod'

I suggest that when you send a proposal for the first time place an RSVP coment in the first sentence or so of the body that explains you are concerned about firewalls. In your current case, sent a brief note using the firewall concern as the basis for your query.

And...

... the answer was...?

same here

Hi Mark,

I've got the same here, except the part of the world is different, and here you send the manuscript, not a book proposal, and you don't have agents here but deal directly with the publisher.
Meanwhile, I called the publisher with the question wether my manuscript had arrived. He said in a polite yet dry manner:"I read your book, then I send you a message." This was all.
Then I wrote some experienced writer, he said it's very good when a publisher wants to read your manuscript and even better when he's actually going to read it. Probably the dry answer is due to anything like headache or toothache or irritation because he doesn't like to be disturbed.
He said I shouldn't disturb him more and just be patient.

I don't know if this is of comfort to you, but the words of my colleague writer did help me.

I understand that publishers have a lot of manuscripts to read and a lot of thinking to do before deciding if they're going to publish or not. Probably agents might need to contact publishers and similar.

Odile

So, Mark, have you checked out the books he's sold to publishers? While you're waiting, you could track down as many books (and their authors) as possible that he's represented and contact all the authors. Search for them on the web. Find out their home town and look up their phone number (www.anywho.com). Ask about their experience with the agent. What do they like best about him? Is there anything they think he could do better? Do they get paid on time? Are there any contract issues they're unhappy/happy about. Did he get them a better deal than they could have gotten for themselves? Did he open doors for them to good publishing houses?

Also, have you asked Victoria Strauss to check her records for any notes/complaints about him?

You've got time--use it to collect information. It'll keep you busy and out of trouble, and give you an outlet for all that nervous energy.

Hey Mark,

I haven't seen you around the boards much lately. Great to see that you have been keeping busy and getting things done.

Good luck with this deal.

Karen

Unless I am mistaken...

you were somewhat taken aback by the insistence on promotion plan over writing quality...

I found the agent in question Mr L. (I did not correspond with Ms P) to be somewhat pompous and not overly helpful other than in the area of promotion plan, etc. He said, buy his book, I said no, I had read his book at the library, he harrumphed quite loudly as I recall. I chose not to proceed...

(Note: I called him long distance at the time scheduled, we chatted and then I was put on hold several times while other calls were handled even background conversations going on at the same time he was talking to me. This I do not accept well in business or in personal life, I told him so.)

MarkEsq said:

Ok, so I called and he was very nice. We talked for probably 20 minutes and he asked about my ideas for promoting the book, what kind of speaking platform I have etc. He also suggested (nicely but strongly) that I purchase his book in order to have a promotional plan that corresponds with the one he suggests. He did make several useful suggestions as to the contents of the book, how to make it appeal to a wider audience and to a publisher.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with this. He's not the one who's going to have to worry about promotion, the publisher is. Have you checked him out on the Bewares and Background checks section of AW? If there's no info about him there, I'd post there about your conversation and about him trying to sell you his book to see what Victoria and Uncle Jim have to say about it.

Mark, not ANY agent will do. You know that. If you're talking on the phone to someone who is more interested in selling you HIS book than selling in your manuscript, you should be looking elsewhere. Really.
On the other hand, if what he's asking you is how you can beef up your proposal so that he can sell it in more effectively to a publisher, then that's legit. Can you research the market a bit more to explain why the time is right for a book like yours? Can you tie in your expertise and experience a little better to show a prospective publisher why you will be a great author to have on their list? I understand (in theory) what this guy is talking about, but the way you've described the conversation is definitely a little strange. . .

You took the words right out of my mouth Lauri. (And you said them better than I would have.)

Excellent grounding...

Nomad said:

Mark, not ANY agent will do. You know that. If you're talking on the phone to someone who is more interested in selling you HIS book than selling in your manuscript, you should be looking elsewhere. Really.
On the other hand, if what he's asking you is how you can beef up your proposal so that he can sell it in more effectively to a publisher, then that's legit. Can you research the market a bit more to explain why the time is right for a book like yours? Can you tie in your expertise and experience a little better to show a prospective publisher why you will be a great author to have on their list? I understand (in theory) what this guy is talking about, but the way you've described the conversation is definitely a little strange. . .

Click to expand...

Remember Mark, the fellow we both seem to have evidenced quirks or irks is way, way up there on the visibility scale. One must presume that he has moved from hungry agent through sated agent to a legend in his own agency....! I think if you can get under his skin with something that he really, really wants he will drop the routine , real quick... Anything else, just listen to my words of wisdom, buy my book, blah, blah...