has anyone EVER gotten a request mailed in their SASE?

Yes.

I've had 4 partial requests and a full in my SASE. In fact, it's the only way I've ever gotten a request (except in the case of e-queries, obviously!).

samfield said:

It seems if they ever have anything good to say, they put it in their own envelope or call (or e-mail).

Click to expand...

They may call or email, but I've never had an agent use their own envelope when they had mine.

Yes, I've definitely gotten some good stuff returned in my SASE.

I ended up signing on with an agent who requested my full using my SASE. I remember I let it sit unopened for a couple of days, assuming it was a rejection. Good things can come in SASEs!

I had one request for a full arrive via my SASE (with my sample pages inside) on a MS I queried a couple years ago. This time around, with a different MS, all requests have arrived via email.

On the other hand, I was querying back in October and I still haven't gotten SASE's back from 5 agents. I have an agent now so it doesn't matter, but I think it's pretty bad when an agency doesn't send back a SASE when they specifically request them. I mean, I expect a no-reply from most of the email queries, but when they don't accept email and tell you to send and SASE, they should return it.

I always wonder what they do with those (getting more expensive each year) unused stamps. I can just see someone hired for the only purpose of steaming the stamps off the SASEs so they can re-use them.

Seriously, yes, I've had good news returned in my SASEs. More often, though, the good news comes in their own envelope. Don't know why.

Yes, requests for partials and fulls, and more than a few times mailed in their envelopes on their stationary.

do they use the envelope to torture us?
couldn't they send an email?
or are they afraid we'd accuse them of stealing stamps? 8)

but hey, YAY you CAN receive good news in
a skinny envelope. =D

Same experience. Request for partial and full in a SASE. Surprised the hell out of me when I opened it.

Yes indeed. More than once got back even my query letter inside my SASE with a note requesting a full or partial scribbled on my letter.

But here's the best one--My present wonderful agent sent the contract signed by the agency in my old SASE (which I had sent along with the full manuscript). In my old SASE was not only the signed contract but also an agency SASE for me to use after I signed the contract. Sure made it easy. So one could say the agency and I traded SASES. Seemed right somehow. g.

I've had partial and full requests from the SASE. But I've always felt much better about agents who emailed. And I felt best about those who actually called. I'm thinking now of two in particular who were audibly excited about my query, were literally gushing on and on about it, and (which I'll admit since this is the Rejection & Dejection board and I feel both right now) one of them is a dream agent at a TOP agency who kept going on and on about how wonderful my pages were and how my query was so fantastic. Sent them all the requested materials and I either got rejected by them or (in the case of dream agent above who I was most excited about) never heard back. That was almost a year ago.

Everyone seems to be talking about agents here.

What about fiction and poetry submissions -- ever have good news come in those SASEs?

I've only had rejections in those. Sometimes they were "good" rejections -- asking to send more or whatever -- but they were always rejections.

Yeah, I was talking about fiction, poems, etc, too. Eight years worth of several unreturned SASEs, but as I said, out of the ones that did come back, some were good news.

I love email best, if they take emails.

So far, I've only e-queried, so the SASE's have been limited to partial and full submissions (it's cheaper for me to have them recycle the copy and print a new one, rather than pay for return postage on the manuscript). Those SASE's tended to come back with "not for us/didn't fall in love with it" letters.

I was quite surprised last fall when an SASE I sent with a partial (five months earlier) came with a request for the full (which she's had for two and a half months now).

I've had both acceptances and rejections in the SASEs. And then I've also had SASEs not returned at all. Like some have already said, I do prefer email subs--and also, for some reason, seem to get more acceptances with them. I usually get faster responses, too.

Yes, I've gotten requests for partials and fulls sent in the SASE.

I've had contracts for short stories come back in SASE. It does happen.

I've never gotten good news on a short story submission in a SASE, but I got a manuscript request in one last week. Like a previous poster, I almost didn't open it, because I just assumed it was going to be bad news.

I wonder how many people have thrown out good news based on that assumption. There have to be a few.

I have gotten good news in an SASE. Mostly not, though. Can you tell I got a rejection today?