Following up with an agent who requested my MS?

[SwallowFeather]

Hi, thank you all for your time.

An agent who seems like a great fit for my somewhat-outside-the-categories writing requested my MS to read about 5 months ago, and I sent it along. When she requested it, she apologized for the long time gap (I forget how long it was, naturally I wasn't expecting anything more from that round of queries at the time) between my query and her request and explained she'd been on bereavement leave. I said please, there's nothing to apologize for, sorry for your loss etc.

She also told me she responds re: full manuscript reads within 3 months. After that "deadline" passed I started wondering about following up with her, but I'm sure she has a huge backlog what with the bereavement leave (and maybe associated duties that might cut further into work time--and of course agents have a huge backlog anyway as a rule I think) and I didn't want to either be annoying or appear pushy. At this point, though--two months after the "deadline"--would it be a good idea to send a short, unassuming follow-up note, do you think, or would it be better to wait?

I'm also a bit desperate for a little professional advice about my current WIP (which I gave a 4-word pitch for in my query to her, as an aside, and which I think is an even better fit for her interests. What I really want to know is the pros and cons of attempting to split it into a short series.) It's nowhere near complete but does have a query-summary and a first 2-3 chapters which, after a good polish, would give a very strong impression of the project, so that, if she wanted to look at that, she could get a feel. (And readers including strangers have expressed a lot of enthusiasm after reading these, more so than for my previous work.) A little voice in the back of my mind wants me to mention this to her when following up and see if she's curious enough to want to look at that... but I imagine that part is a bad idea, right?

Tl;dr: should I follow up with an agent who's had my MS 2 months longer than originally planned, and should I mention my exciting new project if/when I do so?

Thank you for answering!

 

[Brigid Barry]

Did she specifically say when she replied that she would get back to you in three months? If yes, then send a nudge. If not, I'd wait until six months passed and then nudge.

No, don't mention the new project. If you get to the point of a phone call you can discuss it then. Not only is the MS not ready, but you should query through appropriate channels according to her submission guidelines. Agents hate it when authors go outside the appropriate channels, and she isn't your agent yet to bypass it.

 

[SwallowFeather]

Did she specifically say when she replied that she would get back to you in three months? If yes, then send a nudge. If not, I'd wait until six months passed and then nudge.

Thank you so much for the specific advice! I think she phrased it as you specified but don't quite recall, so I'll double-check and then act accordingly.

No, don't mention the new project. If you get to the point of a phone call you can discuss it then. Not only is the MS not ready, but you should query through appropriate channels according to her submission guidelines. Agents hate it when authors go outside the appropriate channels, and she isn't your agent yet to bypass it.

Yeah... that makes sense. One does have such an impulse to jump the gun. Thanks for the restraint, and also again for the specificity (re phone call.)

 

[Brigid Barry]

Yeah... that makes sense. One does have such an impulse to jump the gun. Thanks for the restraint, and also again for the specificity (re phone call.)

Sometimes it's zoom and mine was over email but you get the idea.

 

[pebbleg]

While i think it's perfectly reasonable to send a kind follow up on the outstanding MS, one thing I encourage you to consider is: is this the best time to pitch your new WIP? I'd be cautious to pitch something unfinished / not ready. She hasn't gotten back to you on the current MS yet, and what if she is excited by the new project and asks you for it, and you don't have the full MS to send over? What good does it do?

I guess what I'm trying to say is, seeing a new pitch and some sample pages isn't going to change her mind/decision about your current outstanding MS. So bundling them together would be a risk, in my opinion, because you will likely only have one shot to pitch the new work to this agent. So I'd suggest to make it count. My suggestion is to follow up on the current MS nicely, and depending on the reply, pitch the new one (at the call to discuss representation, as Brigid Barry mentioned, or ask if you can query her again with the new project if she passes on this one). Something exciting will still be exciting later. Good luck!

 

[SwallowFeather]

While i think it's perfectly reasonable to send a kind follow up on the outstanding MS, one thing I encourage you to consider is: is this the best time to pitch your new WIP? I'd be cautious to pitch something unfinished / not ready. She hasn't gotten back to you on the current MS yet, and what if she is excited by the new project and asks you for it, and you don't have the full MS to send over? What good does it do?

Well, in my head, Exciting New Project is an extra selling point because the combo of "this new concept has wider appeal" and "the other, quiet piece of historical fiction I just read by her does have good structure & prose" might inspire interest. But nothing's a selling point to an agent at such an unfinished stage, is it? Mostly the good I would hope to get if she has interest in the new project is to get her advice on it, which I badly need. I'm standing at a parting of the ways re: how to structure this story and I'm very worried about picking the wrong direction.

But I am just thinking out loud here really. I'm going to take y'all's advice and not mention the new project at this stage.

ask if you can query her again with the new project if she passes on this one

Ooh, that's a good point. Then (if that's how things shake out) I can reference that when I query again and she'll hopefully go "oh yeah her, her previous one wasn't that saleable but she can write."

Thanks so much for your good wishes and advice!

Did she specifically say when she replied that she would get back to you in three months?

Ahhh, interesting, turns out she actually said she hoped to have a response for me within 3 months. (I had also read on her site that this was her standard response time for these.) So, that means I shouldn't nudge her just yet, I assume.

 

[Brigid Barry]

Ahhh, interesting, turns out she actually said she hoped to have a response for me within 3 months. (I had also read on her site that this was her standard response time for these.) So, that means I shouldn't nudge her just yet, I assume.

I'd nudge before the holidays and think six months would be reasonable under the circumstances.

 

[SwallowFeather]

I'd nudge before the holidays and think six months would be reasonable under the circumstances.

Sounds good, thank you!

 

[waylander]

Did she acknowledge receipt of the manuscript when you sent it 5 months ago? If not then a query as to whether she received it is in order.

 

[SwallowFeather]

Did she acknowledge receipt of the manuscript when you sent it 5 months ago? If not then a query as to whether she received it is in order.

Oh yes, she acknowledged receipt, everything was in order there.

 

[Tessa95014]

Hey SwallowFeather! Just saw this -- congrats on the interest!! Did you nudge her/hear back? Crossing my fingers for you