Should I nudge on an R&R letter?

abrowne · Jan 2, 2018

Hello!

So I was lucky enough to receive an enthusiastic request for a full from an agent, and then an R&R request within a few days. The R&R request email was basically just sounding me out on whether I'd be interested in doing a revision; she said if I was open to it, she'd send more specifics. I said that I was, and haven't heard anything back.

I know an edit letter takes a while to write, and of course the holidays just happened, and I know this agent is swamped. I'm not concerned or annoyed, just antsy to get a start (and make sure she doesn't forget about me in the barrage of to-do items). How long is normal for more information to arrive after that initial R&R request? When would it be appropriate to nudge? It'll be two weeks on Thursday.

Any thoughts?

Siri Kirpal · Jan 2, 2018

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Two weeks is nothing. Take a few deep breaths and work on other things for awhile before nudging. I believe 3 months is what's recommended, but others with more experience may chime in with more accurate lengths of time.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

abrowne · Jan 2, 2018

Whoops, accidentally deleted! That'll teach me to try to do this whole forum thing on my phone...

Sat Nam, Siri! Thank you for the quick reply.

Three months seems like so long, but if that's the case, then I'm very glad I haven't nudged! To be clear, this isn't time with a full--she's already read the full manuscript; this is from her saying (to paraphrase), "I'd like to represent this book, but can't unless certain changes were made," to her telling me what those changes are.

ETA: I realized that made it sound like I didn't think an edit letter was a big endeavor on her part. I definitely understand that this is a time-consuming thing for her to do, especially if what she sends me is detailed. I'm very grateful! Just unsure on the timeline.

Aggy B. · Jan 3, 2018

I would follow up 4-6 weeks after that initial "Would you be interested in making some changes?" if you haven't heard back from her by then. You might ask if she would prefer to discuss revisions in a phone call rather than an email. (Although if she does want to talk, rather than write, make sure you are ready to take notes.)

(My agent and I have done it both ways. Depending on what he's thinking about as far as revisions, sometimes a phone call is more effective because it allows for more immediate discussion. Sometimes an email is just fine. When I did an R&R for a different agent - back before signing with anyone - I received a lengthy email with suggested changes.)

Once you do either talk or receive an email, it's also a good idea to let the agent know about how long you expect to take before resubmitting. (Making sure you give yourself sufficient time, of course. Don't say "I'll get this back to you in a week," even if things seem like a simple fix.)

Best of luck.

Atlantic12 · Jan 3, 2018

Great news!

You're not a client (yet!) so not first priority for her, but you're still on her radar and want to stay there, so don't wait a huge amount of time. Two weeks definitely is nothing, so maybe wait another 3-4 weeks or so and then nudge if you need to.

She may want to see what you're like when revising, which is a good sign. But when you do get the critique, take your time processing it. Think long and hard about how radical a revision you'd be willing to do for an R&R. Maybe the critique won't ask you to do anything drastic, but in case it does, just consider carefully what is truly right for you. When I was in a similar position, I was honest with the agent and said I needed the commitment of a contract before I undertook such a big revision. I was lucky she was okay with that; if I'd been more timid, I might've ended up with an R&R instead of a contract. If you schedule a call with this agent (and even if you don't), do be honest about what you need and how you want to work, since this may be the person you work with for years to come.

Good luck!

Sparverius · Jan 3, 2018

Congrats! And be patient—it can take a while. Some agents are very busy (I've been doing an R&R for a year now). 4-8 weeks seems to be a good span of time between each nudge. Good luck!

JackTorrance · Jan 4, 2018

Atlantic12 said:
Think long and hard about how radical a revision you'd be willing to do for an R&R. Maybe the critique won't ask you to do anything drastic, but in case it does, just consider carefully what is truly right for you. When I was in a similar position, I was honest with the agent and said I needed the commitment of a contract before I undertook such a big revision.

Great advice...

abrowne · Jan 4, 2018

Thank you all so much for the advice!! I'm very glad I asked here instead of nudging early.

Aggy B.--good to know! It sounded like she wanted to email, which would be good--I think I would freeze up and miss things in a phone call, even taking notes.

Atlantic12--thank you! I'm definitely aware that I'll have to make some decisions, once I get the letter, about whether or not the suggestions are right for the book. She was pretty straightforward; she isn't going to sign the book without whatever these changes are. I'm very curious about them, especially because I would have pegged plotting/pacing as my weak point as a writer, and she instead said she "struggled a little with the worldbuilding" and had "one or two minor character development" issues. The curiosity! It kills.

But I'll wait. Thank you guys again so much for your thoughts and advice!

Davy The First · Jan 4, 2018

Yup, as others have said, 6-8 coz of the hols.

abrowne · Jun 29, 2018

Timeline update for any R&Ring writers wondering if their own situation is normal...

-Super enthusiastic full request
-Less than a week later, she asked if I'd be interested in an R&R (still effusive about loving the book), and I immediately said yes.
-2.5 weeks later, a quick note from her saying she was behind and might not have edit notes to me for another week.
-2 months later (almost 3 months from initial R&R request), her edit notes (2 fairly slim suggestions) actually arrived. (I nudged her a few times in the mean time; she didn't reply until I made it clear I thought she was no longer interested.)
-6 weeks later, I sent the revised book back.

Which was 2 months ago. No other contact from her, and no confirmation that she received the revision. I think she's lost interest in the project, realistically. Alas!

Sparverius · Jun 30, 2018

Hey, this sounds familiar.

2 months is not that long, honestly, but it's worth a nudge. Also, I hope you are querying other agents in the meantime!

abrowne · Jun 30, 2018

Thanks

and it sounds like you're in a similar boat yourself, so I hope yours clears up soon! Yeah, I'm querying other agents, and have a few more partials and fulls out, so fingers crossed one of those goes somewhere. I think I'll wait another few weeks and give it a nudge just to confirm she received it... based on the rapidly cooling tone/pace of her emails, I really think she's lost interest, so at this point any contact that seems too frequent will probably just annoy her.

Sparverius · Jun 30, 2018

I'm agented now, but slogged through a long exclusive R&R with another very busy agent. Tone can be deceiving, so don't fret about that. Keep querying and getting your MS out there!

abrowne · Jun 30, 2018

Congratulations! Yeah, it's definitely a slog

And thank you for the encouragement. I'm all about the Just Keep Swimming!

Atlantic12 · Jul 2, 2018

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you have other irons in the fire, so good. And every experience is a notch in your belt. Plus you've made the book a little better, right? And I agree not to fret too much about tone in emails. It sometimes comes across as blunt or cold, mostly because people are busy, not because they're rolling their eyes as they type a note to you. In this situation, it's easy to overanalyze.

Yes, keep swimming...

Should I nudge on an R&R letter?

abrowne

Always Be Writing

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

abrowne

Always Be Writing

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think

Atlantic12

Sparverius

JackTorrance

abrowne

Always Be Writing

Davy The First

abrowne

Always Be Writing

Sparverius

abrowne

Always Be Writing

Sparverius

abrowne

Always Be Writing

Atlantic12