Two Questions:

Diomedes

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1) Do agents habitually google the book and or author when they receive submissions?

2) It must be asked all the time, but I couldn't see it in a sticky:when querying in the UK (i.e. letter, synopsis, sample chapters) can you query more agent than one at this stage?

- I ask because I get conflicting information through google. On one level, I think it shows more respect and desire to have a particular agent to query only once. On the other, it seems rather foolhardy at this stage to wait 3 months or so for something that, at the end of the day, requires very little time to read. This is compounded by the fact that it seems to me that few agents will actually respond - so you may end up waiting 3 months when the stuff had been read and rejected days after submission.

- As I think about it further, I don't see any agents specifying not to send it elsewhere on their website.​
 

lizmonster

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I'll answer #1, with the caveat that I'm in the US: once they get to the point of being interested in the book, they absolutely google you. My first agent actually found, in addition to my main blog, a page I'd created for a potential pen name.As for googling the book? That I don't know, and I'd imagine it'd be circumstantial - for example, if they had a suspicion you'd already self-published it.
 
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Diomedes

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Right, so I'd better take down my LinkedIn profile - I just don't want all that rubbish there, because LinkedIn more than anything else requires you look like someone you're not. Self-aggrandising, etc., etc. for your workplace.

I need to dust up a couple of other online profiles so they all show the same information.
 

Putputt

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Right, so I'd better take down my LinkedIn profile - I just don't want all that rubbish there, because LinkedIn more than anything else requires you look like someone you're not. Self-aggrandising, etc., etc. for your workplace.

I need to dust up a couple of other online profiles so they all show the same information.

I...how are you using LinkedIn?? Because afaik it doesn't really require self-aggrandizing of any sort...? It's literally an online CV of your professional history.

But ANYWAY. To answer your questions, yes agents and editors will Google your name if they're interested. And yes, it's okay to query more than one agent at a time in the UK. I did that when I queried UK agents years ago and it was fine. They all assumed it was a multiple submission.
 

waylander

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I concur, no problem with querying more than one agent.
I would suspect that at the point where an agent may be considering a full manuscript request they might stick the author's name inot Google.
 

cool pop

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1) Do agents habitually google the book and or author when they receive submissions?

2) It must be asked all the time, but I couldn't see it in a sticky:when querying in the UK (i.e. letter, synopsis, sample chapters) can you query more agent than one at this stage?

- I ask because I get conflicting information through google. On one level, I think it shows more respect and desire to have a particular agent to query only once. On the other, it seems rather foolhardy at this stage to wait 3 months or so for something that, at the end of the day, requires very little time to read. This is compounded by the fact that it seems to me that few agents will actually respond - so you may end up waiting 3 months when the stuff had been read and rejected days after submission.

- As I think about it further, I don't see any agents specifying not to send it elsewhere on their website.​


1) Yes. Agents are just as nosy as anyone so they will definitely Google you especially if interested in representing you. They look for different things like whether you've been published before (and hadn't mentioned it) or if you act like an ass on Facebook or Twitter so they know to stay clear. Stuff like that.

2) I'm in the US but I never heard of querying in the UK being any different than in the US. It doesn't depend on the location but the agent. Every agency is different most don't care about you querying other agents. They know that's to be expected. I wouldn't query multiple agents at the same agency though. You'd be wasting your time. If you submit to one and they don't like it, it usually means the agency isn't interested or either that agent will pass it along to a colleague they feel might be a better fit.

As for respect and desire, this is a business and you shouldn't put your plans on hold waiting months and months for one agent to answer back. That will only hurt you. It's best to cast a wide net and query as many agents as you want. Also, how will the agent even know you're querying others if it's not the same agency? The chances of them finding out is 0 but who cares? You have every right to query multiple agents.

You are correct that some agents don't even respond so say you query one of those and no one else? You could waste a year or more waiting.
 
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Sonya Heaney

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(Watch out: editors are also going to Google you.) :e2paperba I learnt that the embarrassing way!