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Ayesha Pande Literary (formerly Collins Literary Agency)

hetep1

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This agency was entirely professional

This site has been such a great help to me. I felt a duty to finally join, and to provide my stats and my experience. Despite the heartbreak of their ultimately not being enthused enough, I was impressed with the seriousness and the timeliness with which this agency handled my manuscript.

9/2/10 e-query with first 5 pages

10/13/10 request for full from Ben Zarov (intern no longer with agency) contritely stating my query had been misplaced

10/15/10 full submission via attachment

2/6/11 the following e-rejection

Dear Mr. :

Thank you very much for sending us your novel, Title, which we read with great interest. Although we found much to admire in it, ultimately we weren't entirely engaged by the story and given these reservations, I'm afraid we must decline offering representation. We appreciated the opportunity to read your work.


Yours,


Ayesha Pande Literary
 

writ_of_writing

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Ana Fonseca? (Pande Literary)

Got a letter yesterday from Pande Literary stating the following:

"Thank you for your submission. The first part was entertaining, and I was wondering if you could send the next 50 pages of your manuscript? We would just like to take a deeper look at your work before we give your our final response."

It sounds like a form with a personalized header (dear [insert name]), and at the same time it sounds like she might not be requesting a full after this. From Pande Literary, signed as Ana Fonseca.

Does anyone have any experience with Ms. Fonseca? Anyone even know who she is?

The site says that it'll take 8 to 12 weeks. Certainly hope it'll be faster than that...
 

Drachen Jager

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This should be in the Pande Literary thread.

I couldn't find anything on Ms. Fonseca with a brief search. Either she's an assistant to Ms. Pande or she's just started taking on clients as an agent.
 

Erin

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She's probably a reader/asssistant for Ms. Pande. There was an AW member who had similar job with the agency, not sure if she's still doing it, though.
 

writ_of_writing

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If she's a reader then do her tastes reflect Pande's? I'm just worried that Pande won't like the partial while Fonseca liked the query. I suppose since it's the first request I've gotten I'm just a bit skeptical.
 

Sage

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Cheering you all on!
Congrats on the request :D

Interns and assistants reading for agents are looking out for things that are to the agent's taste, not their own.
 

bunderful

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Oh happy day! Partial request from Ayesha Pande's assistant. Am so excited. I really love her clients and her style. I would give anything to be a part of her "eclectic" list.

Sent off the 50 pages with my eyes closed and a prayer.

Oh please. Oh please. Oh please...
 

writ_of_writing

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In need of help again. It's nearing the end of the 8-12 week period and I still haven't heard back. Does anyone know if 1) they reply even if uninterested or 2) they reply later than 12 weeks? Should I email Pande next week and ask?
 

bunderful

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I haven't heard back yet - it's been over 1 month. Not sure that helps you at all...still waiting on a hope and a prayer...

I would nudge after 12 weeks but it doesn't mean you will get a response. She will get to your material when she gets to it most likely and most agents do tend to respond to partials and fulls eventually - though I know and I have heard rumors that some don't - I have not had this experience yet.
 

bunderful

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I sent my partial on June 22 and still haven't heard back. Not sure what to do because I've completely revised my manuscript now (because of some R&R requests) but I feel odd emailing her with a new version since she only has my partial...I guess I'll keep waiting...
 

Decker

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I was wondering if anyone had any updated info on Ayesha Pande -- responses on requests, personal experience, or news on recent deals/sales. I see her PM pages list a few recent sales, but these are rarely comprehensive, and there's usually no indication if they were good, very good, excellent, etc.

Thanks
 

alias octavia

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I sent a query to this agency on 6/17/11. I received a request for the manuscript on 7/12/11. I sent the work and haven't heard a peep since then. What about you, bunderful? At this point I assume they aren't interested in me. LOL.
 

carefulwithwords

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I sent a query to this agency on 6/17/11. I received a request for the manuscript on 7/12/11. I sent the work and haven't heard a peep since then. What about you, bunderful? At this point I assume they aren't interested in me. LOL.


This type of info really turns me off of an agent. When I send requested material, I expect a reply. Even if said agent couldn't be bothered to read it, at least they can send a form within 6 months and let me off the hook. I queried A. Pande today, but if I'd first read all the posts here about partials and fulls that disappeared into a black hole I probably wouldn't have bothered.

What can we do as writers to put a stop to this madness?
 

Filigree

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Research first, and make the decision whether to query or not. This has already been brought up in thread after thread, with the consensus that agencies are as varied as the people within them. Some are fast and professional with their rejections and acceptances. Some are slow or no-responders, to the point that one wonders how they stay in business.

As writers, the only parameter we can change is on our end, in our choices of whom to query and why.
 

carefulwithwords

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Research first, and make the decision whether to query or not. This has already been brought up in thread after thread, with the consensus that agencies are as varied as the people within them. Some are fast and professional with their rejections and acceptances. Some are slow or no-responders, to the point that one wonders how they stay in business.

As writers, the only parameter we can change is on our end, in our choices of whom to query and why.

Warning. Rant ahead.

Of course we research but the sheer volume (sound familiar?) we have to wade through is getting ridiculous. It's not enough to check P&E and their sub guidelines and maybe read an interview or two (at minimum a 30 min time investment on someone who is 9 times out of 10 going to form R your query) but now we have to check Query Tracker and their blahblahblogs and their twitts. And then again now we need to check forums like these to make sure they even bother to respond to submitted material.

end bitter rant.
 
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Decker

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Sooo...

I'm approaching the 12 week mark after I sent in my requested partial and haven't heard anything. I checked Ayesha's twitter update and I see she recently blocked queries for a while to focus on Submissions. Has anyone whose been waiting on a response heard anything? I know there's been some discussion/criticism about not responding to requested material. I think I'll give it another week and try a polite nudge.

Also, I see where she now has three readers reading submissions, not just queries. I understand readers are supposed to have the agent's interest in mind and not their own, but in a business where we've all been told that everything is "so subjective", it's impossible to completely separate personal opinion. Just one more barrier to actually getting an agent.
 

Decker

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Just thought I'd update. I sent Ayesha a query on 1/4 and received a request for the first 50 on 1/13. I sent a nudge on 4/8 and received a response on 4/16 that she had "begun reading" and would be in touch soon. ER on 5/14 with a very short but somewhat personalized note. The criticism didn't make all that much sense to me, so I emailed back asking for clarification, because hey, why not? No response.

I'm not 100% convinced that she ever actually read the partial. I'm more inclined to think that a Reader did and passed along the info. That's speculation though, and I hope I'm wrong.
 

Mustafa

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I'm not 100% convinced that she ever actually read the partial. I'm more inclined to think that a Reader did and passed along the info. That's speculation though, and I hope I'm wrong.

Are you sure it wasn't a form rejection? I always say that unless a specific character, or plot point is mentioned, it's probably a form letter.
 

J.S.F.

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I just sent in a query and the first five pages so I shall hope for the best. Their request of a very short synopsis made it sound like they wanted a blurb you'd stick at the back of a paperback but it's good practice. We shall see.
 

pavtbr

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I sent my query in this afternoon and got an automated response confirming that it was received. Fingers crossed. Will post back when I hear something.
Bryan
 

CallMeIshmael

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Has anyone heard any news from this agency lately? From their website, Ms. Pande looks like a great agent but the feedback on here (particularly the 3rd page) gives me pause.
 

NoblinGoblin

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I received a form rejection from them less than a week after querying...
 

Silverrosess

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On another note, I got a partial from Ayesha Pande! Woop! It's on a YA contemporary with heavy themes (think Looking for Alaska but more grown up). Fingers crossed!!
 

Chumplet

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Submitted today through their online form. Mine is a soft boiled murder mystery around polo. When they asked for comparison titles, I couldn't think of anything so I put, "Think if Dick Francis and Jennifer Weiner had a literary baby."
 

J.S.F.

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Submitted with their online form for The Undernet. It's a YA thriller about a teen nerd who's into gaming and discovers the hidden dangers of the Darknet (which is real) and the newest system around, the Undernet (which is not real) and gets more than he bargained for when he searches for the person who murdered his best friend. Along the way, he crosses paths with the FBI, local thugs, gamesoft nerds, trolls, and a whole lot of unsavory characters.