Thursday, September 20, 2012

Waiting on My Agent

So, I don't have an agent.  I have been happily publishing my books with the assistance of two dynamic publishing houses, Astraea Press and Musa Publishing for the past two years.  I hope to publish many, many more.  But I would lie if I said I didn't want an agent.  I, like, REALLY want an agent.  This desire takes away nothing from how fortunate I feel to be with my current publishers.  My issue is the marketing.  And the time.

Before I wrote my first book, Spellbound, I wasn't even on facebook.  Had no idea Twitter existed and even now, got no clue about Tumblr or Pinterest.  But a very smart marketing rep at one of my houses told me I was insane if I was writing and not on anything resembling a social network.  "Oh my God, you have to at least have a BLOG!" she wailed at me in emails with all caps.  So, I started one.  And I really have to admit, I enjoy it.  But the rest?  Time-suck sometimes.

Facebook gave me an amazing start and a wonderful base of great author friends and people I call fans (and then blush).  I'm very grateful.  But, I'm very tired too.  I have a great base of support online, but I think it would be neat to have that one person who really believed in me and got me.  Okay, to be fair I have that.  I'm talking about that one person who does all that and ALSO knows some New York publishers.

With that in mind, I confess, I have sent my recent manuscript, The Deadlies, out to the agenting world.  A dark, YA paranormal, set in the South, about catty girls possessed by the demons of the seven deadly sins, I am very proud of this one.  So I set it free in the deep end of the pool.  Two agents from the shark tanks have swum up to me, shown me their teeth, and asked for pages.  I sent them.  I was too scared not to.  Now I wait.

One agent wanted the whole manuscript and one wanted my first 100 pages., which is really the first third to a half of the book.  Now, I am wondering...how long is reasonable to be waiting for a response?  I don't want to look like a newbie, but....I kind of am.  I've only had two requests for pages before, when I was even more of a newbie, and tried my hand at my first story.  One agent and Harlequin Teen requested pages, then ultimately passed.  Quickly.  So, is it a good sign when it takes longer?

Agents must be busy.  There are, by my count, eleventy-billion of us trying to get one, and only, like, a handful out there to get.  You do the math.  They are only human.  Is it unreasonable to hear back from one in two months?  Four?  Eight?  How long is too long?

So, my post today is more of a call for help.  Like a call for submissions, I need you.  If you are one of my blog followers and you have a tad bit of insight into this mystery....could you clue me in?  The myth and mystery of agents reminds me of the same one surrounding the elusive and unknown "underwriter" who decided my hubs and I's fate when we were buying our first house.  One guy, one person, who held the key to my future.  Would it be a two story colonial with a yard for the kids?  Or a double wide in a questionable part of town with occasional hot-and-cold running water?  Will I get the agent who gets me?  Or always be one of the eleventy-billion.


18 comments:

  1. It should state right on the site how long they will take to respond. It can be anywhere from 2 to 3 months, or much longer, depending on the agent, or the individual at the agency looking at it. Doesn't it say somewhere on their site, or in the response to your request? If there is literally nothing at all, I would wait three mos and then check in. But you don't want to be perceived as a nuisance either. It should say somewhere in the submissions section the time for response. I would then wait one or two weeks past the stated time and if I haven't heard I would send a polite email asking if they have had a chance to look at my submission yet.

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    1. Thanks Lauren! I appreciate the advice and information. Enjoying your new work, also. You write creepy like me!

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  2. I've had 2 requests from agents in the past. One took 1 week to say no and one took 20 minutes (ouch).

    That said, it should state on the website how long they will take. Some take a lot longer than others. I don't know about Musa, but I do know that AP has spoiled me with response times. Very very few agents/publishers are as quick as they are :)

    Good luck getting an agent :)

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    1. Thanks Kelly. I feel spoiled sometimes by my publishers and editors too. Be neat to have that same feeling from an agent.

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  3. Three months is common in the UK, if that helps. And some agents prefer to be told who else is looking at it - in my experience they generally ask if they get to the 'full request'. God luck and enjoy the ride as much as you can!

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    1. Thanks Derek. I am always happy when I see you here. It's fun to follow each other's progress. I am rechecking the agency's sites for the info. Thanks again!

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  4. Congrats, Samantha, on having the courage to send out your new book and a HUGE congrats on the quick agent responses! I agree with Lauren, Kelly, and Derek. Patiently wait three months and be careful not to bite your fingernails too short. Bloody cuticles aren't good.:)

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  5. I subbed a ms to 8 agents a couple of years ago. One never got back at all. Six got back with a rejection within a week or so.
    The one agent who requested a 'full' kept me on the string for about 7 months before she stopped responding to my emails. Actually, it's more accurate to say that she closed her email and decided to stop accepting emails (most of which were queries, which she also blocked for a long period). Well, that block or closure evidently included all the people already corresponding with her. So, this all happened some 2 yrs ago, I guess and I've never heard another word from her. Presumably she had some interest at one time, and maintained contact ... but then simply cut me off without even saying 'no'.

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    1. Gosh Jeff, that is a horrible story. Glad you found us at the House!

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  6. Are you not on absolutewrite.com/forums? Go to the Bewares, Recommendations & Background Check section and do a 'thread search' for your agents. People have already posted how long the current wait times are, what the rejection letters look like, etc. It's a phenomenal resource that EVERY writer should be using. Lots of other threads about publishing(including E and self) writing, marketing, etc. Your wait time could be upwards of six months, but check AW. Hope you get 'the call' soon!

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    1. Hi K.V., this is great advice and I am checking them out as we speak. Thanks for the info!

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  7. Samantha--I've had five agents over the 36 years I've been in publishing. All were from prestigious agencies, like Curtis Brown, and Writers House. For various reasons we parted ways (my last one died, which was a real blow). It was easier back in the "old days" to find an agent; now a lot of them are starting their own publishing houses because of POD (print on demand)or are busy dealing with backlists from current clients. Others won't accept someone new unless you have a big track record, and even then it's not a sure thing.
    My advice (if you want it) would be to make sure you're sending your material to an agent who actually represents the kind of thing that you write. I'd also check to see how they prefer submissions--query letter, letter and sample chapters, email, etc. and follow the instructions exactly (as I'm sure you did for Musa).
    I'd give them a month or six weeks to reply; then I would nudge them with a gentle query. I certainly wouldn't wait six months before I contacted them. That amount of time is reserved for publishers ;)
    Good luck.
    Jan Flores

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    1. Jan, thank you so much for giving me your personal experience. I'd love to know more about you. As a newbie writer, I feel like you more experienced authors are holding the keys to the kingdom. Your advice is golden and I'm so grateful you took the time to give it. I hope we keep in contact.

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  8. Three months is a good wait time. If you don't hear by then, it's okay to send a nudge email. You may hear sooner. Good luck.

    I was just telling my agent the other day about how grateful I am to have him. It frees up my time to write. :)

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    1. You are lucky. But if an agent believes in you, clearly, you are talented too. I'm happy to know you here on my blog, and appreciate the time you took answering me. Thanks so much!

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  9. Hi again, Samantha
    I wrote a second reply to you on my phone, but then it vanished (and after all that one-finger typing!). Anyway, wanted to reply to your remark about having the keys to the kingdom. Wish it were true. Sometimes I think they've changed the lock!
    If you want to ask me something, here's my email address: Jan.Flores@comcast.net
    I this business you just have to keep trying. Not very comforting, but that's the way it is.

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  10. Thanks so much again, Jan. I will contact you!

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