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I like your style. If I were an agent, I would probably feel the same way.

I actually kind of do feel the same way about my own writing. I have tons of ideas, but I don't write every single one... I only write the ones that I love love love.

I think the way you do it is best. I know I wouldn't want someone representing my work if they didn't love it. It makes it all about the money and that should never be what books are about.

Every time I read one of your posts, Kristin, I like you more. And obviously, your method works.

I think you're right, Kristin. Publishing is a long slog and if you don't love the project, you might be tempted to give up on it. I wish all agents were like you!

I think it's commendable that you didn't take on the client. A writer should have an agent who truly loves and truly believes in his or her work, not someone who was just in it for the money.

By choosing not to represent the writer, you allowed them to find someone who did feel that way about the story.

This make complete sense to me. I'm sure your current clients also appreciate you being choosy with how you add to your work load since it will affect your time for them.

I really respect that. Publishing is hard enough when everything goes right, and if you take on a client that you're not crazy about, it becomes that much harder. I wish all agents operated the way you do.

You say you know a number of agents who do treat books like widgets. I know you can't tell us who they are but I sure wish you could. ;)

This makes a lot of sense. When an agent rejected my full, she was very kind in explaining that the ms was great. That she found nothing wrong with it, and that she was rejecting it for personal preference only. It broke my heart and I wanted to have my work published so badly, that I wished she'd just take it on anyway. But since then I've realized that I want an agent who gets my stories, loves my writing, and yearns to see my books on the store shelves just as much as I do.

thank you for sharing

http://storystruelove.blogspot.com/

nice work

It sounds to me like you take on authors – not books – as your clients. :)

That's a quality I love to see in agents!

Although it means that I'm less likely to get accepted by an agent, I'm glad that there are agents out there who value a story they're passionate about over money and sell-potential.

Thank you Kristin. I love your blog and the time you spend educating us about the industry.

I know you have alluded to this approach before and you clearly look out for your clients. When facing rejections it helps to keep this in mind.

I've often wondered about this time thing. Specifically, is it okay to requery an agent for the same project after a certain amount of time? Maybe the first query hit their slush pile at a busy time. Do agents have slow periods and busy periods, or is it always busy?

My gut feeling says no. It's never okay to requery for the same project. But I still wonder...

Thank you for this blog. I am helping my husband research agents, and so far this has been the most helpful place. You have answered all of my questions and then some!

Kristin,

I do the same thing. I make some authors very mad because I won't accept their "best novel ever." But we all have our standards and we need to live by them. I cannot tell you the number of Kindle edition books I read that I ask, "is this self-published?" and then find out it was not, giving me time to reflect on the value of a literary agent who takes time to make sure the best edited product reaches the publisher. We need to set our standards and live by them in our practice.

"I cannot tell you the number of Kindle edition books I read that I ask, "is this self-published?" and then find out it was not, giving me time to reflect on the value of a literary agent who takes time to make sure the best edited product reaches the publisher."

You need to step up your game, dude. Not all self-pubbed Kindle books are unedited. Many of them are being released by published authors with many publishing credits. And, they are making money.

Another point: no publisher expects an edited book. They expect a neat, clean, tight mansucript with a good storyline. When the publisher buys the book they do the editing, and the copy editing. At least that's how it's always worked since I've been in publishing.

It's great to hear you take on the projects you really feel passionate about. This is definitely the way to ensure that the books we read will be of the best quality possible.

I hadn't heard of 'Wool' until I saw your Facebook post about it, and it's next on my To Read list :)

We ask because we want to succeed! Often I've had a few partial MS floating around and not sure which one to focus on. Hearing YA paranormal romance is 'out' and YA thrillers are 'in' gives me some direction. I'll still write the best book I can no matter what it's about. Why should trends be kept such a tight secret?

Passion shows. Write what you're passionate about, and you may the one setting the trends, not just following them.

I'd love you to find another Courney Milan!! :) Just finishing up UNRAVELED, and I adore it!!

I admit I used to wonder about that same question. But an agent at a conference mentioned that trends come and go and what's getting published today was accepted like 12 to 18 months ago. So they recommended sticking with what you have a passion for, what you know and love. That seems to be the best thing as the end result of the work will be something the writer can stand by.

I don't know if trends really change so fast that by the time you spot it, it's already on the way out. Of course it depends on how long it takes you to crank out a book (I see some authors doing 4 a year!).

I'm still waiting for the whole vampire and zombie thing to pass. It can't happen soon enough for me.

I've seen one "agent" hocking authors on facebook and twitter for what she considers "the next Fifty Shades of Grey." She's actively looking for it, in public forums. It looks shabby and no matter how hard they try it never happens. It's like trying to get the next Harry Potter. And we all know how that worked out.

This kind of request on social media, where a publishing professional actually asks for something like "the next Fifty Shades of Grey" should be an automatic red flag for all authors.

Writers want to think that the readers' market is somewhat predictable -- that if you do your research, you can turn out something that will pop with a crowd.

In the end, the only guarantee is: good writing, good characters, good plot. Oh, and steampunk. Definitely steampunk.

I live in Chicago area and checked out info on the RT booklovers convention last year, wondering if I should go (it's quite expensive) I didn't know it was the type of convention to have pitch fests with agents. But I guess every event seems to have that sort of thing. Anyway, just found that interesting, I'm not ready to pitch anything unfortunately.

I'm wondering if the buzz about 50 Shades at RT is people who like it or who are scratching their heads at how it managed to get so big. I have to think some of the established erotica and romance authors who write good material might be miffed at 50 Shades' success - specifically because of the fanfic angle and the um, not so wonderfully literary angle.

Well, even if paranormal is on the way out I'm still going to work on my zombie romance because I love it and it is really fun to write right now.

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But isn't erotica always in? What if an aspiring novelist is a snore at erotica but great at horror?

We can try our hand at the genre that's hot and trendy but we may not find success if it isn't a fit for us. Write according to your interests is my motto.

I always feel a little bit relieved when I read things like this from agents. I write what I like to read and I've always believed that if I am any good, eventually someone will want to publish it, whether it's "in" or not.

Since I started writing my WIP about 5 years ago, and I'm not done yet, I figure about twelve trends will have come and gone by the time it would be in print.

Forget it. I'd rather set the trend

Wait--so God is representing him?

Oh no wait. I got it.


Um...

LOL! What will people think up next?

Holy moly.

Speechless...

That's what happens to me when I take off the tinfoil hat for a few minutes. Makes showering extremely prophetic. *nods*

lol!

It amazes me what you people have to deal with. Writers are crazy people. ;)

That made me snort-laugh! Thanks!

A Biblical vision -- priceless!

Holy offer, Batman!

Your WTF posts make for great conversation topics with my friends and family. They get a good laugh out of them. :)

Unfortunately, Elijah won't be able to actually SELL the book until he returns to Earth to help usher in the Messianic age, by which point all print publishers will be dead.

I know, because Joe Konrath told me so.

*removes tongue from cheek*

And here all I got was a form rejection from Christ & Apostles, LLC.

Wowwwww. That's just... wowwww. I don't even know how I'd reply to that.

A psychic once told me I'd be a published writer...but next to THE God, she's obviously a hack ;-) Hilarious! Feel better, Kristin.

Ok. That is all kinds of awesome.

I'm pretty sure that doesn't count in the big wide world of writers, no offence or anything to that person...

Hey, this can only mean that you are the agent that god has fingered for the real bits of this process. There's no way out of this one!

Too bad people waster your time like that. I am glad you read more seriously when you get those type of e-mails. Because I'd definitely want to send you an e-mail like that if someone else ever offered me representation.

O_O

Shocking.

I don't doubt what you say for one minute, Krisin. However, haven't we all read at least a couple of books that have left us shaking our heads saying, "A literary agent actually thought this was good??!"?

I just checked the last two books I queried you on. One, the response came in one day. Another, the response took three. You guys are some of the fastest responders in the business. How much faster do these people want to hear back from you?!

Ohmy.

Well at least he warned you up front that he is going to be trouble....

Oh wow. I'm...speechless at that one, lol.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of publishing, I will fear no deadline: for thou art my agent; thy rod and thy staff they represent me.

That's...uh...that's...wow.

With family, friends, and acquaintances, I'm constantly fighting the stereotype that artists and writers are insane and/or alcoholic. I think I'll stop fighting now...

At least he didn't say God said to represent him or He shall smite you!!

Oh My God, that's funny.

We had somebody stop by IN PERSON to check the status of his submission. Which he had sent about an hour before.

Good post. Thanks for sharing. I concern on burberry handbags outlet, because I want to buy a burberry leather handbag.

I have to point out what an amazing compliment it is to you that despite an offer from "above," the person turned it down to pursue your agency. ;)

Actually, this ploy was recommended by a young, recently-signed debut author on her blog. This writer was answering questions from her followers as to how to make sure their submissions were taken seriously & therefore read by agents.

I sort of half wondered if people really did that. I guess I got my answer. Yes, people are that unethical.

I was wondering if anyone had done that before too (I would never risk it). Since some agents take months to respond to partial and full manuscript requests, this ploy might actually work. It would be dumb to do it after an initial query though.

Wow.

My first response was: Wow and then I saw that Red Tash said it too :)

There is just no other word that comes to mind.

I'm surprised by the Paranormal YA, as I've been hearing a lot of agents are quite picky with accepting a book in that genre, but I'm sure it's really good and that never goes out of style. But other than that, I'm not really surprised. Fantasy always seems to be hot. And I'm not complaining about that.

Thanks for the information! It's always nice to hear what's getting accepted.

You recently sent me a form rejection. It was one of only two I got. I had an offer by the end of the week.

So I forgive you :).

I like how anonymous is...well, anonymous. ;) Why bother leaving a comment if you're not going to sign your name?! :D

Anyway...it's interesting to see the breakdown, thanks for sharing!

Unfortunately, the volume on my computer wouldn't go high enough to hear you, but you did look spiffy. :)

I noticed none of those fulls were YA apocalyptic, so I'm hoping that's still an area of interest for editors. Thanks for the list--it's always interesting to see what agents are signing.

It is nice to see whats being accepted right now. I'm at the beginning of starting my second novel which is adult science fiction.

Thanks for the knowledge!

The signing of a sci-fi makes me happy. The one I've got making the query rounds is a YA sci-fi. :-)

Great information, as always. And, yes, "spiffy!"

You know what? Every day when I launch my Google Reader, I can't wait to see if there's a brand spankin new post from PubRants! I'm totally hooked!

Just sayin.

You do look extremely spiffy!

Thanks for sharing this. It's helpful to see. I'm working on a MG fantasy that I hope you or Sarah will like. You or Sarah gave me great help on my query letter as part of your Web class.

So it looks like fantasies are in, but I hope you remain interested in YA contemporary and paranormal. My two stories are in that genre. I just hope I can get my revisions done in time. Even if I don't, your blog is a definite encouragement to all us aspiring writers. Thanks.

I agree with Debra and Marie...definately "Spiffy". And maybe a second career here for audible books with that feeling in the read! (grin)

Just wondering what the middle-school title that sparked some interest was about...

Like several others, I'm glad to see SF getting requested. I know some people who would feel threatened by that, as if one of their "slots" was taken, but it makes me happy to know it's being repped, because then it might still be saleable!

I must be somewhat naïve; I did not find the question about what type of manuscripts were in your queue to be that important, curious yes, important no. Does it really matter what is being read right now? Write what is in your heart, what you feel, what is natural to you. Why worry about what everyone else is writing, what agents are reading. Worry about your own words, not the subject matter of someone else’s. A great book is simply that, a great book. It does not matter what genre it is if your story demands attention it will be read. Yes in reality, it may not be published this year or next, but time has a way of identifying the truly wonderful works.

More years ago than I would like to admit, when I was a freshman in college, every paper I wrote was returned with a magnitude of red lines. There was never any positive feedback written, only negative. Nothing I wrote met with my professor’s approval. Her constant complaint, I wrote ‘like I spoke’. Searching to find some redeeming qualities in my writing, I would allow my compositions to be read by other professors, they loved my papers. After receiving a C on my midterm, I called my grandmother to vent my frustrations. I have always remembered her words of wisdom; never change your own voice, it’s what makes every writer unique. The words and style in which you write should always reflect who you are, not who someone would like you to be. I survived freshman English composition with a B. My sophomore year, I laughed when I read the comments written across the top of my first paper, “What a wonderful breath of fresh air in a sea of mediocrity.” Unlike my freshman professor, my new professor loved my writing style.

What we write may not be loved or appreciated by every agent we submit it to but eventually great writing finds an audience. Beautiful words, a well written story will always find a home.

FYI what's playing on my iPod right now, "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen.

Nice article, thanks for the information.

Very helpful to know what's "hot" in your corner of the world...helps us writers cater to the market.

I think you have to love something to give it your full attention. I don't know about other writers, but I'm in a relationship with my writing. As much as I strive to be a good writer, I love my babies, whether they're ugly or not. I'd want my agent to love changing nappies as much as I do.

This might be my favorite post on your blog to date. There is a lot of comfort hidden between the lines here.

Writers write because they need to, it's great to see that you have to feel passion same as an agent. I only hope to someday be rep'ed by someone that has these same ideals.

Kristin, I have great respect for both you and your agency. I'd kill my firstborn to have you as an agent.

But this "must love" thing bothers me. The reason: I've been a contractor on lots of projects, both programming and documenting software systems. Did I take the job because I "fell in love" with the project? Nope. I took the project because I saw it was a viable concept. No, I didn't have to sell it. That was somebody else's job.

At the same time, I have to think that if I passed on a project because it wasn't something I loved, I'd simply be out the bucks.

Passion is great for your personal life, but I wonder if agents have to much attachment to that passion when they could be earning a nice chunk of change from the less than passionate projects.

I totally agree with Kristin on this.
A writer and an agent work together for the mutual benefit of both parties. I'd want an agent that loved my work (and luckily I have one). It doesn't mean I don't think an agent that passes on my work is not a good agent. Just as I am sure an agent passing on my work doesn't necessarily think it is not saleable. Sometimes there just isn't a fit between what has to be a mutually beneficial working partnership.

An agent who loves going to their job every day (or most days) should love the manuscripts they choose as well. Otherwise, getting up to go to work would be a real killer. There are more important things than money alone and passion is one of them.

Course, money doesn’t hurt either.

Marva: I've freelanced too (graphic/motion design), and I often take projects I feel no passion for, because it's possible to do professional design work without being emotionally invested in the project--in fact, it's often better *not* to be emotionally invested. Clients will demand changes and impose their vision in ways that supersede your own ideas. On most projects, I am more of an interpreter of ideas than a creator.

The agent/author relationship is completely different. The author isn't coming to the agent for help realizing their idea--they're coming to sell it, after whipping it into shape. So if the agent isn't enthusiastic, who would buy it?

So glad you posted this. :)

Marva, is your firstborn a teen?

There's a lot of hope in this post, I agree. It's not necessarily about being good enough to be published but finding the right partner in the journey.

I agree - there is comfort here. And I like the thought of an agent bowing out rather than not knowing who's truly passionate about it.

Marva: The difference is an agent IS out there to sell your work. Part of their job is to "sell it" to editors. And few agents seem to suffer from a lack of clients - the spots the have available I can understand wanting to be passionate about them.

Marva,

I've been a contractor, and I'm a published, agented writer. When I take a contract job, I have a contract that says I'll be paid when I deliver X. Agents have no idea if the ms. is going to lead to money for the time spent trying to sell it. After two rounds of submissions to editors and plenty of rejections (and not a penny made for the effort), it's the agent's passion for the project that will make them try another round. If it's strictly a business proposition, they'd probably give up after round one.

Imagine selling something you think is a good product, versus selling something you think causes the sun to rise and set. You're going to be a much better seller of the second product.

I agree with Marva. I worked in entertainment for ten years and I can tell you the studios don't make their decisions based on passion -- it all boils down to how much money they can make on a movie. There's a whole department that sits around and crunches numbers for the execs so they can make a decision about greenlighting a film. For an agent to go with passion instead of money is admirable, and I guess books are a little different, but from my experience people who sell things truly don't need to be in love with them. Think about all the other industries who market things and have to sell things to the public--why is the book industry so different?

Good for you, Kristin. We're told as writers to write from the heart and not follow what we think will be the next trend. Obviously, we want our books to sell, but I personally can only write what I'm passionate about. It's very encouraging to know there are agents out there who work from the same mindset.

I get this a good example for your blog but I can't but feel a little bad for the author if he or she is reading this. Probably took the air right out of the party balloon.

Just this week an editor I've had a long a positive working relationship with passed on my most recent novel. Not because it wasn't good enough. Not because it won't make money. It just wasn't a good fit for his house. He sent me a kind note mentioning several things he loved about the text and a suggestion about where I might find the most responsive editors.

I'm grateful. He recognized that this book would always be the misfit in his house and that the book and I deserve better. Editing is a labor intensive art and I'd rather not sell a book at all than let it go to someone who will do a half-hearted job. Passion shows in the finished product.

"There's a whole department that sits around and crunches numbers for the execs so they can make a decision about greenlighting a film."

But the agent isn't the exec in this scenario. She's the person who has to convince someone a few rungs below the exec just to take a look at a ms. Then that person has to get 2 or 3 of her peers to give it second reads. If the ms. makes it that far, it goes to ed board where sales and marketing have to approve. Then it goes to the number cruncher who provides the P&L statement that the exec uses to determine whether to buy, and the exec rarely does. All the while there are hundreds of other agents sending thousands of other mss. through the same process. There are many choices of sodas, cars, DVDs for consumers to be pitched, but nowhere near as many mss. competing for so few slots. A passionate agent is more likely to jump all these hurdles multiple times than one who just sees the money.

There are stories of agents who send a ms. out and if it doesn't sell after a handful of editors, they're out. Then the writer has to look for another agent, hard to do for a book that's already made the rounds, even if only a handful of editors ever saw it. That book is doomed unless he's lucky enough to find an agent so passionate about the "tainted" book she's willing to take it on and try to sell it. Might as well find the passionate agent from the get-go.

Agree. In writing, without the passion, there's no patience to complete it, draft after draft, and without the patience, there's no perseverance to see it through until the end when it gets published.

This applies to selling it, too. Passion, like enthusiasm, is infectious. I'd rather have someone who is passionate and enthusiastic about selling my novel, as I was while writing it, then it'll have a fighting chance to attract a passionate and enthusiastic editor, who'll then have to convince everyone else on her side of the operation.

Otherwise it won't happen and everyone suffers for it.

Yawn, here's another book. I think it's OK, it'll sell, you'll make a few bucks, so what's the problem?

I get this a good example for your blog but I can't but feel a little bad for the author if he or she is reading this. Probably took the air right out of the party balloon.

While I would be thrilled to the moon and back to work with Kristin, if my manuscript had already received an offer from a publisher and was getting multiple offers of representation from other agents I had queried, my balloon would still have plenty of air in it despite Kristin's post.

Who would want to focus on that when so many great things are happening?

That's a nice reminder for those of us not yet ready to query. It kind of puts things into perspective.

“But the agent isn't the exec in this scenario. She's the person who has to convince someone a few rungs below the exec just to take a look at a ms.”

I’m not convinced this is a valid argument. Why are the agent and the acquiring editor the only ones who must feel passion for the ms? Theoretically once a manuscript is purchased, the rest of the company has to support it. Marketing can’t turn down the job because they don’t feel passion. The agent only has to sell it to an editor, one person. What about marketing and PR, aren’t they the ones who truly have to feel the passion to sell the MS to thousands of people who will potentially buy the book? What if the agent finds a manuscript that isn’t right for her but knows the perfect editor for the project, do they pass?

To me selling a book to an editor seems easier than selling something like Greased Lightening to the public. Books have many different layers, they are complex beings with plots and characters and hooks. There is much for someone to glom onto and for someone to be able to sell to someone else. What if there were thousands of Greased Lightening products out there, how would you enter that market as a debut? I might be incredibly naive, but what if the dialogue between agent and editor were to change? What if the agent crunched the numbers and said ‘this is why you can sell it’ and kept the passion out of it? Maybe they already do this, and I hope I can still query the Nelson Agency after this post, but I feel very passionate about this issue and I'm not the kind of person to go anonymous.

cheers
KFran

I enjoyed reading this, and knowing that on that wonderful day in the future when I will get an offer of representation (positive thinking, see?), that my agent will be as excited about my work as I am! Thanks Kristin!

KFran,

"Why are the agent and the acquiring editor the only ones who must feel passion for the ms?"

Because those other in-house people will never see it if the agent can't convince the editor to read it(not buy it, they have close to no buying authority unless very high up the editorial chain). Then that editor, who has no buying authority, must go and convince her second readers (other editors with little buying authority) to read it, give positive feedback which helps acquiring editor sell it at the ed board review, where she then must all sell it to S&M. Most books don't get that far, so the sales/marketing department's enthusiasm to sell the book into accounts (B&N, etc) is moot until the agent can sell it to the publisher.

Believe me, I wish it worked out the way you describe, but I'm relaying my experience through a few books deals, which is why I remain Anon 10:05. I'm just grateful I found an agent who was passionate enough about my work to stick with me until I finally landed those deals.

We would need an agent or editor to tell us from their side of the game how often it plays out your way.

Now I think I've exhausted my two cents.

This is all very great and mature and wonderful, but for the projects you do take on -- what if the author's NEXT project just isn't something you love?

It gets "kind of" shopped and given up on? Or sort of" shopped and the client leaves because you (collective you, meaning agents) have lost the love?

That's why I hate, hate, hate all the I must BE IN LOVE crap. Because it stands to reason that an agent ISN'T going to love every book by a client.

I'll go with flat out professionalism and knowing editors who'll love a book even if it's not your favorite every time.

Speaking from a writer's perspective, I am grateful that you refuse books you're not passionate about. I appreciate your honesty in that regard.

I tell other writers (and friends who don't write) that they should never get frustrated with an agent who doesn't connect with the material. The truth is, you wouldn't want to marry someone who dated you and said "well, you know, you don't smell too bad, let's get hitched." You want to marry someone who says "you shine like the sun, I love being around you."

Although agency is a business relationship, people connect with books on a personal level. If an agent just doesn't feel the fire, you don't want them representing your work. You need to find someone for whom your novel is more than just the 'absence of suck.'

Thanks for being the honest resource you are.

Thanks for the reminder. When I get rejections telling me, "Just not right for me." I tell myself that I want an agent who is passionate about my MS, but after a couple of these, you start second-guessing yourself.

I too, do not get the love thing, although Kristin you are the bomb Wonder if you pass on this book and her next book is something you are passionate about, because obviously she has the talent, and wonder if she is passionate about having you as her dream agent. Or vice versa, (like someone else mentioned) you loved this one and not her next MS, but it is still totally saleable.

I like a lot of books I read. I only love a handful, which pretty much are the bestsellers. Where would we be without the likeable books? You know maybe the one about nosebleeds and how to stop them-who could be passionate about that?

I think this also underscores the fact that no matter how much the agent thanks us for "the look," writers are the ones who have to hope and pray someone clicks with their mss.

I often wonder when the agent who reps x-celebrity penned ego exercises such as titles like "How I got famous and look after my dog at the same time!" which you occasionally see on the shelves, if they are repping it for the "love". Yes. It seems the only ones who are rejected for lack of love are the unknowns, but for the knowns, well, we'll just rep them because we know they're a gold mine. Sorry unknowns, we just don't "love" you as much as Tiger Wood's 37th mistress.

I think what's important to note here too is that this author already has serious interest/offers from both publishers and agents. Given that, it frankly doesn't make a whole lot of sense for Kristen to put her time and energy into trying to win this author when she's likely up against people who are simply more passionate about the project than she is.

It's a no-brainer really. If you are the author, who would you choose? The agent who is madly in love with your work or the one who is lukewarm? One of the biggest assets an agent brings to the table is their enthusiasm, their GENUINE enthusiasm for a writer's book.

This seems to depend on the agent. I went to a conference last year where there was an agent panel. All the agents said they needed to feel passionate about a manuscript except one. One male agent said it was much simpler for him--can he sell it? Period. So if you want an agent that is just focused on the sell, they are out there.

I personally am happy that I have an agent who is passionate about my story. If someone loves your book, it's going to come across in their sales pitch. It's also going to keep them motivated when they have to read your manuscript over and over during the editing process.

I think one of the things that the "how come you can't sell something you don't love?" people are missing is that an agent does a LOT more than just broker a sale and then step back and wash her hands of the process.

The agent is the go-to person anything goes wrong.

I generally abhor calling books babies, but they are like babies in this sense: If you didn't love them, you would sometimes contemplate murder.

The passion matters not just for the sale, but to keep up the energy to make sure the book gets the attention and treatment it deserves to do well down the line.

"The passion matters not just for the sale, but to keep up the energy to make sure the book gets the attention and treatment it deserves to do well down the line."

Yea, but isn’t it passion for the job, not passion for the book that we want? I want an agent who is passionate about her job, who loves doing what she's doing so that she can stay dedicated to me for years. Sure, she can love my book, but if she doesn't love her job what's the point?

I'm passionate about my day job, I sometimes work 60 hours a week on it because it's very important to me. But, I'm certainly not that excited about the products I've built over the years (online stamps, whoopee) I guarantee I've given my projects attention and dedication for years and years because I enjoy my work, not so much because I enjoyed the project. This is what I'm looking for in an agent, someone who loves their job and not necessarily my book. That kind of dedication shines through.

Great post. Thanks so much!

Don't get why this author didn't go with you instead...seriously!

But what do I know? (complicitous smile)

Just out of curiosity, but could you approach those clients now or would that be crossing a professional 'no-poach' agenting line?

Jenna, I was curious about the same thing.

But I would imagine the author signed a contract and she/he was passed to another agent within the same agency.

But do you really think an agent would answer, "Actually, I plan to leave in six months?" Knowing that this would mean that the author probably wouldn't sign with them, wouldn't it basically put them out of work until they decided to leave for the next job?

Maybe I'm being overly cynical, though. It's definitely a question I'd like to ask!

Well probably, had those clients asked that agent at the time, she would have replied that of course she planned to continue agenting.

I doubt that the decision was made lightly.

That is a great question to ask, especially since it'll have such a huge impact on the client(s). I've been hearing a lot of stories about agents just dropping off the face of the earth or moving up, so I think it's a nice thing to consider whether you'll be together for a while or whether that won't be the case. I'd definitely want someone to be with me throughout my entire career, and if the agent doesn't think that'll happen, I should get a heads up, I think.

Agents don't make a salary; they live on commissions.

Newer agents, those without a track record, while they may be looking to build a client list and therefore easier to connect with for a new writer, may also be a risky bet.

Especially in the current economic climate. How do they survive? Most have other jobs. If they don't make it within a year, they leave. No choice. Not an easy business in which to survive, let alone succeed.

Great question to ask. Just as agents probably want to know how we envision our careers five, ten years down the road, we should want to know the same thing about them.

I wonder how often this happens, especially since a lot of agents used to be editors.

That seems a valid question, but it's possible that someone wouldn't anticipate a career switch in six months (or job switch within the same industry).

I could see several situations where a person is going along just fine, and then finds either another opportunity that simply feels right or things don't work out as hoped - and a change is needed.

I guess it seems like your post is suggesting that the agent was not forthcoming about her or his career plans. That might not have been the case. But maybe I read the post the wrong way.

A valid question along similar lines is this: "Do you agent full-time?"

This happened to a friend of mine a few years ago, but his agent was independent so he was faced with the prospect of starting all over again to look for representation. It was pretty sobering.

I agree with other comments that suggest that an agent may not be able to anticipate how her/his career or life is going to unfold ... life is uncertain, after all, if it weren't what would we write about?

Might it be appropriate to ask an agent what the authors relationship would be to an agency if the agent herself left? And to follow up -- assuming the answer involves an author's obligation to stick with the agency for the term of a contract -- with questions about how the author should expect to be represented if other agents in the agency don't feel as enthusiastic about the author's work?

A few years ago, an agent offered to represent me. This person was based in the midwest, but since Kristin is as well, I decided that alone should not be held against her. However, there were a few other red flags, namely that she was extremely new, had gone into the business initially to represent her friend, and had only one or two sales to just one publisher. She was nice as kittens -- not a predator -- and there were no other agents fighting over me, (more's the pity), but I decided not to go with her because I was afraid her interest in agenting was only a passing fancy.

I was right. She is no longer in the business. Yet she was very enthusiastic at the time.

I have to agree, it really won't help you to ask this question of the agent. But I do think that when you evaluate an agent you must take into account how long they have been in the business and what the rest of their agency is like.

Your contract will state what happens to you if the agent leaves the agency. Typically, you are reassigned to another agent in house. That is never as good as having an agent who picked you herself, but may still work out.

Ouch! A few weeks ago, I was wondering the same thing about Colleen Lindsay's clients when she left being an agent. And I continued to wonder about other agents who have other preoccupations like writing as well or into business, what if they left suddenly? Well, here's my answer.

Call me a cynic, but if an agent really wants your ms, they're not going to answer anything but what you want to hear, no matter what the question is.

When you're interviewing agents as a way of choosing between offers, in a lot of cases, the answer doesn't really matter, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't ask the question. To wit:

Q: Do you see yourself still agenting in six months? a year?

Possible A1: Absolutely! I love it! I was born to agent and I can't imagine not waking up every morning looking forward to working with authors!

Possible A2: Sure, of course I do, it's great. You can count on me.

Possible A3: What? That's none of your business.

None of these answers guarantee that the agent will still be around in three years -- nothing can! -- but they all tell you something about the person you're talking to, and that factors into your decision.

The best story I have here is the young agent who called me after I submitted to tell me she was getting out of the business because she couldn't handle all the rejection.

Still makes me smile.

I'm going to be so good here, because I know exactly who you are talking about.

I wish the clients who had to deal with this all the best. If nothing else, it's a very good experience in the area of anything can happen in publishing :))

I think you can tell a lot by the way someone answers a question if you are really listening.

I think it's a good question to ask an agent. I put it on my list.

The first client I signed actually asked me that, and I gotta say, it threw me. Not because I wasn't sure but because I couldn't even fathom not continuing to be an agent. I thought I was the luckiest person in the world to be an agent assistant at my agency and the idea of leaving was just unthinkable.

Still is, of course, only now I know that that is a valid question because some agents do leave. Even if I can't fathom it myself. :)

I must confess... I did not ask my agent a single question before going with her.

But perhaps I am a special case. :D

Actually, this is the question you should ask:

Q: So, do you plan to be diagnosed with cancer and be forced to take a corporate job for the health care?

A: ...




Nice. Very nice.

Thought I'd just step in here and end some of this speculation since I'm one of the authors being referred to. I'll admit I dislike the way some of these comments are going and while I can't fault anyone for forming whatever opinions they have, please understand that for the most part, the client-agent relationship is private, and really should remain that way.

Gossip benefits no one.

I went with Colleen because I thought she was the best fit at the time. Within 36 hours of going on submission, I went to auction. About a week later, I landed a 3 book deal at Pocket.

And yes, I have a new agent at Fine Print - Suzie Townsend. I'm perfectly happy with that.

For those of you wondering if I didn't do my homework, please note that I had 4 fabulous agents who had made offers and about a week in which to make a decision. I spent several hours talking to Colleen on the phone and via email. (As I did all the rest of the agents.) Many questions were asked and answered.

It was a nerve-wracking, wondrous experience.

It was not a decision I made lightly and in the end, I went with my gut.

Every author's circumstances are different - how they get to where they are, the choices they make, the luck of the draw. It's unfair to make comparisons after the fact, because no, you will *never* know what might have happened if you chose a different path.

Things change.

Life happens.

Hindsight makes everything look rosier.

One thing I *can* guarantee?

Had I asked Colleen if she would still be an agent in six months, she would have said yes - because the doctor hadn’t told her she had cancer yet.

http://murraychronicles.tumblr.com

Awesome. I'll throw this in the same pile as my ideas for surviving on a desert island and things to buy when I win the lottery.

Sounds like this agent/blogger is full of sour grapes for being passed over.

One agent who was handling two of my screenplays (based on novels I had written) had a nervous breakdown after she lost her father and a son a week apart in an auto accident and, advised by her doctor, closed down her agency that she ran successfully for years.

Life sometimes gets in the way of good careers. Hers, and, perhaps, mine. I often wonder where I would be right now had she optioned or sold one of those screenplays that she was in love with. That was 13 years ago, and soon after I began teaching full time at a university and went through a divorce/custody battle and writing or marketing my work, especially my screenplays and novels, for the most part, got derailed.

Recently I opted to walk away from teaching and I'm back to rewriting those novels and screenplays right now...

Wow, this really makes me think.

Thanks, it's time for me to move on (obviously!) and get back on the saddle in a big way; I can't do anything about the past, but I definitely can about my writing future, this second time around...

PS, love your blog!

Yin/yang works.

A good thing!

Interesting though, since a lot of agencies don't allow writers to query multiple agents at one agency at the same time.

Lucky for them!

Thank you for sharing this perspective! Differing taste is definitely a good thing.

An off-shoot of what Kathryn says: For some agencies, a "no" from one agent is a "no" from all. In this case, a writer could be missing out by querying the wrong agent in the agency. (Even after extensive research.)

@Sandy Shin,

It sounds like the writer in this case emailed both Kristin and Sara at the same time, which is a no-no for some (probably most) agencies, right?

Unless the writer queried only one and they both decided to read the full submission...? Maybe it was that.

Very encouraging to hear on a day when I received a rejection ;-)

I think this is the sort of thing aspiring writers can't be reminded of enough. As a species we tend to take rejections in an intensely personal way, and it can be hard to remember that sometimes it has absolutely nothing to do with the manuscript and everything to do with personal taste and opinion.

Thanks for posting this!

@ Kathryn

Most likely the writer only queried one. Double check, but I believe Kristin and Sara both read fulls, just to make sure that something of interest to one of them doesn't get rejected out of hand.

Well, I do believe there will always be "The One" agent for me who will like my work.:)

This is a timely reminder for me. I just received a rejection on a partial because she didn't like the futuristic setting or the militant feel of the book. I wondered why she bothered to request it in the first place, since those characteristics are made clear in my query. The point is, that same partial is still out to another agent who requested more after reading sample pages--the ones that show you right away we're in the future and there's gonna be guns. Completely different tastes, apparently.

Personal tastes aside, every agent is at a different place in his or her career, too, so that's going to influence how many manuscripts they request and how many offers they make. I imagine Sara has a bit more room in her list than you do at the moment.

(Which isn't to say that Sara didn't fall in love with the manuscript, of course. Newer agents are just a little hungrier than more established ones.)

Best of luck to the newly agented writer:)

Definitely a reminder to me of how subjective this industry is, and the importance of finding the right Agent with whom to work with; they need to believe in and love the manuscript as much as the author.

Glad for that writer who didn't get passed!

LOL

And it's a great reminder when we're rejected, just keep pressing on.

This is so true. I know it's said over and over, but it only takes one agent to love a project, just as it only takes one editor to love it and push for it to see the light of day/page.

I couldn't agree more with your comment as it relates to how subjective this industry is. Timing also plays a role, but it can easily be categorized in the "subjective" category.

My book just won a NIEA (Finalist Award). It was a great feeling to know that these judges enjoyed my book, considering the great competition from wonderful books they were considering.

Anyway, talk about subjective, I have been contacted by an entertainment company who wants a screen play (almost done) inspired by my book but I'm still looking for an agent. Maybe Kindle is the next stop for me.......

This is why writers shouldn't hesitate to query more than one agent at the same agency. Just don't query them at the same time!

Kristin,

Thank you so much for this blog post. You have perfect timing.

Alas, while my manuscript *did* have a B&B in it, it didn't have any of the other factors--but I still received a rejection from y'all anyway.

Your blog post makes perfect sense, and my submissions are gathering interest elsewhere. Everything is so subjective. We as writers and readers know this, but it's still always saddening when we wish the "no" could have been "yes."

Keep up the great blogging work. Thanks again for the perfect timing!

Elaine

If Sara passed after reading a partial is a writer allowed to query you with it, or is a no on a partial still a "no" for the whole agency?

Purely hypothetical, of course... :)

Well, you've certainly helped me breathe easy. :) Thanks, Kristin.

I'm sorry that happened. If this happened to me, I'd be ranting too. Time definitely is something you can't ever get back. I hope in the future this doesn't happen again. :)

I think your request as to when other agents show interest is valid. Surely the author could have told your agency at least that much information. I thought it was standard business procedure to inform all interested agencies as to mutual interest. Maybe I'm wrong though.

"In this case, we only had the submission for 3 weeks."

And yet you want the author to respond immediately when the MS goes off the market?

Maybe the author was busy, you know, with all those things that are obviously not as important as whatever you're doing?!

How inconsiderate of them.

I wonder if the author thought everything through? Maybe they were pressured by the other agent? Like, "I need an answer asap." Still doesn't excuse it, but perhaps explains what happened. Most of us are not old hands at the publishing business and it might not have occurred to the author to offer you a chance to offer representation. They might have thought, "I have to take this now, because the other agency that has it hasn't responded yet, and for all I know, they're going to turn it down anyway."

I'm just speculating here. I don't know any of the parties involved, just trying to take my mind off my own frustrating querying exerience.

Anon 7:24,

Even if you don't have sympathy for the agents, have some for your fellow writers (if you are a writer). An agent reading an off-the-market ms. just took 6 hours reading time from writers who are still looking. There may have been several other agents besides Kristin reading unnecessarily.

It's great that the writer has found an agent, but don't clog the pipeline. How much time does it take to send an e-mail saying -- I have an offer of representation. Are you interested? The agent will either pass and congratulate you, or ask for a specific amount of time to read your ms. If they don't meet the deadline, move on.

Hopefully I will someday be in a position to have multiple offers from agents, but first I must finish my WIP!

I do have a question regarding notifying agents that you've submitted to. I understand that it's common courtesy to notify other agents who have the full that you've received an offer. Does that also go for agents that you have queried but have received no response, even if they have not requested a full or partial?

Thanks for all the hard work that you put into this blog!

That is so true, Anon just above me. I just got rejected yesterday and maybe...nah, but can't help wondering.

I've never had that happen to me but I've heard of writers receiving rejections after a year or two, and yeah, that makes you wonder why the agent is still accepting queries for possible new clients and asking for full manuscripts if they're THAT busy. :-/

Yes, I too wish I could completely eliminate unnecessary/futile work and wasted time in my job.

Don't all of you?

Now, how many of you have jobs where this is the case? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Ah, that's what I thought.

@Shelley I don't think Kristin usually responds to comments, so I thought I'd jump in and answer your question.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's customary to only notify the agents who have fulls or partials. Outstanding queries don't really matter because they're not a big time-suck to read.

Kristin, trust me, if you ever had my full and I received another offer, you'd be the first to know:)

Shelley, in the situation you describe (notifying agents who have just your query), I'd probably contact the ones I was really interested in working with, and the ones who'd only had the query for a short time.

One of the hardest lessons of my life is that not everyone is as considerate as I was brought up to be. As a writer, I try to keep agents and editors in the loop as far as multiple submissions.

Coincidentally, yesterday I received a rejection from a publisher (not an agent) for work I sent out over two years ago. That was a requested manuscript following a query, not an unsolicited manuscript. That kind of treatment makes it hard for us as writers to not view editors as impersonal corporate entities.

You have every right to be grumpy. To do that to anyone is rude, especially in a business situation. They should have at least held off on accepting the offer until notifying you.

Rude people make me angry. Rant away, Kristin, you have every right.

Not disagreeing with your point at all. To give the benefit of the doubt for the author, perhaps it was simply a matter of time zone. If an agent from New York they wanted to work with offered representation Monday morning and they are on the east coast and received it Monday morning, your office wouldn't be open for two hours still. It's quite possible you received as early a notice as could be had.

...now, whether that was likely or not. :)

As for me, the longest I've waited for a query that got answered was four months. I had begun querying on a new manuscript when this letter showed up in the mail. I had forgotten all about it. I had assumed it was just a no reply.

Those happen way too frequently in my opinion. I debated this with Anna Genoese, formerly of Tor. We did the math and with what has become an average query rate (say 1000) multiplied for the year and then divided by time required for a form reply, an agent spends a full week's worth of time sending out form rejections. Not reading the query, just sending out the rejections. She was of the opinion that the agency was better not sending anything. I strongly disagree. I think it's professional courtesy to notify the thousands of people that want to work with you that you received and reviewed their queries and are going to pass.

Of the queries I still have out with agents right now, I expect at least half of them (25% of my total query list so far) will never reply to my query.

I can understand the disappointment of not getting an opportunity at an offer, and the aggravation at lost time.

It appears that writers are not the only ones to experience manuscript frustrations.

Good luck with the rest of your week. Hope you get a little relaxation, even with the extended work hours.

I think it comes down to professionalism. Also, it doesn't pay to burn bridges as I've seen cases where a writer's agent leaves the business and the writer has to start the process all over again. Hope the rest of your week goes more smoothly. :)

I do understand feeling like you've wasted those hours.

But what if the author got her first offer from her number one choice? It's a kindness not to make the other agents do a song and dance when her mind is made up.

In this case the author did email the other agents to inform them that she'd accepted representation. I don't think it's fair to assume that she withheld information. As the other poster said, there is a time difference from EST. She did email. It just happened to be the weekend that you read the ms.

It is common practice in most job areas to pitch against other agencies or companies. Yes, it is annoying to lose a pitch. But please put the blame where it belongs! YOU lost the pitch, not the author. Clearly, it took you too long to reply. Yes, I know, only three weeks. But the other agent managed to get the deal, right? They turned the project around a lot faster. How annoying that you missed by maybe just a day. But did you? Would you have actually signed the author on? How long would the process have taken?

I think it is very decent of the author to let you know s/he signed elsewhere. S/he was trying to save you some work. I tend to go with business contacts who move fast. If I like the person on top of that, we have a deal. I do not wait around for other people to profess interest, neither do I follow up on business deals that seem to have gone nowhere. So, as I said, to send such a speedy e-mail is very decent and not strictly necessary.

Maybe you should turn the process around: Rather than expecting the author to tell you some other agency is interested (which would have been a good move from the author, actually, because that would certainly would have sped up your response time!), let them know you are reading their manuscript. An e-mail goes a long way here, I think.

Besides: Before signing ANY contract, surely people are entitled to think about it? I tend to make a decision and then think about it some more over the weekend and then move quickly. Which might very well be what the author has been doing.

Sorry, I like your blog, but this post comes across at whining and putting the blame where it clearly does not belong. It is a bit as if you are trying to make that poor author feel bad about the deal which is not very nice at all because I bet s/he is delighted to have closed a deal so quickly.

I decided not to go anonymous like the other people who did not agree with you.

All the best,
Barbara

God, If i were ever in a position where I had an offer but it was still out on submission with other agents, I think I'd give everyone a chance to show interest before just saying 'yes' to the first one to offer representation. Just seems like the polite and logical thing to do. Then again, if an agent did offer rep., I'd probably be so out of my mind with excitement that I would lose track of what 'polite' and 'logical' even mean....hmn.

Girl, I know that's frustrating!
I'm so sorry for that.
I can see the author, however, biting a dangling worm instead of patiently waiting...
BUT I don't understand not moving till you've seen ALL the potential offers...that was maybe a mistake on their part...you might have done pretty darn well for them.

I can certainly understand the frustration of using your time for them. You can't redeem time like you can redeem money...it's gone now.
That could have been precious time spend with friends or family.
sorry again that happened.


Also, I think it's great that you guys give two months. At least you give a deadline. Those other guys who didn't even respond?...OUCH!

I know the established mode is to ask agent “A” (the one making the offer) for some time to reflect and then to give agents B, C and D a chance to finish reading and extend offers of their own. But really, if agent A is “the” one, your dream agent and you are 100% certain you are going to accept, aren’t you just making agents B-D do a lot of reading over a short period of time to no purpose? That seems even more rude than politely withdrawing the MS.

Exactly what I was going to say, Anonymous! I'm assuming the writer emailed other agents as soon as she knew she was certainly going to accept the offer. So why waste more of the other agents' time?

One thing you agents could do that might help matters is when you respond to a query letter with a request for a full, *say* that if you accept an offer for the ms from elsewhere, to let you know as soon as possible.

Yes, I know to do this but not everyone does, and the requests for fulls that I've gotten so far are my own query letter sent back to me with a scrawl across the top..."Yes, please send the full! Jane." Maybe add a few more words on the expectations for the author?

I agree with anonymous at 7:24.

Agents are people, but so are we. No one likes to waste their time-- but that includes us. Before I got an agent, I wasted hours querying agents who never even bothered to respond. (Kristin did respond.)

One agent asked for a one month exclusive and free copies of my previously published books, and then the month stretched to two months before he finally rejected me. (Sorry, I'm supposed to say he "redirected" me.)

I agree that if the person received an offer on Friday, s/he should have contacted you on Friday... but I can see how it happened. She probably thought you were ignoring her as so many other agents had done.

Sorry, I get weary of the "agents are so busy" complaints. Writers are busy too. Most of us have day jobs (at which we too can find ourselves busy) and families and dedicate what little time we have left to writing, querying, etc. Just like some agents can't seem to take the time to even form-reject a query, or offer non-form comments on a full or partial rejection (not you Kristin, but many many others), maybe some writers don't have the time to notify every pending agent of offers.

I have to agree with Anon 7:24 and Barbara.

Writers are subjected to this all the time. It's so commonplace I feel silly for even mentioning it. But as a writer you get requests for fulls and agents NEVER respond back (happened twice with the last ms I subbed). You get requests for revisions, which you hop off excitedly to do, and then the agent doesn't read them for FOUR months (yes, this just happened to me, an A-list agent, too). You research and query and personalize and get a form reject with your name misspelled.

I'd assume that, as a writer, if you are finally in the position of having a great offer, you might just take it, rather than risk the upheaval of signing with another agent who (possibly) only wants the ms because another agent did.


(I'm anon because I don't blog to promote and therefore don't have a blogger account, not because I'm ashamed of my POV).

None of us know exactly what we would do until it happens to us. So I'll tell you how it happened to me. I had full MSs out with several agents. One offered. I let the others know I had an offer. A couple said they couldn't get to it and good luck; the rest said they'd read it over the weekend, and in the end, I had four offers. And I learned more in the ensuing email and phone conversations with those four agents than I had from months and years of research.

It is NEVER bad for an author to respond to an offer of representation with "thank you; I need a couple days to think about it." Some agents will respond with time limits ("respond by noon or the offer is withdrawn") and some will respond generously ("of course, call or email me with any questions") and that, too, is information that will help you make an informed decision.

It's not just politeness. It's the smartest move for your career. If you're ever lucky enough to be in this position, make the most of it. It's not a chance to metaphorically flip the bird to all agents who've ever ignored you; it is the most important decision you can make as a writer, so grab it with both hands.

When I was in a similar position last year, seems all the agents suddenly became interested and sped up their reading. (Though it didn't work out)

Why does a ms. suddenly become "hot" only if other agents are interested? By now, don't established agents trust their own tastes and savvy enough to take on a newcomer?

Signing with an agent is a huge decision. I expect the author took the weekend to decide if s/he wanted to take the offer, then let you know first thing monday morning that s/he did.

Ditto Anonymous 8:15. Politeness aside, it's just good business to inform other agents of an offer. Because even though you *think* you know who your number one is, all of that might change once you actually talk to him/her (and some of his/her clients).

I tend to agree with Anon at 7:24. Amy Cook also makes an excellent point.

Dear Kristin:

In my search for an agent I have noticed that some state right in their submission guidelines that if they are not interested in your work you will NOT hear back from them. I was wondering what your thoughts on this method are. A standard, yet polite, "no thank you" email is just a click away. I can't really imagine it messing with their timelines just to say no. From a writer's standpoint, ths is the worst kind of torture. Because of the length of time it can take to hear back - I don't want to be wondering what's going on forever. There is something to be said for "closure" if you will.
It's not unlike going to the doctor for an exray, but then never finding out what is wrong with you, if anything at all.

Just wondering your thoughts on this method.

Anon 8:50,

It's pretty much the same reason a manuscript becomes "hot" if it's on submission to editors and if one editor offers, other editors will suddenly become interested too. I don't think it's really because the professionals don't trust their own taste. It's because if one of their colleagues approves of it, chances are good that the manuscript has merit and the other agents become curious. It's exactly like situations in life where if you see a long line or big crowd somewhere, you feel the urge to see what the commotion is about. :)

It comes down to this.

Author's goal: get an agent.
Agent's goal: find a good client to represent.

In this scenario, the author achieved their goal. The agent did not.

Tell my why the author is in the wrong/should feel bad about this?

I was in that position. I had received interest directly from an editor and queried several agents to find representtion. I let them all know that other agents had the MS. When one made an offer of representation, I gave the others a couple of days to respond. Of those who responded I selected one, and let the others know I'd made my selections immediately. I think it's just good business.

With that said, I selected the agent who was most enthusiastic about my project. He read my MS in a VERY timely manner, took the time to call me with feedback, and even patiently waited as I waited for all other responses.

So, I think that consideration goes both ways. Understanding that agents have other clients and tons of queries, when we let you know that there's other interest, if you're really interested in that project, at that point it's time to step up the game a little bit.

Marie, you're so right! Notice on "Shark Tank" how the other sharks perk up when their competitors show interest in a biz? Suddenly they all want a piece of the pie. Maybe writers should tell agents others are interested just to get a response! J/K Very frustrating.

Re: response times: I've had requests for partials and fulls WEEKS after sending a query, so how do you know your idea is rejected when agents won't give a time frame? Worse, they refuse to respond after months of waiting and regular status queries. How do we know if an agent is "BUSY" or not interested? We're not mind readers!

It's all in a days work for the writer and the agent.

Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.

The key is to do what Kristin said, "I’ll get off it now and move on."

Nuff said.

1. Agents do not get paid until they make a sale. Current clients are the priority. Reading is fit in. Time is their commodity. They can't always predict exactly how long something will take.
2. Writers may think they've found their dream agent, and find out otherwise as a relationship unfolds. You might be sending out those queries again. Why piss off other agents you might want to work with in the future? How do you know what the agent is like unless you've had a chance to work with/know/speak to clients?
3. Publishing is a small world. If you're a jerk, in any part of the process, you will become known as a jerk.
4. The same holds true for agents. If you're a jerk - if you only become interested when others have shown interest, it gets around.

You know what? That's the risk you take.

How many times have you read a full, offered representation, been asked to wait, and then been told the author was going with someone else? Is that wasted time?

How many times have you read a full and declined representation? Is that wasted time?

If you think that any situation that doesn't end with you offering representation and the author accepting is wasted time, then I think there's a bigger issue than this one author. If you don't think that's wasted time, then I would advise you to just accept that you lost this one and move on with your life.

I feel like you only think you wasted your weekend because you didn't get a chance to ask the author to pick you. But I'm betting not all authors pick you anyway. I'm betting, in the end, at least a few authors say that they are going to pick someone else, and they tell you this after you read the full and express interest. And this was no different. You read the full, and the author picked someone else. Just because you weren't part of a competetion or the author's first choice doesn't mean that the author did anything wrong.

Besides, it's your job to read the manuscripts you request. The author is not obligated to give you weeks or months to get back to him or her. I understand wanting a heads up so you don't read a manuscript that is no longer available. But maybe it wasn't unavailable until that morning because the author was still thinking about it, or hadn't heard back until that morning. And if the other agent was his or her first choice, then there really wasn't any need to wait for other agents to respond. In this case, you just have to accept that you weren't number one for this author and that the author went with whomever they felt was the best fit, even if you don't like it.

The author waited three weeks for a response from you. I don't think that's excessively long to wait for a request for a full. It certainly wasn't anywhere near months. However, an author's time is just as valuable as an agent's. And if this author liked the agent who offered, felt they were a good match, and wanted to work with this agent, why should the author waste his or her time telling everyone who has the manuscript to read fast, and then waste more time waiting to accept an offer he or she already knows they are going to accept?

Also, ranting about it in this way is just mean-spirited. If the author queried you, he or she probably reads your blog. And if he or she sees this post... Well, it seems to me that it's meant to criticise them for making a choice that, simply put, you just don't agree with or like. And it's in a forum where he or she can't tell you that you seem a little petty without coming across negatively himself or herself.

Anon 12:32,

I don't think it was jerky of this author to make a decision without consulting all the other agents who had the full. If the agent who offered was the one he or she wanted, then I think the author was in the right.

Also, while it's true that sometimes a dream agent turns out to be a nightmare agent, sometimes the dream agent turns out to be perfect. I've read more than one story where the author accept the first offer, who also happened to be the author's number one choice, and it worked out wonderfully.

Ultimately, we really have no idea what the specific circumstances were for this author, who he or she chose, or why he or she chose them. We can say it was a bad decision, but we don't really KNOW that. For all we know, it is a perfect match.

I don't blame Kristen for ranting about this, but I don't blame the writer either.

It boils down to this: Either the writer made a stupid decision by accepting the first offer simply because it was there, or their dream agent offered and they snatched it up.

In either case, it's one of the issues that comes with being a lit agent. Sure it's frustrating, but it's going to continue to happen.

I'd say whenever you request a full, specifically ask the writer to inform you if there are others reading the full and/or other offers pending so you'll know what priority you should give the MS.

Anon 12:41 Amen.

Yeah this post really really bothers me. Agents seem to think they belong on some sort of pedestal: I get flooded with queries all day, I don't have time to respond to all of them, I can't afford to read MS's that I don't have a shot at, I need 3 months to read a MS, etc. You know what? You ask for queries. Lots of people in lots of industries get lots of emails every day, but we respond to them personally. You don't ask for exclusives on fulls, you don't GET an exclusive on a full.

Agents that are looking for new clients need to accept the rules that frankly they themselves have set forth. Sometimes you spend time on things that don't come to fruition. So does everybody else at any other job. Agents are not special.

Bemoaning something like this is like a salesman saying "Oh, but I spend so much time going over my product with this guy, and he didn't buy anything!" Or a contractor saying, "But I put a lot of time into that bid, and I didn't get the job!"

Given the amount of time wannabe writers put into getting published, it's insulting that we should feel bad for an agent for having to do her job.

Sorry, rant over.

I'm a buyer's agent who gets requests to quote/bid for jobs all day, every day.

About 10% of clients respond after I quote.

If I don't hear from them after a day, I follow up. If they tell me they already accepted another quote, that's fine. That's how business works.

If I have a possible $20,000 commission you can sure as hell bet I will be making a follow-up call ASAP.

I certainly don't expect the client/prospective client to waste their time contacting me. If I did I'd be without clients and destitute.

Thanks for the tip. Even without it, if I was ever so lucky to have your agency read my manuscript, I'd let you know if I got an offer. I love so many of the fantasy authors you represent.

A writer should ALWAYS give ALL the agents who have requested fulls the chance to finish reading and make their cases before choosing which one he is going to go with. To not do so is just rude, in my opinion.

I agree. This post bothers me, too. The agent sounds very petty and seems to think that her time is more valuable than the writers. She is mean-spirited IF her intent in positng this rant was to make the writer feel bad in any way. I believe in the need for agents, and I know Kristen is good agent, but this particular "rant" makes her seem very catty. I wish I hadn't read it.

That does seem weird. I'd be ticked off, too.

As for the long waiting time, I think it's unavoidable. I'm keeping track of number of queries and partial requests and responses on my blog: chazleydotson.blogspot.com . And every step seems to take forever, but then again, it's difficult to be patient with something like this.

On a side note, do literary agents ever have time to read for fun?

Wow . . . how do ya like them onions?

I think the case is 50/50. Kristin is entitled to be put out about the time wasted, but we can't know the writer's circumstances or situation either.

But the buyers' agent above puts it nicely: you can't afford to be piqued by clients who have negotiated elsewhere and didn't let you know. That's show biz!

Either way, this is a very good post and shows us this agent is not afraid to be honest with us. Always a good thing.

"At least give those with a full a chance to respond (and I get that this is completely self-interest on my part but it is my rant after all…). In this case, we only had the submission for 3 weeks."

I agree.

The author sent you a message telling you she had another offer. She did the polite thing. The fact that others are saying this author was inconsiderate is ridiculous. If Kristin offered representation and the author said, "Oh, sorry. I accepted an offer already," that would be incosiderate.

As someone upthread said, agents rarely notify writers when they're reading a project. They don't send messages that say, "By the way, I'm halfway through and loving it. Just thought you'd like to know." Instead, they send form rejections after six months.

The author did nothing wrong.

I've heard from other agent blogs that if an offer comes in and the writer accepts it then it is polite to let the other agents know. Isn't this what the author did? What if the author got a representation from her dream agent? What if she was just really excited? We don't know why the author accepted, but she did.

Sorry you didn't get to finish reading...but wouldn't you rather the author let you know before you finish reading?

And I don't think its rude for an author to accept the first offer they get and let the other agents know. If I was in that position I would probably do the same. Because you never know if the other agents are really interested.

This post was very interesting Kristen and really got me thinking. When I start submitting my manuscript I'll keep it in mind. Especially if more than one agent has the full.

I hope my comment didn't sound rude. It just seems weird that people are saying an author was being rude when they sent a response. I would think that makes them very considerate. Or am I missing something?

No, Tori, I agree. I don't see how the author was being rude. The author notified the other agent with the full to let them know she had accepted an offer.

I see no reason for her to delay accepting the offer so that agents who hadn't finished reading the manuscript can finish IF she felt the offering agent was 100% in love with her project and felt they could work really well together.

By emailing/contacting the other agent with the full, she did the right thing, whether or not she was giving the second agent a chance to offer representation.

The key here is that agents do what is best for their business/client list, and an author must do the same for her projects/books as well. I can't see how anyone would think that this author has burned a bridge because AGAIN she did notify the agent reading the full that she'd made her decision.

If she hadn't notified the other agent and that agent later offered to represent the book, then that's inappropriate.

Finally, there's no stats on this, but I'm sure this is not an unique case.

As far as wasting of one's time. Author and agent alike waste time as other blog comments have explained. But I think it's sad to look at the process as a waste of time because of the hard work that goes into it on both the agent's and the writer's side. I respect the work that agents do to get books into the hands of publishers, but agents need to also respect the work that authors do to write/polish books and get them into the hands of agents as well.

I know this post is a few days old now, but I just thought of something that hasn't been mentioned. Maybe because it had been only three weeks, the author figured you hadn't read her manuscript yet, and was hoping to save you the bother of reading her mss, so she notified you that she had an offer?

Think about it, we hear so many stories of agents having mss for months, I'd assume that after just three weeks, an agent hadn't gotten to it yet.

I'd probably be so out of my mind with excitement that I would lose track of what 'polite' and 'logical' even mean...
post free classified ads

Folks!
Read...set...QUERY!

If a manuscript catches the interest of one agent, it likely will garner interests of several other agents, too. I think the rise in multiple offers is due to writers being able to query many agents simultaneously. It also helps that writers can notify agents with partials and fulls of any offer of representation. :)

This is somehow encouraging news to a unrepresented writer such as myself. I know it's no fun for you, so sorry for that... but for me... yippee!!

Possibly it's because writers are taking their cue from the publishers, who are influenced by the economy. Knowing that the publishers are taking on fewer projects, means our writing has to be better than ever to get noticed.

To me, it's a win-win situation. Better books to read. And huge motivation to become the best writer I can be.

Well then. When I'm ready to query (hopefully by summer)I'll include you in my list. I can only hope I'm lucky enough to have agents fighting over me. :)

On the other side of this, it makes me want to take that little bit of extra time to make sure I'm ready. I'm sure the lack of authors is not due to a lack of queries on your table.

It's nice to hear something that positive. Thanks

Interesting. Is that good or bad that things are getting more competitive?

Makes sense. My theory: As things tighten, everyone focuses on the “sure things.” There is much more agreement about this group, since its members probably have stronger objective credentials (platform, track record, recommendations, etc).

At the same time, writers now know more about the industry. They know to query widely. And they know that weighing options is acceptable.

Top universities face this same issue every April – they go from big-bad rejecter to heavy recruiter once the acceptance letters are mailed.

Surely this really means that some writers are hot commodities at the moment. :)

That's actually very inspiring to read.

As a writer who is working in the first-draft trenches and unrepresented this is very encouraging to read. Gives me some hope for my future.

That's good to know. If only your agency took inspirational, I would have queried you by now.

I do agree with the person above who belives writers are striving more to give agents a better product. A better product generates more interest.

Gee, I haven't sent any queries out yet, but I am on the market for an agent. Feel free to contact me with an offer of representation before I'm off the market too. LOL!

It's posts like this that make me wish I was an optimist. If I were an optimist, I'd think, look at that. You see? It's possible. But I'm not an optimist. I'm a pessimist, and the post is absolutely crushing. Maybe they (the abstract they) are hot commodities, but the form rejections haven't slowed down in my inbox.

Some days are just harder than others.

I think this is great, and am antsy to get to querying.

I was actually being poached at this year's PPWC (and it was nice to see you there!). I'm not going to say who because that's not really polite, but it's nice to see authors being fought over. Now if the editors will just start fighting over our projects, we'll ALL be much happier. :)

I lay all the credit at early blogging agents like you and at the stiletto heels of the Late Great Miss Snark ... she started off the move to educate us idiots about how to write a great query ... and it taught us a lot about writing in general.

Aren't you proud?? We listened!

Five? Five? Seriously? Now I'm kind of depressed. I've been hoping to get just one person interested. If the people getting picked up are getting that kind of interest, it makes me wonder if I'm just nowhere near good enough. :/ I mean, I've had a little interest, but nowhere even close to having five offers.

Wow, that's encouraging news. It'll be a while yet before I'm querying, but still... : )

An arguement could be made that this simply shows the lack of diversity in what the industry is looking to publish.

Is it because there are less quality submissions that the same amount of agents are fighting over, or are there the same amount of quality submissions that more agents are fighting over?

It seems that there are more and more agents these days, with writers becoming part time agents and editors leaving their desks to become agents.

I follow Publishers Lunch deals, and it seems like there are more deals lately too, which is a good sign. So maybe there are more quality books and more agents and more interest from publishing companies? One can only hope...

kfran

I'm betting it's the same reason most agents say they are seeing so many more queries than in the past: the majority are now on the web and accept queries via email.

Querying used to be a tedious and somewhat expensive process of researching submission guidelines, printing various components, assembling contents, and mailing packets. I'm betting the average writer did their querying in quantities of five or ten at a time, and waited for responses before going through the process again.

Now we have web sites like QueryTracker and Publishers Marketplace that aggregate current submission guidelines and web site URLs to make research easy, and a query letter is often just a matter of copy-pasting the right ingredients. It wouldn't surprise me if many writers send out queries in batches of 20-30 at a time, or even more.

So while the bad part is that you're all buried under piles of electronic slush, when that one needle does show up in your haystack the odds are good that it's in all the other haystacks as well.

As a writer, as much as I appreciate the ease and affordability of e-queries and QueryTracker, in some ways I miss the old days. Sure, it was a pain to put together query packets, but it meant that a query represented a real commitment to writing and getting published. Nowadays I suspect a lot of queries are from folks who are out of work and figure, "Hey, what the hell, I'll write a book and see if someone wants to buy!"

I suspect this also explains why several agents have mentioned the recent frequency of partial- and full-requests that go unanswered for months or years at a time. It's so easy to send a query now, I bet a lot more people do it before they've finished (or maybe even started) the book itself.

I feel this states that agents have narrowed what they will accept due to the overwhelming amount of queries they receive as compared to a few years ago.

This has caused a higher demand for work that fits into a set of standards. It requires everyone writing to raise the bar higher to become one of the few writers who is going to be sought after by numerous agents.

This may have always been the case, but it is being magnified now as all agents are looking for more 'sure' things.

Call me a skeptic, but I don't think it has anything to do with the writing or book. I think that it's the "grass is always greener on the other side" thing. If one agent likes something and makes an offer, then the others are suddenly alerted, thinking they are going to be left out, and they scramble to read that ms, but they are reading with rose colored glasses, knowing it might be out of their reach. Nobody wants to be the one person missing out.

I had an agent who'd only read a partial of my book offer to rep it thirty seconds after I notified him of another agent offer. I thought it was unprofessinal and bizaare.

(The agent that "won", btw, never sold the book.)

Question: How many of these "hot properties" are *new*, unpublished writers, *without* "previously established platform" (i.e., popular blogs, millions of Twitter followers, etc.?)

This is heartening news only if it's *new* writers and not less risky, "proven" writers who are getting all the attention.

That is nice to know from an authors view. But don't worry, you have great cients and I'm sure you'll have many more to come...

Dawn Chartier
www.dawnchartier.com

I think we can all agree that taste is subjective. And I believe most agents are good at what they do, or else they’d be in another line of work. Since agents are receiving thousands upon thousands of queries, and they obviously must have different subjective tastes, why are they all fighting for the same books? I just can’t accept the “needle in the haystack” theory. Because accounting for taste, everyone’s needles would be different. It has to come from what the publishing houses are buying. So to rise from slush, it seems that you must write a book that publishing is already looking for. I don’t see this as particularly encouraging as a writer, nor does it excite or stimulate me as a reader. Maybe I'm being too cynical or too sour-grapey for this generally upbeat blog, but it seems a logical conclusion based on the facts at hand. Maybe Kristin or some other insiders can refute this and cheer us up!

Hummmm...I imagine the YA, fantasy, romance genre is hotter than usual. This is good news for one slice of the giant writer-hood pie out there.

Kristen, I received your April newsletter today and read about your participation on an "ebook panel" and the many resulting changes in publishing business models, etc because of the new technology...

You mentioned to your readers about four or so excellent resourcces (PW, PM & Shelf Awareness, etc) to become informed RE the latest happenings in the tumultuous publishing industry..

I would like to mention two other excellent free resources...

I find this industry fascinating and full of intrigue (especially now) and, If I may, I would like to mention my two writers blogs that search & research the entire trade resources for the latest happenings:

Writers Welcome Blog (est Oct,2008) http://alturl.com/4z88

Writers Thought for Today Blog (est Nov, 2009) Http://alturl.com/tnap

Please take a look at some of the posts and I think you will agree...

Thanks for any time you give me,

John R. Austin

WOOT! Time to start querying...
Thanks for the great post.

Wow... I had no idea things had become THAT competitive. Is it just in the genres, though? Or do you think it's that way for literary and mainstream fiction, too?

May this trend continue for at least another year, because by then I'll have a project ready to go.