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What Does It Mean When An Agent Never Gets Back to Me?

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Blogger: Wendy Lawton

Location: Meetings in the beautiful Pacific Northwest

Disclaimer: These observations are based largely on my own practices and those I’ve observed from the many agents I know and admire. But each agent is different (just like each writer) and has different strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to your experience with agents YMMV. (Your mileage may vary.)

Scenario–Writer’s POV: You met an agent at your recent writer’s conference and she requested a full proposal and three chapters. Over the moon!  So you emailed or mailed in the requested material. You’re trying not to get your hopes up. You’re not allowing yourself to go to the mailbox more than once a day, nor are you going to jump each time the phone rings. You get out your calendar and cross off the days. Day after day goes by. Soon whole weeks are passing. You try not to get discouraged. How hard is it to read a proposal for goodness’ sake? All it takes is a simple yea or nay, right? Months are passing. You talk with other writers. Is this normal? You are shocked by what they tell you. That can’t be right. When you hit a year, you give up. Maybe you were never meant to be a writer anyway.

Sound familiar?

Let me tell the story from the agent’s point of view.

Scenario– Agent’s POV: I meet a promising writer, Jane Q, at the dinner table at a writer’s conference. She’s fun, interesting, a great conversationalist but also a great listener. I like how she makes sure everyone at the table is heard. I like her book concept but even more I like this writer as a person. I’m impressed with how she moves through the conference. I see her interacting with editors and like what I see. I’m delighted when she sits down to have a one-on-one appointment with me. When she tells me more about her book I can see that she’s well-organized and understands the commercial aspect of books as well as the art of writing. I know I’m very near my self-imposed client limit but I can’t help myself, I ask to see the full proposal and three chapters. I continue to observe this writer throughout the conference. I’m intrigued.

When I arrive home I have 300+ emails and all the work I had to leave in order to attend the conference. Plus while I was there I pitched some projects to my editor friends and need to get those out STAT. Will I ever catch up? In the midst of the email deluge and thank you notes that begin to pour in from those who attended the conference, Jane Q sends the requested material. Oh good. I liked her a lot. I hope the book is as interesting as she is. I don’t have time to deal with it so I pull the file out of the download folder and put it in the To-Be-Read-Potential-Clients file. And now to deal with that cover disaster. . .

Time passes and I wake up in the middle of the night and think about Jane Q. Is she praying and I’ve just gotten a heavenly nudge? Eek! How long is it since I’ve been able to read non-client work. Aaaarrrgggh! The guilt floods in but I finally tell myself to put it aside. If I don’t find my way back to sleep I’ll never get anything accomplished tomorrow. And tomorrow is a day that brings problem after problem as well as some exciting opportunities. I can’t believe the number of clients coming out of contract—I need to put them at the top of the list. Plus all the editors who’ve requested projects– top of the list. Plus those three contracts sitting on my desk. Top of the list. This is one top heavy list and the time just keeps on ticking. . .

——————

I could go on and on and it would take up as much time as Jane Q has actually been waiting, but hopefully you see the problem from both points of view.

I hate the reality that we are so slow to respond but wishing doesn’t change things. And it’s not that I wasn’t interested. I am. I think about Jane Q and feel awful about the inability to evaluate the manuscript. From my initial perusal, I know she’s a good writer and I know I’m running the risk of losing her but there’s no help for it. I have three client manuscripts that have come in and I need to read and evaluate them first.

The sad truth is, it’s a buyer’s market. There are more writers out there than agents and more importantly far more writers than publishing slots. I’ve heard people suggest that the answer is more agents. Unfortunately that would just move the logjam onto the desks of editors since there’s been no appreciable growth in the numbers of books being published. More agents, representing more clients, would just lower the chance of eventually selling the book to a publisher.

So what’s a writer to do? What’s an agent to do for that matter?

Writer: Don’t think that because you haven’t heard it’s an automatic no. It’s probably not. It’s just a sign that the agent is pretty close to full. And that’s a good thing. It indicates the agent is a well-respected, active agent– busy moving and shaking. When a couple of months have passed send a personable email, touching base and asking if the agent needs anything further. The agent may not reply, flagging the email to go back to, but believe me, the agent will take note. <guilt begins to grow> In another couple of months nudge again. Humor is always appropriate. Hopefully the agent will pull the material out and put it at the top of the pile. <even more guilt> When you finally reach your breaking point let the agent know. What do you have to lose? Of course, all this time you are continuing to query other agents and attend writer’s conferences so you have lots of other possibilities in the works. And just think how depressed the errant agent is going to be when you hit the bestseller lists and the agent knows he could have had you. (I could so name names of the ones I’ve missed. . . )

Agent: As the errant agent all I can do is to work as hard as I can, keeping my priorities straight. Clients always come first. Potential clients have to respect that and understand that when they become a client an agent will not be setting them aside to “play the field.” I keep saying it’s a broken system but in the midst of it writers find wonderful agents and we agents  sign exciting clients and great books are being published. All because ultimately, we are not in control. The truth is, it’s all in God’s hands.

Comment: Is there a solution we’re not seeing? Are you amazed that writers keep finding agents and agents keep selling books. If you’re not yet published how do you keep from getting discouraged? Got any good advice for an errant agent to lessen guilt?

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  1. Wendy, thanks for the input. It always helps to see things from another perspective. Waiting is one of the hardest things and that when you tell yourself: “This is a test…Are you passing or failing?” Normally, the discouragement doesn’t set in unless I allow myself to become impatient and forget God is in control and there is a season to everything (Eccl 3:1). I would ask: Do you think the same could be said of waiting to hear from a publisher as well?

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  2. I like this post the most of all from this week so far. It’s important despite our frustrations to realize that agents are human too.

    Like many broken systems, I’m not sure the solution is easy or even possible. I can’t say I’m amazed that writers keep finding agents, because quality writing will always stand out above the rest, and agents will want to be a part of that.

    As for advice, I sadly have nothing better to offer than: stay human.

    Thanks for the wonderful post today, Wendy.

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  3. No advice except to keep writing and write for the correct reasons like passion, not just to see your name on the cover. Writing for glory will not keep you through the rejections and the editing when you’ve read your story so many times you actually get sick of it. ROFL. Though, I’m not really sick of it, because I take it in small chunks to preserve my enthusiasm.

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  4. This is terrific, even-handed insight into a common problem. Most likely there is no simple solution to the dilemma, or else some genius would have stumbled onto it long ago. However, I underscore the value of your observation: “Of course, all this time you are continuing to query other agents and attend writer’s conferences so you have lots of other possibilities in the works.”

    Writers who pin all of their lifelong hopes and ambitions on ONE editor or agent are setting themselves up for major disappointment. Staying busy, ever improving, having more than one project in the works… All of these strategies increase the odds of success and prevent an author from placing his or her fate into the hands of one fellow mortal.

    Thanks for all the time and thought you put into this, Wendy.

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  5. One solution: Agents need to be realistic with potential clients and tell them that they aren’t taking on new clients when they aren’t taking on new clients.

    They need to update their websites to clearly state they aren’t taking on new clients.

    They need to filter their email properly to keep new queries from landing there.

    Prayer is good. Communication is better.

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  7. Thanks for the advice to writers on how to properly nudge. Two agents have my proposal and while I knew it was too soon to hear from them, I wasn’t sure at what point to politely check in. It helps SO much to have an understanding of what’s happening on the agent’s side of things.

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  8. I have another solution: self-publish. It’s quick, you retain control, and if your book is popular, who knows, that agent could be chasing you.

    But you may just find yourself too busy to reply…

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  9. Wow! If Jane Q was that spectacular and professional, and she didn’t make it, how will us shy newbie types survive?!! LOL.

    Looking forward to my first conference and terrified at the same time. Maybe I’ll just bring whatever agent I get an appointment with a cup of tea and chat instead!

    Cheers,
    Sue

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  10. This series has been awesome, Wendy. I can tell you, once I become a “client”, my appreciation for an agent who puts clients first is HUGE! I’m repped by Rachelle and she’s so good at making me (and her other clients) a priority. I can’t even imagine how many plates you guys have to spin over your heads.

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  11. I agree, Lexi. At the moment, I have a full out with an agent. The full is my self-published book and the agent knows it’s already out there. I queried him because he’d shown interest last year before I self-published, but ultimately turned it down with a few suggestions. I took the suggestions to heart, and eventually self-published it. In June, it hit #15 on the Amazon Kindle list.I thought I’d send him a note explaining all this and he asked to see it.

    That was two months ago. I haven’t heard back from him, but I’m not too worried. I think since that time, I’ve sold around another 6,000, books. Considering it was free for over two weeks of that time, that’s not too bad.

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  12. Wendy, Giving this story from both POV’s is a great idea. Short of human cloning, I don’t see a solution beyond patience on the part of the writer and communication on the part of the agent. And, admittedly, both are hard to come by.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  13. I just love how you wrote humor is always appropriate because the only way to survive this gig is to laugh my way through it. Excellent posts lately, Wendy.

    And I 100% respect that clients come first. I’m keeping in mind that someday I’ll be one (for some insanely lucky agent out there). 😀

    ~ Wendy

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  14. The buyer’s market says it all. I wouldn’t say the system is broken; it’s just skewed to reflect the extreme buyer’s market. When an agent gets 100 submissions, combo of over the transom, requested materials, and queries, and has only one slot available, and when 90 out of those 100 are not of publishing quality, no response becomes acceptable within the confines of the system. Now, if the agent had only 10 submissions for that one slot, and 3 of them were of publishable quality, I suspect everyone of the 10 would receive a response well within the time limits quoted.

    All I can ask of agents, who I know are busy, is to understand that the average writer is no less busy. Take a 10 hour a day job, an hour and a half commuting, a house to maintain, meals to eat and sometimes fix, a wife to spend a little time with, and you’re down to an average of 2 hours a day for writing, not exactly when you’re at your best. Give some of that to craft development, some to art development, some to platform development, some to other marketing training, some to research, and you hope above all hopes to have enough gray cells left that are not totally wiped out and can get 500 words into a WIP.

    Not having to wonder, after 6 months, if the agent even saw your proposal in an inbox, would be a small comfort to the over-worked writer.

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  15. I hope no one minds me putting my oar in. I’m not sure self-publishing is the best answer. Yes, the author retains control and it’s quicker than the traditional routes, but most times as a reviewer, I can tell a self-published book just by the cover. That alone make some reviewers steer clear of them.

    I was in the audience at a writers conference a couple of years ago with all traditionally published authors. I asked one of them if he had considered self-publishing, and his answer was an emphatic, “No.” His reasoning was that he’s not a cover artist or a book designer, and he appreciated what those people brought to the quality appearance of his book.

    I’m not saying you can’t put together a great book when you self-publish; but I think to do so in the hopes of gaining the attention of an agent or because you can’t secure one might not always be the best choice.

    Thanks for the engaging discussion everyone.

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  16. It is most insightful to see this from an agent’s perspective.

    In my day job I publish magazines. When an author (or more likely their PR firm) starts bugging me about the status of an article, I become more inclined to say “no.” If they are pushy or insistent, the answer is always an immediate “no.”

    I wonder if some agents might react the same way.

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  17. Loved this post. Especially loved this line:
    Is she praying and I’ve just gotten a heavenly nudge? Eek!

    Now I’m planning on staying up late to pray for editors who may hear God in the quiet of the night. 🙂

    I am unpublished but not discouraged and I think that might be because I purposefully praise God for the wonderful opportunity he’s given me to learn patience and to learn to cherish him above all my idols.

    Advice for errant agent…When I was running my book blog tour, I had a minuscule amount of mail compared to you, I’m sure. But I had a policy that if someone sent me something I’d either send an email back immediately with an answer, if the answer was going to take less than two minutes to explain, or I’d send an email immediately saying, “Got this. I’m swamped. If I don’t get back to you by Tuesday (or whatever) please send this again.”

    It took a minute, it let them know that their email was received (I hated not knowing if the agents got my emails) and it took all the guilt off of me because I had taken care of the email and put the burden back on them to get back to me when I buried their emails and forgot them.

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  18. Wendy, I’m amazed at the incredible amount of work, clients, and projects you juggle. I don’t know how you do it. Or have time to sleep!

    How I’ve kept from being discouraged since I began writing again in 04, after illness curtailed writing for a while, is maintaining a sense of joy and gratitude. I came to a point where I had to decide which I loved more, writing or the thought of being published. When I could honestly answer “writing” I started reminding myself of this every few months when it seemed nothing was happening on the “getting published” side of things. It was then I could rest and simply enjoy what I get to do most days, sit here and weave stories that at least touch my heart–and let God handle the submissions I had/have out. So far that’s still working.

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  19. Awesome post! I always wondered when I would follow up on a sub and don’t hear back from the agent if my email got lost or vice versa. It’s interesting to see things through an agent’s POV. I appreciate you sharing this with us. Thank you, Wendy!

    Advice to lessen the guilt. Hmmmm…that’s gotta be hard. So much to do but not enough time to do it all. I think most of us are willing to wait for an answer but it’s the what ifs that keep us wondering. What if her/his email got lost. Is there any way to send a brief acknowledgement note when a writer inquires about a sub?

    Maybe something you can copy n paste but just to let them know you haven’t forgotten about him/her. I know when I would have an agent check in with me letting me know where she stood, it helped.

    I don’t know if that would be an option to help lessen the guilt, but I think even one a one sentence reply just to acknowledge the writer perhaps can make you feel a little less guilty 🙂

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  20. BTW–This post right here would be excellent if ALL the writers who send you subs had a chance to read it.
    How about this? Somewhere on your blog maybe add a page that has a Q and A. The question would be something along the lines of: A few reasons why you may not have heard back from me. The answer could be a link to this blog post and short note.
    Just thinking of things that could help….
    Most writers find out all they can about agents who are interested in their work. This could give them more of an understanding.
    Just thinking aloud 🙂

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  21. I’m just catching up on your series this week and wow, what a great bunch of posts, Wendy! At some point or another, I think all of us writers say, “I’d love to get inside the mind of an agent.” You’ve given us that sneak peek, and surprisingly (or not surprisingly), it’s really not that scary. 🙂

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  22. I realize I’m in the minority here, but I find this post the most depressing of the week. If an agent is too busy to evaluate a potential client who really sticks out, why look for new clients at all? If you’re so full with current clients, and you, by some miracle of fate, find the time to read Jane Q’s ms and sign her, will you have time for her later?

    You still have the the cover disasters and the new contracts for selling clients, etc. So I guess I’m wondering why an agent would look for new clients when he/she don’t have the time to do so.

    I signed with a wonderful agent the beginning of this summer. She had my proposal for a month and apologized for not getting back with me sooner. When she requested my ms, she told me she would read it over the weekend . . . and she did. She offered me representation six days after I sent her a full ms. I know of another unpublished writer who recently got representation within a week’s time with a different agent.

    I’m not sure the system is broken. I think unpublished writers need something to make them stick out of the pack. (For me, that was interest from two editors and four competition finals.)

    I also think agents need to be honest about their time and client load. If an agent doesn’t have time to evaluate potential clients, how is the agent going to find time for newly signed client? Just let the agents who need clients look, and when you have time to evaluate new clients again, jump back in the game. 🙂

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  24. Nobilis, no agent is ever going to say he is not taking on new clients because that is never the case. If a book comes along that we can’t live without, an agent wii move heaven and earth to get it. I keep my own client list at a self-imposed level that is about 2/3s of the number most CBA agents represent, just to allow myself room.

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  25. Interesting comment Wendy. Clearly Jane Q’s book was not one you were willing to move heaven and earth for, or you would have signed her within a month of the conference.

    So I suppose unagented writers need to write a heaven-and-earth moving book, and then they won’t have a problem getting agent attention.

    In the end, it probably comes back to the basics of having a fresh voice, riveting new story, and solid understanding of the craft.

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  27. Delightfully portrayed and each of us who read this knows, intimately, the feelings.

    You describe a system that simply no longer works. The traditional publishing houses are killing themselves. There is hope, however, their suicide has engendered a truly functional solution: Thanks for this powerful and instructive rational for self-publishing.

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  28. Ha, I was hoping this was how it really happens. I met an agent at a conference last year who was very excited to read my manuscript based on the small excerpt she read. A few months later I nudged. Nothing. Not even an acknowledgement that she’d received the nudge! Oh well.

    That doesn’t bother me nearly as much as agents and pubs who say they require an exclusive submission and then take six (or more) months to respond! That’s dirty pool.

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