One of the agents I had previously selected seemed to go out of business (as far as I could tell) before I could submit, so I ended up querying only 19 agencies. Here are my final stats:
19 queries submitted (11 electronic, 8 postal)
5 assumed rejections
13 rejections received (10 form-letter rejections; 3 personal rejections)
1 letter returned to sender unopened (I'm not sure what happened with this agency)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 21 days
Showing posts with label agents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agents. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Agent Stats Update 5
I don't have many more queries to send. I would have sent more, but I ran out of envelopes.
20 Agents Selected
15 queries submitted (10 electronic, 5 postal)
9 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 26 days)
6 rejections received (4 form-letter rejections; 2 personal rejections)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 10 days
20 Agents Selected
15 queries submitted (10 electronic, 5 postal)
9 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 26 days)
6 rejections received (4 form-letter rejections; 2 personal rejections)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 10 days
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Agent Stats Update 4
I've sent four more queries out. That means I've attempted contact with 60% of my selected agents. All of the rest require postal queries. I'm noticing that some agencies mention on their websites that if they don't respond within a certain amount of time (specific to each agency), an author should consider that as a rejection. I never imagined all agencies would respond to my queries (based on past experience), but I am a little surprised to actually see this as a standard policy. Ah, well...
20 Agents Selected
12 queries submitted (10 electronic, 2 postal)
7 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 18 days)
5 rejections received (4 form-letter rejections; 1 personal rejection)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 11 days
20 Agents Selected
12 queries submitted (10 electronic, 2 postal)
7 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 18 days)
5 rejections received (4 form-letter rejections; 1 personal rejection)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 11 days
Monday, March 03, 2008
Agent Stats Update 3
I was only able to get one additional query out last week, but hopefully more will go out soon.
20 Agents Selected
8 queries submitted (6 electronic, 2 postal)
4 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 25 days)
4 rejections received (3 form-letter rejections; 1 personal rejection)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 10 days
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Agent Stats Update 2
Not much has changed, but I thought I should post an update anyway:
20 Agents Selected
7 queries submitted (6 electronic, 1 postal)
4 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 22 days)
3 rejections received (2 form-letter rejections; 1 personal rejection)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 3 days
I will be submitting more queries next week.
20 Agents Selected
7 queries submitted (6 electronic, 1 postal)
4 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 22 days)
3 rejections received (2 form-letter rejections; 1 personal rejection)
1 request for additional materials
Average response time: 3 days
I will be submitting more queries next week.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Agent Stats Update 1
Below are my latest stats from contacting agents:
20 Agents Selected
7 queries submitted (6 electronic, 1 postal)
4 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 5 days)
2 rejections received (2 form letter rejections)
1 request for additional material
Average response time: 3 days
20 Agents Selected
7 queries submitted (6 electronic, 1 postal)
4 queries awaiting response (average wait time: 5 days)
2 rejections received (2 form letter rejections)
1 request for additional material
Average response time: 3 days
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Queries Away!
I queried seven agents, and I’ve already received back my first rejection (no comments – possibly a form response). I might send one more query out next week, and then I’m going to wait for a while. I want to see what kinds of responses (if any) I receive from these first few queries. It takes me a lot of time to prepare each query, and I’d rather not prepare all twenty queries at once. I think I’d like to keep the number of open queries below ten. So far, here are my stats:
20 agents selected
7 queries submitted (6 electronic, 1 postal)
1 rejection received
Average response time: 1 day
Stay tuned for more updates as I have them.
20 agents selected
7 queries submitted (6 electronic, 1 postal)
1 rejection received
Average response time: 1 day
Stay tuned for more updates as I have them.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Almost Ready
I am getting everything ready to go: synopsis, author’s bio and a quick intro to be used in the query letters. It’s all coming into place before I start contacting agents.
My list of agents stands at twenty. I took the time to find agents who are open to new writers (meaning no previous novels published) and handle the category of fiction this novel fits under. I think it’s common among newer writers to submit to all the wrong places, and I find that to be such a waste of time and money. Taking just a few minutes to read through an agency’s website can reveal quite a bit.
Writers who bombard every agency in America with their novel are no different from someone who shows up to a limo company looking for work as a pig farmer. It is up to us to sift through agents, looking especially for these two phrases: “I am looking for” and “I am not looking for.”
Twenty agents does not seem like very many, and perhaps I’m more stringent in who I select than other writers. But just as an agent examines the materials sent to him or her before deciding to represent an author, so must we examine each agent to decide if that agent should represent us. The difference is that we should be doing this BEFORE we make contact.
I will start sending out queries through emails and the postal service shortly. It will take me some time to get through my list because for me, each query is personal. I take the time to share why I selected the agent and to make sure that he or she gets the exact material requested (in the specified format) for a first contact. To me, this is no different than sending a resume to a company I’m seeking employment with, and I do this with as much professionalism as I can muster.
My list of agents stands at twenty. I took the time to find agents who are open to new writers (meaning no previous novels published) and handle the category of fiction this novel fits under. I think it’s common among newer writers to submit to all the wrong places, and I find that to be such a waste of time and money. Taking just a few minutes to read through an agency’s website can reveal quite a bit.
Writers who bombard every agency in America with their novel are no different from someone who shows up to a limo company looking for work as a pig farmer. It is up to us to sift through agents, looking especially for these two phrases: “I am looking for” and “I am not looking for.”
Twenty agents does not seem like very many, and perhaps I’m more stringent in who I select than other writers. But just as an agent examines the materials sent to him or her before deciding to represent an author, so must we examine each agent to decide if that agent should represent us. The difference is that we should be doing this BEFORE we make contact.
I will start sending out queries through emails and the postal service shortly. It will take me some time to get through my list because for me, each query is personal. I take the time to share why I selected the agent and to make sure that he or she gets the exact material requested (in the specified format) for a first contact. To me, this is no different than sending a resume to a company I’m seeking employment with, and I do this with as much professionalism as I can muster.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Common Mistakes
After learning many writing mistakes the hard way, I thought I should make some notes for the benefit of those that want to avoid similar pains. This is not about writing technique; it is about selecting a market for a finished work and then submitting to that market properly. By no means is this an exhaustive list of my mistakes, so I will likely share others in future posts.
Mistake #1 – Failing to properly prepare a submission. There are standard rules for submitting fiction. For short stories, there’s a query letter, the story itself and a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE). For novels, there’s usually just a query letter until the publisher or agent asks for more. Each market may have subtle differences, and in missing those differences, you have demonstrated your ignorance about whom you’re submitting to and stand little chance of having your material read.
Mistake #2 – Assuming you know more than you do. I always thought the most professional-looking font for story submissions was Times New Roman. Later, I discovered that it’s better to use Courier because it makes it easier to look at the length and is more of an editing standard. It may be a small thing to use Courier font, but it is yet another identifier of your level of professionalism and may be the difference in how much of your submission is read by the editor. Don’t make any assumptions about your submissions. Buy a book (like Writer’s Market) and check websites for suggestions.
Mistake #3 – Paying for confirmation with a submission. This means that whoever receives your submission cannot simply pick it up from the post office box or mailbox. Instead, someone must sign a receipt that it was received. While doing this confirms that your submission reached its intended destination, it marks your submission as more trouble than it’s worth and labels you as insecure and paranoid. I did this in the past before I learned from multiple sources that it’s a really bad idea. Now, if I haven’t heard anything on a submission for a number of months, I send follow-up letters. In the few times that I’ve sent follow-ups, I’ve received responses within a week or two indicating reasons why I haven’t received my SASE back.
Mistake #4 – Submitting to the wrong market. I never properly researched the magazines I submitted to at first. Even if your writing style is superb, not all magazines are the right place for your story, and not all publishers are right for your novel. It takes time to research the markets, but when you send something to the wrong place, you’re wasting time because instead of sending the story to places where they actually publish similar narratives, you’re waiting months to hear back from someone that never would have published your story regardless of how well it was written.
Mistake #5 – Asking to have your manuscript returned. I don’t know that this makes any difference in how you are perceived by the publisher or editor, but it’s a waste of money. In order to have a manuscript returned, you must purchase an envelope large enough to contain it and pay for the extra postage. Once it comes back, it’s highly unlikely you will be able to submit that same manuscript to a new market because it has lost its pristine quality in which you sent it originally (in fact, I once had a manuscript returned with a shoeprint on it). My reason for asking for manuscripts to be returned was out of the fear that someone would steal my work. This is, of course, an irrational fear because as soon as anything is printed on paper, even to go into submission, it has an inherent copyright.
The five mistakes listed are common pitfalls to many new writers. If you are committing any of them, rather than panic, simply adjust what you’re doing for future submissions. It’s never too late to change as long as you’re drawing breath. Slap your forehead, and move on.
Mistake #1 – Failing to properly prepare a submission. There are standard rules for submitting fiction. For short stories, there’s a query letter, the story itself and a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE). For novels, there’s usually just a query letter until the publisher or agent asks for more. Each market may have subtle differences, and in missing those differences, you have demonstrated your ignorance about whom you’re submitting to and stand little chance of having your material read.
Mistake #2 – Assuming you know more than you do. I always thought the most professional-looking font for story submissions was Times New Roman. Later, I discovered that it’s better to use Courier because it makes it easier to look at the length and is more of an editing standard. It may be a small thing to use Courier font, but it is yet another identifier of your level of professionalism and may be the difference in how much of your submission is read by the editor. Don’t make any assumptions about your submissions. Buy a book (like Writer’s Market) and check websites for suggestions.
Mistake #3 – Paying for confirmation with a submission. This means that whoever receives your submission cannot simply pick it up from the post office box or mailbox. Instead, someone must sign a receipt that it was received. While doing this confirms that your submission reached its intended destination, it marks your submission as more trouble than it’s worth and labels you as insecure and paranoid. I did this in the past before I learned from multiple sources that it’s a really bad idea. Now, if I haven’t heard anything on a submission for a number of months, I send follow-up letters. In the few times that I’ve sent follow-ups, I’ve received responses within a week or two indicating reasons why I haven’t received my SASE back.
Mistake #4 – Submitting to the wrong market. I never properly researched the magazines I submitted to at first. Even if your writing style is superb, not all magazines are the right place for your story, and not all publishers are right for your novel. It takes time to research the markets, but when you send something to the wrong place, you’re wasting time because instead of sending the story to places where they actually publish similar narratives, you’re waiting months to hear back from someone that never would have published your story regardless of how well it was written.
Mistake #5 – Asking to have your manuscript returned. I don’t know that this makes any difference in how you are perceived by the publisher or editor, but it’s a waste of money. In order to have a manuscript returned, you must purchase an envelope large enough to contain it and pay for the extra postage. Once it comes back, it’s highly unlikely you will be able to submit that same manuscript to a new market because it has lost its pristine quality in which you sent it originally (in fact, I once had a manuscript returned with a shoeprint on it). My reason for asking for manuscripts to be returned was out of the fear that someone would steal my work. This is, of course, an irrational fear because as soon as anything is printed on paper, even to go into submission, it has an inherent copyright.
The five mistakes listed are common pitfalls to many new writers. If you are committing any of them, rather than panic, simply adjust what you’re doing for future submissions. It’s never too late to change as long as you’re drawing breath. Slap your forehead, and move on.
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