And...it came back pretty quick. Not a rejection. Instead, I got an auto reply that the agent in question is on personal leave for a couple of months and for further assistance please contact so and so.
So and so the question is, who is so and so? Another agent? What about the agent I want? The one I researched and fell in love with. Who I know, without a shadow of a doubt, will fall equally in love with my story.
And what do I say to so and so? Do I forward my query and say, I really wanted her, but I guess you'll do? Or maybe so and so is the agent's assistant. Perhaps all queries are being directed her way anyhow. But if that's so, why direct me to her for further assistance?
And, suppose I was already a client of this agent, but my book hadn't been sold yet? What happens during these months of personal leave? Does my book go on leave with her? Or is so and so now out trying to sell the book someone else fell in love with?
Oh I'm going nuts!
Time to send the next batch out.
9 comments:
My first query went to Nathan Bransford, and it came back in less than an hour. Boy was I crushed. I don't know what to think of your situation . . . You could check the Bewares section at AW and see if anyone has any leads on that agent, or just wait and send out the query to the others on your list for the time being.
Good luck!
Isn't querying just the worst? I wish you the best of luck!
Oh yeah, this was brilliant. So the reason I picked this particular agent is because she read my full MS about a year ago. She liked it but passed. But she liked it. So I figured I'd send the re-write. And then, last week, I took a writing course given by one of her clients. Pure coincidence, but I told this chick my plan and she said go for it, but that she was going on leave soon, so get it out there. I didn't know soon meant that soon, but oh well.
So I just queried a second agent. And with both I made the same omission - a link to this blog.
Brilliant way to get myself out there, I know.
Oh the pain. What a tough decision, but you made a good one. Try someone else – they just might be as brilliant.
Oooh, best of luck in your agent search!! It's exhilarating, heartbreaking, and frustrating! I started out way back in May, and queried everyone representing women's fiction I could find (did it in big batches). Since then, I've garnered about 80 rejections, and gotten about 20 "bites" - three agents asked for re-writes (a good sign, I think). Still waiting on those. The waiting is brutal. Agonizing.
Remind me again why I'm doing this? lol
What helped me deal with rejections was that each time I got one, I'd send out 5 more queries. Just to feel pro-active. I'm sure you have all the right sites for researching agents, but here are some that've been the most invaluable to me: Agentquery.com, Querytracker.com, and Pred-ed.com.
Okay, I'll shut up now. ;-)
Query, query, then query some mnore. You can't query too much in my opinion.
I agree with Traci. I also believe in sending out 5 queries with each rejection. Constant motion in the literary world. However, I started with publishers and had better luck that way. I found agents harder to get. If you talk to many writers at conferences, only a percentage have an agent and the rest have been totally successful on their own. So remember...a rejection by an agent is not the end.
Good luck! If this is the agent you want to read your query, I'd wait for them ;o)
Keep plugging away. You'll find the right fit. =]
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