a touch o' the Irish

[nephele]

Not me, I'm afraid. Not a drop of Irish blood in me. But a happy St. Paddy's to those of you who are. I'm doing my part by having corned beef and cabbage for dinner. It's in the crockpot right now, stinking up the kitchen. But it'll be worth it

Comments

[nephele]

Good questions! It's hard for me to answer that first one because, of course, every agency has its own policy. At The Knight Agency, our submissions guidelines request you query the agency as a whole, and then if more material is requested, it will be passed along to the appropriate agent. Given that, a rejection from one of us is a rejection from TKA as a whole. That doesn't mean you can't query on other material, of course. I think some agencies allow you to submit to other agents within their offices, even if one has turned you down, simply because this business is such a matter of taste. But really, you need to look into their policies on a case-by-case basis.

Most agencies will give you an idea of how long it takes them to respond to queries, whether they're paper or electronic. For e-queries, I'd wait for a few days beyond that window and then send a polite e-mail double-checking that the material arrived. E-mail is far from perfect, and cyberspace loves to chow down on queries for some reason. If you're using snail mail, give it a week or two past their response window, and then follow up in a similar manner, just to make sure your submission hasn't gone astray.

If an agent asks for an exclusive but your project is already with another agent, simply tell them that. They'll understand, and most likely just ask that you keep them up-to-date on the other agent's progress, and probably ask for a day or two of grace if the other agent makes an offer so that they have time to decide if they're interested as well. If an agent asks for an exclusive but doesn't stipulate a time frame, you should be the one to put a limit on that exclusive. For instance, simply say that you're flattered and would be happy to grant them a short-term exclusive read, and then ask if three weeks (or whatever you feel works) would be sufficient. Maybe they'll come back and ask for a bit more time, but regardless, it shouldn't be an open-ended exclusive. Then follow up during the last week of the exclusive period to remind them of the date and that their exclusive is coming to an end. Once the period does terminate, if you haven't heard from the agent one way or another, a final note is a good idea, just letting them know your manuscript is being submitted elsewhere for consideration, but that you'd still be happy to discuss representation with them if they determine that they'd like to take you on.