About agents...

by T. O. Bührer
25th February 2012

When you're ready to submit a MS and you look for an agent... Do you send a request to an unique agent or to several agents til being accepted? I'm sorry if I got confused about it (still learning how to get published... that's why I'm here :D).

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A.S., Louise... you re such an amazing members of this community! I just lost track of how many times I learnt from both of you. Thank you *again*

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T. O.
Bührer
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T. O. Bührer
27/02/2012

It is entirely up to you in regards to your approach to sending out queries.

Sending to one agent at a time will certainly take longer in the overall process (unless your MS is picked up in your first query - entirely possible). But it does allow you to put in your query letter that you are sending your MS to him/her exclusively once you decide who to send to first.

However, you can send to more than one at a time, but it does mean that you have to do more work keeping track. If you send out ten copies of your first three chapters/synopsis and letter you have to keep track of your responses in a much more systematic way.

You also have to be sure that when you are writing to each agent that you treat them as individual submissions. It's not a good idea to write a generic query to send to an agent because they want to know about you and how you fit into their list of clients. So you do have to tailor each query.

If the agent gives you some feedback on your work, but decides not to request any more of your work it is definitely work reading through in great detail what they have said it may just be the clue to getting signed up somewhere else.

Hope this helps.

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Anthony Scott
Glenn
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Anthony Scott Glenn
25/02/2012