When you send out to agents, do you send enquiries one at a time and wait for the inevitable rejection letters to come back, or do you send lots out at once?
As well as this, I have read in lots of places that 'No means No' and if an agent turns you down you can't resend to them. As my books are all Fantasy genre there is only a limited number of agents I can send to. Does this mean that once I have exhausted my list I have to start looking for new avenues to publish, or is there an excepted time-lapse that I can observe before sending redrafted material to my favourite agents?
Help and advice much appreciated!
Hi there,
As it can take several months for an agent to get back to you it's best to send to several at once, otherwise it will take you years to get through your list! I also write in the Fantasy genre and, while the UK market is fairly limited, there is a much larger market in the US and it's worth approaching them as well. I have heard of agents wanting exclusive submissions and indeed, have sent out to one or two of them but frankly, given the amount of time they can take to get back to you, I think it unreasonable. Paul's advice about the elevator pitch is spot on - basically you need to write a short blurb that sums up the premise of your book, just like you'd see on the back of the jacket. Put that in the cover letter, then you can expand on it in your synopsis.
As to re-submitting, I've heard the accepted period is six months at least before resending, and only if you've substantially reworked your manuscript.
By the way, Zeno Agency is open for submissions at the moment but only for a limited time so it might be worth sending to them - good luck!
Hi SAB.
Agree with what Lucy said - it should be clear from an agent's website but don't bank on it. You could always call the office and speak with someone (probably quite a junior member of staff) and mention in your covering letter; 'as xxxx advised, I have/have not made simultaneous sublissions.
It would also be worth checking about how long to leave it for them to reply. That way, you could always give them a period as sole agents so to speak.
Remember the elevator pitch approach. Pick the agent/publisher you think has the best chance of accepting you and your work, then imagine you are in a lift (elevator) with the person you're sending the piece to. You only have until you reach the top floor to sell yourself and your work, so be certain to give it the best shot you can, containing only the best information you have. Then, transfer that to your submission covering letter. Single page with perhaps a single page CV attached. Be concise, be accurate, but don't be boastful.
Hope that helps.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
Cheers,
PabloJ.
Hi, I have heard that, as long as an agent has not said that they will not accept simultaneous submissions, you should be able to send to others as well.
However, I sent to an agent who had not mentioned simultaneous submissions but when she wrote back requesting to read the rest of my work, she said she was only interested if no one else was reading it and then I never heard from her again. So I don't know, is the answer, I guess they're all human and they're all different.