Great video. I like what Jessica said about burning bridges, and how (unfortunately) authors are under the impression that it’s very easy to do. Couldn’t agree more. Sometimes it feels like there is a secret book of rules, and I find myself questioning every communication to the point of decision paralysis, as if one tiny misstep will bring the whole bridge down. Thank you for addressing that.
this answered a question that has been rattling around in my head this last week, how serendipitous, I'm on my fourth edit, and feeling a lot better about how the story is shaping up, and was just thinking, if I apply to an agent and am lucky enough for one to get back to me quickly, what's the polite way of shopping around a little more. Love your videos they are such a valuable source for those of us thinking about traditional publishing keep up the good work please and thanks.
Hi! If you haven't queried everyone you want to query yet by time you receive an offer, you can just send your query to the other agents, and then nudge them with your offer! You could even say in the query letter something like "I have already received an offer of representation but still think we could be a great fit, so wanted to give you a chance to look at this my materials in case you'd agree."
This is so timely! I assume I don't need to notify agents who have the query and first pages but have not responded in any way. They havent requested a partial or full ms yet.
I think you *do* nudge those agents! I just saw a “how I got my agent” video where a write discussed getting either “full requests” or “step aside” responses from agents who had query/first pages (after she got her first offer and nudged).
Yes, you can nudge anyone that has your query, even if they haven't responded yet! It'll just bump your query's priority and they should assess it quicker!
I am really looking forward to querying an agent for my novel. It will not be this year, but when I do, I intend to query the 13th revision in order to present my best work (Jessica won't permit me to call it the 13th Draft).
We have a few videos about how to handle all aspects of querying when you write across age/genre! You should be able to find them by searching on our channel!
If you queried over QueryManager, you don't need one-there's a feature that allows you to nudge agents directly on the query! If you emailed, then I agree with the viewer who commented already: You could just put something like "Offer of Rep Notice: [Title of your book]"
Hi! Sometimes this happens because queries show up in our inbox so that we see newest queries first, and older queries on the following pages. Some agents might occasionally just start at the top of their inbox (newer queries) and go down; others might switch between older and newer; some may do oldest to newest. There's also a chance that they might have just skipped yours because they're giving it a closer look than the queries that came in before and after (which would indicate they saw something promising in it). So, there's unfortunately no real way of knowing if they've skipped it, or if they haven't reached it yet because they're going newest to oldest for whatever reason, but I wouldn't worry that you're not getting a response just yet either way!
This is good to know! I thought if an agent asked for the offering agent’s name that it was their way to make sure I wasn’t trying to lie to get them to read faster. I have a couple of questions: - When querying an agent who previously requested a full from an old manuscript, is there ever a reason to _not_ mention that they’ve requested work from you before when querying new work? Like if it’s been several years, your new manuscript is in a completely different genre/age category from the old one they previously requested, or if you think the previously requested manuscript is a loooot weaker so you don’t want to remind them of it lol? Or am I mistaken and it doesn’t really make a difference to mention it at all in the first place? - You’ve mentioned an offering agent only giving 24 hours to make a decision and giving guarantees as red flags. Are there any other (not so obvious like the “agent” asking for money upfront, etc) red flags to look for when on an offer of representation call? Thank you for all that you do! I’ve been bingeing your videos all day, taking notes, and it’s just really making me feel more secure in how I go about all of this.
Hi! If they previously requested materials, it's a good idea to mention it! All that will indicate to them was that they saw a spark in you on your previous submission, which means that there's something about your ideas that consistently has drawn them to you (and you to them). As for red flags, a lot of the red flags you might see are subjective, so it's really just about asking the right questions to get a sense of their business and communication style, and whether it meshes with your own. We have several videos about what to ask on offer calls that you might find helpful! And asking for client references is always a good way to get the inside scoop on their tactics and their personalities.
@@BookEndsLiterary Thank you so much for answering! I’ll be sure to mention previous requests. I think it’s just me being unnecessarily embarrassed of my old work lol. And I’ll def keep in mind that those red flags can be subjective.
@@BookEndsLiterary I wanted to come back and add that you all had actually already answered my question about ‘offer call red flags’ back in 2020 with ‘How to Know an Agent’s Not Right for You.’ I just needed to keep watching lol. Thank you all so much again!
I recently submitted my ms to one of your literary agents, and am confused by the reply I received. So here's my question: does your system automatically reject query letters, without even reading them? The agent I queried was A. J. My ms is a historical romance. Thanks.😊😊 Love your channel.
Hi! QueryManager should not be sending auto-rejects. Some of our agents have very fast response times, and there's a chance that our agent was reading queries at the time you submitted and was able to get to yours quickly (sometimes even within the hour). But if you have reason to believe that it was a mistake or that there was a technical error, you could always attempt to submit again and make a note in the query letter that you're requerying because you were uncertain of whether there was a technical error.
@@BookEndsLiterary It's great to know your agents are quick in replying sometimes, but I do think there must have been a technical error, so I will re-submit it again, thanks so much.
Do you have any advice on how to go about researching agents when you have an offer? I have heard of people speaking with current clients but then they sign and there’s issues that FORMER clients had with the agent. Those come out on Twitter after the fact though so…
Client referrals are really the best way (besides the offer call) to get to know the agent's working style, and it is typical that you will only be referred to current clients. Unfortunately, it's hard to know the problems that an agent might have until they come out on Twitter or wherever from previous clients, but it's also important to keep in mind that an author's relationship with their agent is entirely unique and that the experience one author has with an agent and the way that they do (or don't) work well together might not be the same as another. So, both good and bad experiences that authors have with agents have to be acknowledged through that lens!
If an offer comes from an early batch of queries but there are still agents you are interested in working with farther down the list, can you still send those queries with a note that you have an offer?
I emailed an agent in Canada about how long a synopsis should be. No response yet. I sent the email on the eighth of August. How long should I give before I move on?
Suggestion. An open ended question might sound like the author is unprepared or clueless. What has worked for me was to ask if they prefer a 500 word or 1500 word synopsis. I have gotten responses. As both are pretty standard lengths.
Once an agent has offered on your book, yes, you can ask them for client recommendations! Usually the clients don't write letters, but they're typically willing to hop on calls, answer questions over email, etc. :)
OMG the thought of 5 agent calls! Yeah I’d settle for one
Thank you for that clarification. I thought when they asked for a full script then I tell other agents. So I’ll wait until the offer comes first. 🎉
Great video. I like what Jessica said about burning bridges, and how (unfortunately) authors are under the impression that it’s very easy to do. Couldn’t agree more. Sometimes it feels like there is a secret book of rules, and I find myself questioning every communication to the point of decision paralysis, as if one tiny misstep will bring the whole bridge down. Thank you for addressing that.
Thank you for clarifying this process!
this answered a question that has been rattling around in my head this last week, how serendipitous, I'm on my fourth edit, and feeling a lot better about how the story is shaping up, and was just thinking, if I apply to an agent and am lucky enough for one to get back to me quickly, what's the polite way of shopping around a little more. Love your videos they are such a valuable source for those of us thinking about traditional publishing keep up the good work please and thanks.
Hi! If you haven't queried everyone you want to query yet by time you receive an offer, you can just send your query to the other agents, and then nudge them with your offer! You could even say in the query letter something like "I have already received an offer of representation but still think we could be a great fit, so wanted to give you a chance to look at this my materials in case you'd agree."
Funny, I was just questioning this process again and was about to start looking in y'all's previous videos! Good, good advice! Thank you so much!😲
This is so timely! I assume I don't need to notify agents who have the query and first pages but have not responded in any way. They havent requested a partial or full ms yet.
I think you *do* nudge those agents! I just saw a “how I got my agent” video where a write discussed getting either “full requests” or “step aside” responses from agents who had query/first pages (after she got her first offer and nudged).
Yes, you can nudge anyone that has your query, even if they haven't responded yet! It'll just bump your query's priority and they should assess it quicker!
I am really looking forward to querying an agent for my novel. It will not be this year, but when I do, I intend to query the 13th revision in order to present my best work (Jessica won't permit me to call it the 13th Draft).
Would love to know more about the etiquette when you have two books of different genres/age categories
We have a few videos about how to handle all aspects of querying when you write across age/genre! You should be able to find them by searching on our channel!
What's the best "subject line" to use to alert agents that you've received an offer of representation?
Not them ofc, but I’m thinking just putting ‘Offer of Representation’ (prob with the title and genre of your book) is the best idea.
If you queried over QueryManager, you don't need one-there's a feature that allows you to nudge agents directly on the query! If you emailed, then I agree with the viewer who commented already: You could just put something like "Offer of Rep Notice: [Title of your book]"
Great video! How do you know if an agent skipped your query? Others have gotten a response and they sent theirs in after me. (I use query manager)
Hi! Sometimes this happens because queries show up in our inbox so that we see newest queries first, and older queries on the following pages. Some agents might occasionally just start at the top of their inbox (newer queries) and go down; others might switch between older and newer; some may do oldest to newest. There's also a chance that they might have just skipped yours because they're giving it a closer look than the queries that came in before and after (which would indicate they saw something promising in it). So, there's unfortunately no real way of knowing if they've skipped it, or if they haven't reached it yet because they're going newest to oldest for whatever reason, but I wouldn't worry that you're not getting a response just yet either way!
Thank you 🙏
This is good to know! I thought if an agent asked for the offering agent’s name that it was their way to make sure I wasn’t trying to lie to get them to read faster.
I have a couple of questions:
- When querying an agent who previously requested a full from an old manuscript, is there ever a reason to _not_ mention that they’ve requested work from you before when querying new work? Like if it’s been several years, your new manuscript is in a completely different genre/age category from the old one they previously requested, or if you think the previously requested manuscript is a loooot weaker so you don’t want to remind them of it lol? Or am I mistaken and it doesn’t really make a difference to mention it at all in the first place?
- You’ve mentioned an offering agent only giving 24 hours to make a decision and giving guarantees as red flags. Are there any other (not so obvious like the “agent” asking for money upfront, etc) red flags to look for when on an offer of representation call?
Thank you for all that you do! I’ve been bingeing your videos all day, taking notes, and it’s just really making me feel more secure in how I go about all of this.
Hi! If they previously requested materials, it's a good idea to mention it! All that will indicate to them was that they saw a spark in you on your previous submission, which means that there's something about your ideas that consistently has drawn them to you (and you to them).
As for red flags, a lot of the red flags you might see are subjective, so it's really just about asking the right questions to get a sense of their business and communication style, and whether it meshes with your own. We have several videos about what to ask on offer calls that you might find helpful! And asking for client references is always a good way to get the inside scoop on their tactics and their personalities.
@@BookEndsLiterary Thank you so much for answering! I’ll be sure to mention previous requests. I think it’s just me being unnecessarily embarrassed of my old work lol. And I’ll def keep in mind that those red flags can be subjective.
@@BookEndsLiterary I wanted to come back and add that you all had actually already answered my question about ‘offer call red flags’ back in 2020 with ‘How to Know an Agent’s Not Right for You.’ I just needed to keep watching lol. Thank you all so much again!
Do you need to notify agents who haven't even requested materials? So many agents only want query letter these days..
Hi! Yes, you can nudge agents who only have your query if you still think they will be a good fit! It'll just bump your query's priority up :)
I recently submitted my ms to one of your literary agents, and am confused by the reply I received. So here's my question: does your system automatically reject query letters, without even reading them? The agent I queried was A. J. My ms is a historical romance. Thanks.😊😊 Love your channel.
Hi! QueryManager should not be sending auto-rejects. Some of our agents have very fast response times, and there's a chance that our agent was reading queries at the time you submitted and was able to get to yours quickly (sometimes even within the hour). But if you have reason to believe that it was a mistake or that there was a technical error, you could always attempt to submit again and make a note in the query letter that you're requerying because you were uncertain of whether there was a technical error.
@@BookEndsLiterary It's great to know your agents are quick in replying sometimes, but I do think there must have been a technical error, so I will re-submit it again, thanks so much.
Do you have any advice on how to go about researching agents when you have an offer? I have heard of people speaking with current clients but then they sign and there’s issues that FORMER clients had with the agent. Those come out on Twitter after the fact though so…
Client referrals are really the best way (besides the offer call) to get to know the agent's working style, and it is typical that you will only be referred to current clients. Unfortunately, it's hard to know the problems that an agent might have until they come out on Twitter or wherever from previous clients, but it's also important to keep in mind that an author's relationship with their agent is entirely unique and that the experience one author has with an agent and the way that they do (or don't) work well together might not be the same as another. So, both good and bad experiences that authors have with agents have to be acknowledged through that lens!
If an offer comes from an early batch of queries but there are still agents you are interested in working with farther down the list, can you still send those queries with a note that you have an offer?
Yes, you can do this!
I emailed an agent in Canada about how long a synopsis should be. No response yet. I sent the email on the eighth of August. How long should I give before I move on?
Suggestion. An open ended question might sound like the author is unprepared or clueless. What has worked for me was to ask if they prefer a 500 word or 1500 word synopsis. I have gotten responses. As both are pretty standard lengths.
Alright. That might work. Thank you
Is it normal to ask an agent for client "letters of recommendation"?
Once an agent has offered on your book, yes, you can ask them for client recommendations! Usually the clients don't write letters, but they're typically willing to hop on calls, answer questions over email, etc. :)