I never post on UA-cam but I just wanted to thank you both so much for your candid, positive and utterly inspiring videos. I have been binge watching them! TBH I don't think any author will want to go with other agents. I am so motivated & excited to get my picture book manuscripts to you James! Good Luck to all you amazing story tellers out there :)
Hey guys, Jamie from the UK here. Thanks for all the videos, you've been a huge help. I have a video request relating to one of the traits I'm looking for in an agent, which is a good business person / a shrewd negotiator. Could you do a video explaining the nuts and bolts of what happens when agents go out on submission? I see so much information about what agents are looking for and how to appeal to them but see very little about the mechanics of how agents engage with publishers in order to get the best deal for authors (and therefore themselves). I'm aware of things like Publishers Marketplace but I'd really love to know more about the thought processes and behaviours that agents demonstrate to maximise the deal from a business standpoint.
comments: check your word processor. MS Word, for example, has an 'inspect' function (file, info, inspect document) that will automatically *remove that kind of background content (track changes, comments, etc.) from the file.
I got a full request from my DREAM AGENT (a BookEnds agent, ofc!!) about 2 months ago and DEF celebrated!! out of curiosity, if i don't hear back from her again, how long should I wait until I count it as a pass??
Hi! We have a policy that everyone gets a response one way or another! So as long as you have not received a rejection, it's still under consideration! However, if you feel like it's taking far too long and you want to query a different agent at BookEnds, you are always able to withdraw the submission and resubmit elsewhere!
@@BookEndsLiterary oh no way, that's amazing!!! haha not ever agency is like that, so that's good to know! :D So then I shouldn't take her reopening to queries again as a pass?
I love your videos - thank you so much! I just got my first request for a full in late January. It took me a few days to send it because they also asked for a proposal. Is that fairly common for fiction? And I am working on my next book - having fun doing so, and it really does help me to not obsess while waiting. 🙂
Hi! It's pretty common that along with a full request for fiction, they might ask for a synopsis as well, if that's what they meant by a proposal! And glad to hear you're having fun with your next book :)
Glad you've found it helpful! If the agent requests edits after they've read your submission, there's usually not a time limit on when they expect to see the edits. Generally, they are excited for the book and would like to see them sooner, but if it takes you more time to get to them, they shouldn't hold that against you!
Literary agents also peddle to editors/publishers manuscripts they accept to represent, my question is, do agents sell all manuscripts they accept to represent? 100%? What happens to the manuscript, if any, they can't sell?
Hi! No, agents are not able to sell every manuscript they choose to represent. A good agent will be in it for the author's career, so if a manuscript doesn't sell and has to be shelved, they will work with the author on strategizing for their next project! If a book is shelved, it could be a matter of timing in the market, so there's a chance of it going back out on sub sometime in the future with revisions, but sometimes the book will be permanently shelved. This is also a conversation worth having with your agent.
What if an agent that is not old school requests a partial? They were super enthusiastic about the request, but rather than requesting a full they requested the first 100 pages, any thoughts on what this could mean?
I'm curious to know your thoughts on the best way to handle agents who ask for pages on an exclusive basis. This gives me pause when it happens (it's happened to me twice). For one thing, it doesn't consider the writer's best interests, only the agent's. It pauses my own process and my own goal of finding an agent, unless it's strictly time-limited. It also says to me that this agent doesn't want to have to compete with other agents for clients--which is also not a great sign--and makes me wonder what other ways they will not put my best interests in the forefront of their thinking if I became their client. Is there a way to decline to offer exclusivity without alienating the agent? Or should I just withdraw from consideration? Thank you for this video. Helpful reminders here.
Hi! So glad you have these questions - we actually did a video about this November 2021 called What Are Exclusive and Simultaneous Submissions that you would likely find helpful! But the tldr of the video is that we agree, exclusives are definitely not in the author's best interests for the reasons you've mentioned. Whether you withdraw or not in response to an exclusive request would have to be up to you, but we would recommend you consider whether you would want to work with someone who seems not to have your best interests in mind!
@@BookEndsLiterary thanks for this reply. And sorry I hadn't seen that video before I typed that long-winded question. I have found and watched it now, though. Thanks!
Just found this great video. Thanks. What is the propriety of continuing to send queries to other agents while one agent is reading my ms? Do I pause and work on something else, or keep sending them out?
Hi! If you mean agents at the same agency, most agents ask that you only submit to one agent per agency so that there is no conflict in-house over any one manuscript! If you mean to other agencies, you are welcome to keep submitting to agents at other agencies even while another agent is considering your manuscript! You can pretty much keep submitting until the point that you have an offer. Hope this answers your question!
I’ve seen some sources say to include your original query letter when you submit your full, as a cover letter before the title page. Is that still relevant, or between email chains and QM, is that no longer necessary? Thanks so much!
Hi-I did a quick search to find that Open Office is a word processor, correct? It shouldn't matter what you write your MS on, as long as when the agent requests to see the full, they're able to access the document in some way! If your document doesn't save in an accessible file format (I believe .doc/.docx will be most common) then you can always copy the text into Google Docs (a free word processor) and then download it as a .doc or .docx file format. Hope that answers your question!
OMG I just got my first request 2hrs ago!! Eeeek I am so grateful for this video. Thank you😍
That's amazing! Congratulations!😄
Congrats! And good luck ❤
Congratulations 🎉
Congrats!!
I just got my first query rejection! 🎉🎉 I'm still celebrating because I took the ball to the court! It means someone actually looked!
Guess I'll just bookmark this one for a very-hopeful later then =x
I never post on UA-cam but I just wanted to thank you both so much for your candid, positive and utterly inspiring videos. I have been binge watching them! TBH I don't think any author will want to go with other agents. I am so motivated & excited to get my picture book manuscripts to you James! Good Luck to all you amazing story tellers out there :)
Hey guys, Jamie from the UK here. Thanks for all the videos, you've been a huge help. I have a video request relating to one of the traits I'm looking for in an agent, which is a good business person / a shrewd negotiator. Could you do a video explaining the nuts and bolts of what happens when agents go out on submission? I see so much information about what agents are looking for and how to appeal to them but see very little about the mechanics of how agents engage with publishers in order to get the best deal for authors (and therefore themselves). I'm aware of things like Publishers Marketplace but I'd really love to know more about the thought processes and behaviours that agents demonstrate to maximise the deal from a business standpoint.
Thanks for this idea! I'll put it on our list of videos to make :)
Hope to get to that stage. Made huge rewrites in hope it will be more appealing to agents.
Love knowing that agents send ms's to Kindle.
comments: check your word processor. MS Word, for example, has an 'inspect' function (file, info, inspect document) that will automatically *remove that kind of background content (track changes, comments, etc.) from the file.
I got a full request from my DREAM AGENT (a BookEnds agent, ofc!!) about 2 months ago and DEF celebrated!! out of curiosity, if i don't hear back from her again, how long should I wait until I count it as a pass??
Hi! We have a policy that everyone gets a response one way or another! So as long as you have not received a rejection, it's still under consideration! However, if you feel like it's taking far too long and you want to query a different agent at BookEnds, you are always able to withdraw the submission and resubmit elsewhere!
@@BookEndsLiterary oh no way, that's amazing!!! haha not ever agency is like that, so that's good to know! :D So then I shouldn't take her reopening to queries again as a pass?
I celebrated by binge-watching BookEnds videos. Also, I'm bringing my critique group chocolates tonight. It takes a village.
Thanks guys!
Would agents appreciate if authors sent a doc AND an ebook version of their manuscript? I never know who prefers to read on their kindle!
Guessing they request it in their preferred format (?)
Just in time! 😊
Should the file be pdf, Docx, Gdoc?
Typically a docx file is good!
I love your videos - thank you so much! I just got my first request for a full in late January. It took me a few days to send it because they also asked for a proposal. Is that fairly common for fiction? And I am working on my next book - having fun doing so, and it really does help me to not obsess while waiting. 🙂
Hi! It's pretty common that along with a full request for fiction, they might ask for a synopsis as well, if that's what they meant by a proposal! And glad to hear you're having fun with your next book :)
@@BookEndsLiterary Synopsis plus marketing strategy.
Yeah, I would like to read any explanation for this.
Great information shared here today. If an agent request edits how long should you take before resubmitting? Thanks.
Glad you've found it helpful! If the agent requests edits after they've read your submission, there's usually not a time limit on when they expect to see the edits. Generally, they are excited for the book and would like to see them sooner, but if it takes you more time to get to them, they shouldn't hold that against you!
Literary agents also peddle to editors/publishers manuscripts they accept to represent, my question is, do agents sell all manuscripts they accept to represent? 100%? What happens to the manuscript, if any, they can't sell?
Hi! No, agents are not able to sell every manuscript they choose to represent. A good agent will be in it for the author's career, so if a manuscript doesn't sell and has to be shelved, they will work with the author on strategizing for their next project! If a book is shelved, it could be a matter of timing in the market, so there's a chance of it going back out on sub sometime in the future with revisions, but sometimes the book will be permanently shelved. This is also a conversation worth having with your agent.
@@BookEndsLiterary Thank you for your response, especially personalizing it to my email address. I really appreciate that.
What if an agent that is not old school requests a partial? They were super enthusiastic about the request, but rather than requesting a full they requested the first 100 pages, any thoughts on what this could mean?
Many agents still request partials before they request fulls, so it probably doesn't have any specific meaning!
Is it common for an agent to read the manuscript? Or is it more common to not read it? My last agent did not read them…
I'm curious to know your thoughts on the best way to handle agents who ask for pages on an exclusive basis. This gives me pause when it happens (it's happened to me twice). For one thing, it doesn't consider the writer's best interests, only the agent's. It pauses my own process and my own goal of finding an agent, unless it's strictly time-limited. It also says to me that this agent doesn't want to have to compete with other agents for clients--which is also not a great sign--and makes me wonder what other ways they will not put my best interests in the forefront of their thinking if I became their client. Is there a way to decline to offer exclusivity without alienating the agent? Or should I just withdraw from consideration?
Thank you for this video. Helpful reminders here.
Hi! So glad you have these questions - we actually did a video about this November 2021 called What Are Exclusive and Simultaneous Submissions that you would likely find helpful! But the tldr of the video is that we agree, exclusives are definitely not in the author's best interests for the reasons you've mentioned. Whether you withdraw or not in response to an exclusive request would have to be up to you, but we would recommend you consider whether you would want to work with someone who seems not to have your best interests in mind!
@@BookEndsLiterary thanks for this reply. And sorry I hadn't seen that video before I typed that long-winded question. I have found and watched it now, though. Thanks!
Just found this great video. Thanks. What is the propriety of continuing to send queries to other agents while one agent is reading my ms? Do I pause and work on something else, or keep sending them out?
Hi! If you mean agents at the same agency, most agents ask that you only submit to one agent per agency so that there is no conflict in-house over any one manuscript! If you mean to other agencies, you are welcome to keep submitting to agents at other agencies even while another agent is considering your manuscript! You can pretty much keep submitting until the point that you have an offer. Hope this answers your question!
@@BookEndsLiterary It does answer my question. Thank you so much.
I just got a request... 🥳 and I did celebrate 🥳🥳🥳 but also did just that... I sent the wrong version... Choose not to resent it.
So you shouldn’t let the other agents know when you receive a full manuscript request like you do when you get an offer?
Typically that's not recommended :)
I’ve seen some sources say to include your original query letter when you submit your full, as a cover letter before the title page. Is that still relevant, or between email chains and QM, is that no longer necessary? Thanks so much!
Hi! It never hurts to include, the agent can always scroll past it if they don't intend to read it again :)
I use Open Office. Will that be a problem?
Hi-I did a quick search to find that Open Office is a word processor, correct? It shouldn't matter what you write your MS on, as long as when the agent requests to see the full, they're able to access the document in some way! If your document doesn't save in an accessible file format (I believe .doc/.docx will be most common) then you can always copy the text into Google Docs (a free word processor) and then download it as a .doc or .docx file format. Hope that answers your question!
I have a doubt. If I receive a full manuscript request, should I notify the other agents who have my query about the same)
Hi! Typically you only notify other agents when you've received an offer of representation, not for full requests.
@@BookEndsLiterary Thank you!
Here as I'm filling out the form of a full request. 🎉🥹🥹🤞🤞🙏🙏🙏 I hope to join the crew soon❤❤