I am querying, in case you haven't gotten that far in this blog. And this, I've discovered, can be a very interesting process. And, if I'm willing to put my own self-esteem on the back burner, it can be pretty funny, In that ironic, what-they-heck-are-they-thinking kind of way.
Yesterday I was filling out one of those on-line submission forms (which I hate, by the way, because they don't allow you to personalize and tell the agent exactly why they are perfect for this project). This particular submission form, unlike most generic agency forms, was on a particular agent's page. Apparently each agent in the agency has a form on their own page, thus allowing you to query a specific agent instead of the agency as a whole. Which is a huge plus.
Except this form asked, at the end, if this was a multiple query.
I stared at this question for an impossibly long time. Did she possibly mean was I querying any other agent, anywhere? Surely not! Who only queries one agent at a time? If you are suppose to query 100 agents before you give up, I'd be dead before I got to 30 at the rate they are responding.
So I went with the logical conclusion and decided she meant, "Are you querying anyone else in this agency at the same time?" I checked no.
Then on the next agents' website, the submission guidelines read as follows:
"We usually respond in 6-9 weeks if we are interested. If you haven't heard back from us by that time, feel free to query elsewhere."
Seriously????
So maybe I should have checked yes? 40 times?
Oy, what a business we're in. I can understand requesting an exclusive on a full ms, but never on querying. And btw, best wishes on your queries! Fingers crossed and hoping for many manuscript requests :)
ReplyDeleteI know this agency, and I just went ahead and said I was querying elsewhere. Most agents understand you need to query many many agents at once. But some are funny about it, and I just sort of crossed those off my list.
ReplyDeleteIt is INSANE.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any idea what the right way is to go through this process. I'm just trying to follow the guidelines and do what they ask for, but man, its like jumping through flaming hoops.
While juggling chainsaws.
No wonder so many give up. But not us, right!!!!!
Those were a pain in the tail. I'm with Jenwriter...but hoping you found some others to take up the slack!!
ReplyDeleteXO
I just had to laugh at this! Really, if an agency can't understand multiple queries, I think they don't understand the writing end of it.
ReplyDeleteI love Heidi's visual image!! Jumping through flaming hoops - juggling chainsaws! - indeed!!
There are enough - like Jen and JKB says - to cross these off.