Dear She Who Devised the Sharknado,I’m currently querying one manuscript and revising a second one, which should be finished in a couple months (Ha! Watch that be a total lie). If all goes to plan, I imagine I won’t have an agent by the time the second manuscript is ready to query. I’m only two or three months into the querying process (just a handful of rejections and one partial request so far). Is it acceptable/wise (or shark-bait stupid) to query agents who rejected the first manuscript with the second manuscript while the first manuscript is still awaiting responses from other agents? If so, how should I handle notifying agents if I receive an offer of representation for a different manuscript?
You can certainly query the agents who passed on Ms#1.
And just query as you would any other agent. I always hate to see "you rejected me on that, but here's this" cause I think it's not a strong, effective pitch.
If you get an offer on EITHER, you notify everyone who has a query less than 30 days old, or has requested a full or a partial. You tell the agent you have an offer on TITLE.
Even if you get an offer on #2, you MUST notify agents who have ms #1. Once you sign with an agent, you don't keep querying the other ms.
Any questions?
12 comments:
"Once you sign with an agent..."
If only it were to be true.
Aww, keep plugging 2Ns. You don't know when or how lightning will strike, but if you keep waving your 9 iron in the air, it'll happen eventually.
(Trust me. I must have sent 700+ queries on five different projects)
A nice, logical post to kick off the weekend. My diabetic cat tried to die on us yesterday, but we brought him back and he is now looking out the window, pissed off at me but content with life again. So I am hoping the rest of this weekend will be smooth for everyone.
Good luck, OP, and have fun querying! Such an exciting time.
If an agent has requested to be queried with another novel, would I mention that in the query?
PS. I hate querying. Terribly.
OP, I hope you find an agent who falls in love with both manuscripts!
Lennon, So glad your cat is okay. Wishing you a pleasantly boring weekend.
OP, all the best with querying.
Lennon... Yikes! Sending love to you and cat!
Janet's advice is probably right, unless you're running into an agent who represents the work, not the writer. In that case, you should of course let the agent read the other work, but I don't think you stop querying it until you have an offer on that specific work.
The rejections I have gotten are mostly about not connecting with the story. That is okay, I know I look at the world differently than most. All it will take is one who sees things somewhat like I do.
I also think that querying writers should look at all agents as if they were about that writer, not the one and done types.
Lennon, glad you have something to give you a nice start for the weekend. I do too. I got Kathy out of the hospital this morning. Somehow she has a cracked pelvis. We are still trying to get our heads around that. There is nothing that has happened to her that should have caused it. Her bone loss isn't that bad and nothing traumatic has happened.
Anyway, her leg did the freak and it took three tries to get a muscle relaxer that worked. It will be a hover over her weekend.
Amy, Nicola, Craig - thank you. Very glad he's still kickin' around to send me withering glares.
Craig - Sorry to hear that. I hope she has a quick and pain-free recovery.
Lennon - yay for the cat. I hope it has a very boring weekend.
And Craig - best wishes for Kathy (who I assume is a human and not a cat)
Thanks Lennon and Aphra, it will be less painful in a few days. I think she tore her abductor and quadriceps muscles in one leg because of spasms. A muscle relaxer helps but relaxes other muscles soon.She is worth it. She knows where I keep my softer side.
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