tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post1926649858883706115..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Sadistics from the query trenchesJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-2487256166046384252016-06-15T13:58:18.688-04:002016-06-15T13:58:18.688-04:00I'm querying Middle Grade and with 126 queries...I'm querying Middle Grade and with 126 queries out there are 56 NORMAN's. I'm sure there will be a few more. Until I read everyone's comments I thought the internet was broken.Julie Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15055134290787317245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-72229788104940504192016-06-14T16:14:36.604-04:002016-06-14T16:14:36.604-04:00kdjames, while I don't like it, I can totally ...kdjames, while I don't like it, I can totally understand it, having been on the receiving end of a wide variety of reactions to being turned down for jobs, from crying to rants to threats.<br /><br />Duchess, you are correct; the short stories were actually submissions; I sometimes think of them as queries simply because I am asking whether they want them. Good catch. I always follow guidelines for querying, submitting, or whatever. If I couldn't stand their guidelines for some reason ("must pledge allegiance to a Trump/Clinton ticket") then I simply wouldn't submit/query/grovel/etc.Miles O'Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566986720292847069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-26910556080140696342016-06-14T10:38:47.926-04:002016-06-14T10:38:47.926-04:00I don't know. I think there are more important...I don't know. I think there are more important considerations when looking for an agent than whether they respond to unsolicited e-mails. And that's exactly what queries are. If they were solicited, they wouldn't be queries - they would be 'requested material'.<br /><br />If I could find an agent who A) loves my work, B) is successful, C) is compatible with my work style, and D) wants to represent me... I'm not going to give one whit whether they respond to queries or not. So I'll keep querying NORMAN agents as well as non-NORMAN agents. The right agent is out there...BJ Muntainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12977414826388000094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-62300876317870932192016-06-14T08:27:19.226-04:002016-06-14T08:27:19.226-04:00Sad to say the numbers sound right to me. I've...Sad to say the numbers sound right to me. I've only queried 25 agents... would *love* to take a peek at OP's query list, honestly, I've been struggling to find sci-fi/fantasy agents in the UK and it sounds like they've found much more). My NORMAN rate is 56%.<br /><br />It's disheartening, if I'm being honest. When I was querying two years ago the no-response rate was never that high -- and when I do get a response, my request and personalised feedback rate is *much* higher, so I'm fairly confident that it's not a weak query problem.<br /><br />Ah well. It only takes one to say yes. :)<br /><br />E.Mareehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17283073495361530535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-46692329236122098792016-06-14T06:46:40.510-04:002016-06-14T06:46:40.510-04:00Great article, It is nice article provide a fantas...Great article, It is nice article provide a fantastic information, thanks for the sharing such a nice information.<br /><a href="http://zebacart.com/index.php/oswal-publication-books.html" rel="nofollow">Oswal Books for class 12</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01366847846463793034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-46885310377380686802016-06-14T05:56:37.049-04:002016-06-14T05:56:37.049-04:00Yup, this is exactly what I've found. I'm ...Yup, this is exactly what I've found. I'm not quite up to 300+ queries, but I am at 150. However, let me say that the first 120 were prior to a total revision. I have only myself to blame for believing the advice from my writers critique group that my book was ready to query, when in reality, it was not. I feel like I've burned many bridges, and there is nothing I can do about that. Rather disheartening though, as my beta readers tell the book is great, and should be a movie. So, I'd say out of the 150 queries, I received, maybe, 50 responses. Of the 50, maybe 20 personal responses. I'm not giving up, though. No way!Linda Straderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13651163529711298130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25421349705899698142016-06-14T01:50:32.215-04:002016-06-14T01:50:32.215-04:00Good question, OP.
Someone above mentioned the ne...Good question, OP.<br /><br />Someone above mentioned the new app on Querytracker. Yesterday I saw on twitter that Djanet is using and even suggested "try it." Out of curiosity I clicked on the link. The form she created is crystal clear. I did not try it because I have nothing to query.<br /><br />Part of me quitting writing is that I kept slowing down. Not the writing. I was writing three hours a day. Sometimes more. I had to ask myself why I was writing? To see my name on the shelf, to give snarky orations at writing conferences. No. <br /><br />There was no way Hades I was going to query something mediocre. I wanted a success rate like Kelly Garret. I want to write like Helena Andrews does in her memoir <i>Bitch is The New Black.</i><br /><br />Then my work stole my time.angie Brooksby-Arcangiolihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000615140577512304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-90071020401916461892016-06-13T23:48:18.278-04:002016-06-13T23:48:18.278-04:00Her Grace,
If only I'd read your note before t...Her Grace,<br />If only I'd read your note before the bonfire. <br /><br />One thing I'll be able to tell the grandkids one day: My manuscript was smokin'!<br /><br />(Grandkids?! I think I just took my first stab at writing horror.)John Davis Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020019400599228492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-34405604626787812662016-06-13T22:14:56.823-04:002016-06-13T22:14:56.823-04:00I need to read John Frain's ms.
As for readin...I need to read John Frain's ms.<br /><br />As for reading what I'm writing, if I'm writing Romance, absolutely I'll indulge in reading Romance. Sure, I'll find similar elements, but if I read enough, the pool of influence will be insignificant enough that I won't worry about being a copycat. If anything I might see certain ideas that get repeated over and over. I avoid those.<br /><br />Maybe that's why I'm writing Fantasy Romance. I can toss in elements that one does not find in the average Romance.<br /><br />As for Donnaeve's suggestion of going back to snail mail...<br /><br />Hush yore mouth and wash it out with soap! Do you have any idea how much it costs to post mss from Australia?!<br /><br />Roadkill: I've never heard of querying short stories. All the editors I know ask for the completed story--both literary and genre magazines. That might explain why you got 100% rejection. The art of the short story is all about execution. Querying is a rather useless step for shorts.<br />Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818060864422019573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68125176534794526492016-06-13T22:13:18.796-04:002016-06-13T22:13:18.796-04:00Kitty, fret not that your novel is turning into WF...Kitty, fret not that your novel is turning into WF. Genre-bending is an up-and-coming thing. Lots of authors are doing it (including me).<br /><br />What was your novel originally born as? How do you know it's WF if you don't read WF?<br /><br />Do you want it to be WF? Does it have elements of your beloved MM?<br /><br />Whether or not this novel is WF isn't as important as what your next novel is going to be. Do you want to build a career as a WF author, or does your heart lie somewhere else?<br /><br />It's okay if you don't know yet. You might not know until your third novel.<br /><br />By all means, write this novel. Get it out of your system. It will do you and your mastery-of-the-craft good. <a href="http://romancespinners.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/my-thriller-novel-hausfrau.html" rel="nofollow">I once wrote a thriller</a> (a darn good one, too!), and I'm glad I did. However, That will be the only thriller in me. Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818060864422019573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10163615363764646512016-06-13T21:23:12.728-04:002016-06-13T21:23:12.728-04:00I can't claim anything like those impressive s...I can't claim anything like those impressive stats, but out of the 62 queries I sent the proportion was flipped: 2/3 replied in some way (mostly form rejections) with 1/3 NORMANS. Still a significant proportion though.Botanisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098709722475364465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-31673916523902390412016-06-13T20:42:07.363-04:002016-06-13T20:42:07.363-04:00Julie, I do understand that the time frame here in...Julie, I do understand that the time frame here in this example is short, perhaps too short to be meaningful. And I do understand that agents get backed up with queries and can take a very long time to respond. I've been reading this blog for years, after all. <br /><br />I do not understand the attitude of some agents that it's perfectly fine to have a policy that no response means no. We all get to decide whether that's acceptable to us as queriers. To me, it's not. I find it dismissive and unprofessional. I'd rather not have an agent at all than one who treats writers that way.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-21215326441103523102016-06-13T19:39:02.307-04:002016-06-13T19:39:02.307-04:00Panda,
I've never had a no response to a fu...Panda, <br /><br />I've never had a no response to a full. I've had to nudge two and in both cases they were on the fence about it and in the end decided to pass. Sometimes agents just get really behind on fulls, that doesn't mean it's a no response.Julie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18500172397536862812016-06-13T19:36:07.684-04:002016-06-13T19:36:07.684-04:00Oh, Panda,"The Accidental Norman"! I'...Oh, Panda,"The Accidental Norman"! I'll be smiling for the rest of the night. A great way to wind up the discussion of sadistics.Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18165072684559960801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-31982395228905826232016-06-13T19:35:10.135-04:002016-06-13T19:35:10.135-04:00KD,
No, that is not what this means. I think the ...KD,<br /><br />No, that is not what this means. I think the numbers are very skewed in this case because of the time frame. There are probably a lot of agents who simply haven't responded yet. <br /><br />The original poster is posting numbers from 328 queries sent out over a roughly little over three month period. Even if the OP sent all the queries out in February, we could not reasonably expect every agent to respond by now.<br /><br />I'm home and just went over my spread sheet. According to the numbers I have on my spreadsheet and granted it means nothing, but it gives some numbers over a roughly 12 month period. I backed off for a while as I was reworking the query and chapters. <br /><br />76 queries. 10 requests for fulls. 21 Closed due to no response and it was noted in the file that they were no response means no interest with one exception. That agent belongs to an agency that prides itself on responding to every query. I withdrew my query after nudging him twice with no response.<br /><br />So, I had queried them with my eyes open being forewarned that if they didn't respond within a certain amount of time I could assume they were not interested, which I did. <br /><br />That means 28% of the agencies queried are no response for me and frankly, I can live with that. I didn't avoid agencies that were no response. I simply researched the ones I thought were the best fit.<br /><br />The quickest response I got was 30 minutes. The longest was 282 days. The average was 63 days. I got enough rejections that were very quick 2-3 day range that knocked down the ones that seemed to be the more average of 60-120 days.<br /><br />I'm not digging out the information from emails before I started keeping the spreadsheet, but I imagine they will be about the same.<br /><br />Quickly looking at agencies on Querytracker, most say allow at least six weeks response time on queries if they give a time frame.<br /><br /> Julie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64332889711296005662016-06-13T18:22:07.724-04:002016-06-13T18:22:07.724-04:00If the blog reader wants an opinion, tell him to s...If the blog reader wants an opinion, tell him to send me the query and.or MS.<br /><br />NORMAN is an acronym for, “Welcome to the world of literary agents.” translated into English from ancient Sanskrit.<br />Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421775912951050610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-70241563736354689012016-06-13T18:14:36.075-04:002016-06-13T18:14:36.075-04:00Holy guacamole. So roughly a third of agents say u...Holy guacamole. So roughly a third of agents say up front they won't reply if it's a "no" and roughly another third simply don't reply and leave you to wonder? This is mind boggling to me. I'm not sure I even care what the *reasons* are for it, it's rude. <br /><br />I don't think I'll be querying any agents who have adopted this policy. There are damn few things writers have a choice about in this process, but that's one of them.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-52268718929381211352016-06-13T17:41:58.842-04:002016-06-13T17:41:58.842-04:00Didn't Anne Tyler write a book called "Th...Didn't Anne Tyler write a book called "The Accidental Norman"? <br /><br />As much as I hate the concept, I can understand the NORMAN phenomenon when it comes to queries. But to fulls? To me that is unconscionable. <br />A form letter rejection at the point of a full would be okay. Just don't leave me hanging.Panda in Chiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160375490647791433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-20549107320749363982016-06-13T17:09:23.165-04:002016-06-13T17:09:23.165-04:00Opie, thanks for sharing your query stats. It'...Opie, thanks for sharing your query stats. It's always comforting to be reminded we have comrades in the trenches. I only jumped back in a few months ago, but holy hamster, it's rough out there.<br /><br />Where There's A Quillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00950272130403817282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83445570096260514852016-06-13T15:59:10.571-04:002016-06-13T15:59:10.571-04:00John: I'd never before considered differentiat...John: I'd never before considered differentiating between declared NORMANs and undeclared NORMANs. I guess an agent could be an accidental NORMAN if they overlook or forget to respond to a query. I'm not sure I would want to classify an agent as a NORMAN without either a declared intention to be a NORMAN, or a track record of NORMAN activity. And that would have to be normal NORMAN activity (consistent no-response), not irregular NORMAN activity (occasional response).<br /><br />:)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18471068334834526332016-06-13T15:27:08.427-04:002016-06-13T15:27:08.427-04:00Brigid: I have a hard time finding fantasy with wr...Brigid: I have a hard time finding fantasy with writing that takes my breath away, but Patrick Rothfuss always manages to do it. For you historical fiction junkies out there, The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon(translated from French, I think) is beautiful and complicated. <br /><br />Geez, just like always, ya'll are inspiring me to get off my butt and write so that I can go query. Then I can add my stats to the pile. :P Too bad I'm at work at the moment (taking a coffee break, obviously).Bethany Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12829932931010851406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64788522676992831002016-06-13T15:26:58.615-04:002016-06-13T15:26:58.615-04:00John Frain - I love your observation that
&quo...John Frain - I love your observation that <br /><br /> "I've chased off so many of my favorite sentences they might start turning up on milk cartons"Joseph S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07437663031050410028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81186261598827381212016-06-13T15:01:41.783-04:002016-06-13T15:01:41.783-04:00Andrea, thanks for this excellent reminder:
As a ...Andrea, thanks for this excellent reminder:<br /> As a published author advised unpublished authors on Twitter a while ago: "Slow the f*** down!" <br /><br />So true, so true. In so many aspects.<br /><br />Colin, thanks for the clarification. I, and apparently OP too, have always considered an agent who says NO Response Means No to fit your generally accepted definition of a NORMAN. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, it sounds like you're saying a NORMAN is someone who doesn't warn an author up front but doesn't respond after the query.<br /><br />Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm spending my time determining this because -- ONCE AGAIN -- it comes down to the writing! Write well, and even a NORMAN, whatever the etymology, will respond favorably.<br /><br />So I'm going back to editing. I've chased off so many of my favorite sentences they might start turning up on milk cartons.<br /><br /> John Davis Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020019400599228492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51279363680674483202016-06-13T14:47:49.802-04:002016-06-13T14:47:49.802-04:00As if on cue, just now I received a query rejectio...As if on cue, just now I received a query rejection from an agent I did not recoginze. I looked more closely and realized why. It was from the last project I queried, dated October 7, 2015. <br /><br />I'm currently querying something else. Stats on that are very similar to all those listed.Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60746862571149752642016-06-13T14:36:42.423-04:002016-06-13T14:36:42.423-04:00I would not blame those who got the queries I sent...I would not blame those who got the queries I sent at the beginning of this journey for being NORMAN. When I query again I hope to be sophisticated enough to be above average. I don't say that in completely the way some of you will take it.<br /><br />I wonder if the NORMAN craze is not genre oriented? Do certain genres that have a huge amount of writers have a higher incidence of said NORMANS?Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.com