Query Question: intra-agency referral

Is it unreasonable to expect intra-agency referrals when one agent rejects a query or passes on a partial or full MS but thinks an associate may be interested? I believe that the rejecting agent would not be burdened with much extra time, and could possibly earn valuable extra credit points for a comfy (rumored) afterlife existence. 

Yes.
It's not reasonable to expect anything other than a reply to a query. Anything else is a bonus.

Very rarely will I reply to a query with "Agent X here at FPLM might be a better fit." When I do, it's NOT a referral, it's a redirection. Agent X handles dinosaur porn, I do not. I have not read your pages of dinosuar porn, and even if I had, I have no way to judge their merit.

And what you think is not "extra much time" isn't. Inevitably there is a back and forth with Agent X so s/he can know how much I've read, and if there are any special circumstances ie it's my mom querying the dinosaur porn so X has to be polite etc.

And I'm not depending on earning afterlife points in my query queue. I earn those when I negotiate contracts.

More on referrals

Thank you for your blog post today. You specifically mention referrals by other agents. I was wondering - what's the difference between a referral by an agent & a referral by an author? If one of an agent's (currently represented) authors refer someone, is it all that big a deal? Does it get you to the top of the pile & an extra close read? Or does it happen so frequently that it's like receiving just another query?

Recently a writer on a bulletin board discussion told me in no uncertain terms that "a referral from a client that doesn't shoot to the top of the to-be-read list means something is seriously wrong with the agent."

It took the Shark Delay Team to keep my reply ("so glad you know so much about working in an agency and getting referrals") in Drafts, which was good, since this fellow didn't seem prepared to listen to someone actually doing the job he was talking about.

Here's how I prioritize referrals. By prioritize, I mean how fast I am likely to read. It's MY list, not the industry standard by any matter of means. (1 is fastest, 10 is least likely to be read at all)

1: An editor read your manuscript, wants it, but you need an agent, so editor gave you my name; or an agent read your manuscript, loved it, couldn't take it on, gave you my name. Editor/agent then emailed me independently to say "hey, I loved this, you will too;" [just so you know: THESE ARE RARE.]

2: An editor read your manuscript (or currently edits you) and suggested getting in touch with me; an agent read your manuscript, loved it, couldn't take it on and gave you several names (including mine) to contact on your own;

3: An agent or editor read some of your manuscript, and liked it, and suggested agents (including me) to contact;

4: An agent at a conference suggested I might be better suited to the manuscript;

5: One of my fabulous clients read and loved the manuscript and suggested getting in touch with me, whom he/she has called to enthuse about said manuscript;

6: One of my fabulous clients read the manuscript and thought it might be something I would want to read and contacts me to say so;

7: A querier asks one of my fabulous clients who his/her agent is, then sends manuscript to me saying client referred him/her;

8: A presenter at a conference who is not an agent or editor says I am a good person to query;

9: A form letter from an agent saying s/he is not taking on new clients but someone else at the agency might be interested;

10: A paid editor/book doctor/someone said I was cat's pjs, and author should query.

The value of a referral depends on two things:

1. has the person read your entire manuscript; and
2. how close to the buy/sell transaction process is the person making the referral.


Agents/editors are primary actors in the sales transaction. They know what gets acquired. Thus, their opinion counts MUCH more than anyone else's including clients. Clients know what's good to their eye, and many of them are close, careful readers with exquisite taste, or seriously tuned in to what's commercially viable BUT they don't have a broad sense of what's being acquired now. Their opinion is important but it's not got the impact of an editor's.


Now remember, this is MY hierarchy. Other agents may vary. Someone should email the Amazing Jessica Faust at BookEndsLLC and ask how she prioritizes referrals. (I think she only takes queries by referral now too, so her opinion actually counts more than mine on this!)

Query Queston: other agents if first agent does not respond

An agent has my full and disappeared. I sent nudges timed appropriately and haven't received any response. They're not a no-response-means-no agent, either (supposedly.)

I haven't pinned hope on this one agent, and have other fulls out. However, there are others at this agent's agency who I think would be interested. The main reason I queried the first agent before the others is because I was given a referral. How long should I wait before querying others at their agency? Can I not query them if this agent just never responds to me? 

 Oh lord referrals. They are troublesome things they are. The good ones are when an agent has read your manuscript, knows it's not for her/him for X reason, and says "query so and so at AgencyAuctionLLC"

In fact, I'm now cackling with glee reading the reviews of a book where that exact thing happened. I read the manuscript, loved it, knew it needed what I didn't have, sent the author to one of my favorite competitors; they had a fistfight in the office over who got it pounced on it with glee. The rest is happy publishing all around.

The other kind of referrals are the ones that start "Such and Such said this was your kind of novel" and I've not spoken to Such for five years. Such hasn't read your novel and is just trying to get you off her query pile and onto mine.


It's hard for you the querier to know which one you have, of course, but my guess is you've got the second one based on the agent's behavior.  She's "disappeared" which means she's probably trying to figure out what to say other than  form rejection. (It feels awkward to form reject a referral which is why you guys are so hot for them of course.)

Here's what to do:

Step one: withdraw the manuscript from Agent Absent. Politely of course.  I'm sure you know how to do this.  If you don't I know I've posted wording previously.

Step two: submit the manuscript to Agent BetterChoice.  At this point, there's no need to mention Agent Absent. Absent has dropped the ball here and you should NOT let that have an impact on you.

This is your career. Even if Agent Beta calls you up at midnight to spew and splutter that you are RUDE RUDE RUDE to submit this manuscript, it won't kill you, and two, you have my permission to say "horsefeathers BetaBreath."

This querying process is starting to resemble elaborate rules of court in some crazed Balkan country. This must be done, that must be done. Double space this, and make sure your font doesn't frolic on the page...yikes!

A query is a business letter. If the person to whom you are proposing a business arrangement fails to respond to your overture, and three polite follow ups, then time to move on to the next person on the list.  As long as you're polite and observe the guidelines posted on the website, you're fine.  And even if you don't and you're not: There Are No Query Police!

Monday Night At the Question Emporium

Dear Ms. Reid,

You blogged recently about writers foisting their manuscripts on published authors. Is it also an automatic "bad bad bad idea to read feral manuscripts" if the writer has some legit writing credits and wants a blurb/recommendation for a query letter? I'm the writer in this scenario, with a magical realist novel about a Palestinian family in West LA, and think a comment from Diana Abu Jaber would strengthen my letter.

I met and spoke with Ms. Abu Jaber several years ago, and we both live in Portland, Oregon. I know some people who have taken her classes, and I'm active in the writing and workshop community here. All that to say, there is a tenuous connection, perhaps enough to earn me some not-crazy credit. Finally, if it's indeed not a "bad bad bad idea," is there a best way to approach an author with this kind of request?

Thanks for your time, and for your blog.

Cheers,

Well, given I sold a book based in no small part on the blurb Diana Abu-Jaber gave it, I think you're right that she would be of help to you.

Here's how it works though. You have to have more than "tenuous connection." Take a class from her, attend her readings (try not to look like a stalker here, it will defeat your purpose!) OR have someone who knows the both of you write what's essentially a letter of introduction.

Portland's writing community isn't huge (well, per capita it's huge of course) and it's filled with kind and generous folks. I'm honored to represent quite a good number of them myself. Nose around. Your manuscript isn't feral if it comes with an introduction and a plate of baklava.

Tuesday Night at the Question Emporium

I'm always hearing other writers advise not reading unpublished manuscripts for legal reasons. I always just assumed published writers gave out that excuse to avoid a billion wannabes from inundating them with unpublishable dreck. Is there any truth behind the advice?

I tell my clients they are forbidden upon pain of death to read unpublished, un-contracted, un-agented unknown work. If necessary I type out a little card they can carry in their wallet:

My agent Janet Reid at FinePrint Lit
forbids me to read manuscripts.
I'm more afraid of her than I am of you,
so please forgive me for not agreeing to read this.

Then I make them practice saying it out loud. Some of my clients (how this happened I do not know) are very nice, kind, helpful people and the idea of not being kind and helpful requires practice and the very real fear of that bodily harm thing.

There are a couple reasons I do this.

First, the people who step over the boundaries of common courtesy and common sense by thrusting manuscripts at you without asking, or in public places, are just the kind of people who don't understand how publishing works, and don't have all their synapses firing in the right order. In other words, just exactly the kind of person who can become a problem. My clients don't need that.

Second, I've heard directly from authors whom I don't represent that they've had very unfortunate litigation threats from people who believe the author "stole" their idea. My clients don't need that either.

Third, it's always easier to have someone else to blame. My authors don't need to alienate potential readers, no matter how nutso or crazy, by saying "no I don't wanna." Thus I ask them to blame me. I get blamed for everything else anyway, I'm used to it.

Generally I think it's a bad bad bad idea to read feral manuscripts. By feral I mean those not domesticated enough to attend a writing conference, a critique group, a writing contest, or a college class.

So, repeat after me:

My agent told me if I read this,
she'd kill me.

I believe her.

I'm very sorry,
but feel free to take it up with her.
Her email is Janet @ yougottabekiddingme.com