Guys, I don’t want to do this. I WANT to respond to every query I receive. But if authors keep ignoring my advice to track their submissions, and keep resending queries I’ve already responded to, well, at some point I’m going to realize what a waste of my time and yours it is to keep responding to those repeats.
Don’t make me do that, please. Don’t be a spoilsport. Track your submissions and don’t resend a query to someone who’s already responded to it. The more time I have to use to track down my previous response and send it back to the author, the less time I have to read another author’s query.
In a related rant, please don’t call me to ask why I turned down your query. I did. You know that. Move on and find another agent to query.
I’m sorry if this comes across as mean, or ranting, but I want to find new authors. That’s why I do this. Anything that takes away from time looking for my next client, is time wasted.
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4 thoughts on “Don’t Ruin It for the Others!”
That was the nicest and least ranting post I've ever read on that topic. I can't believe you take the time to look up your responses in the first place!
Between repeat queries and queries for things you clearly do not represent, I'm starting to feel guilty for the lack of professionalism displayed by my fellow queriers. Here's hoping they find your blog.
I agree with Kiersten! It is embarrassing the lack of professionalism found amongst us queriers. I may not like the rejection. I may want to know why an agent didn't want to represent my work, but if they don't feel the need to represent me or share their reasons why with me in their rejection letter, then I just have to suck down the disappointment and move on.
I didn't think you were too ranty either. It is apparently something that needs to be repeated often, as much as agents complain about it.
You're not a spoilsport at all. You're doing aspiring writers a favor by giving this advice. Personally, I can't see how a writer would send follow-up e-mails when a query is rejection. Move on people.
I can't beleive people actually do that. I keep a journal of what agency I've contacted, which agent at the agency my query was sent to, the date, and when I received a reply. Of the negative replies I've received, I've sent a follow-up email thanking them for their response (since not all agents take the time to do that) and I appreciate the gesture even if it is in a form letter. That way I at least know my query was received and read. I will say that it is a bit frustrating receiving one negative reply after another without an explanation. Was it something wrong with my query? Did I not follow query guidelines? Or even worse, do I have a word spelled wrong or is it grammatically incorrect? I mean I've read my query a hundred times and it sounds good to me. Others have read and scrutinized it and they all say the same thing. My theory is that finding the right agent is like finding something I like to eat. I'm a picky eater, so the best chef in the world could make something world class and fit for a king, but if it has mustard in it, I'm not going to eat it. So my hope is to one day find an agent who thinks a good family drama tastes good. In the meantime I'll just assume that the agents who pass on it just don't like mustard either. 🙂