When I was selling my home, my realtor took names of interested parties. When someone made an offer, she checked in with the others. This drove up the price of my house. Much like your argument above, it can't hurt and it might do you some good to contact anyone who has been notified that your project exists. It's not just a matter of manners, it's a healthy self interest. Maybe follow-up isn't a hard rule in the case of queries, but it is good advice.

I've only been querying one agent at a time. I'd feel so bad if I had to tell someone that I already found representation.

At the moment, I'm just searching for someone to WANT to give me representation.

Don't take this the wrong way, but it's actually quite nice to know us writers aren't the only ones who get a little chaffed during the querying process.

I imagine your feeling a bit like I felt when an agent requested my work, gave me excellent feedback and requested a re-submission once the proofs were finished AND THEN blew me off like she'd never met me/read my manuscript.

I was livid to say the least.

I guess my point is: this happens on both sides and communication is the key. We should all communicate a little better. After all, we're all people, no one bites (that I know of).

Sorry about your upset.

Dawn

When I saw this (two hours later) I was a little insulted because I would behave the same way this author did. I often read agent gripes and agree with y'all, but not this time.

I believe someone else mentioned this to you on Twitter earlier today, but we (writers) have been told several times by several different agents (in blogs, on Twitter and in #askagent sessions) to notify only if they have a partial or full and not a query. So you can't be that surprised when that's exactly what we do.

Until a couple weeks ago, I'd never heard writers should ping agents who only have queries when they get an offer, and I've been paying attention to agents and submissions for seven years. I was even a slush reader for a year and a half.

So when I actually got a reply to my "Thanks for requesting, but I've already found representation!" saying I should have told the agent who only had a query, I was stunned. I sent notifications to all the agents who had my partial and full, gave them a week to reply before deciding who to go with. I thought I did everything right. I was really surprised and upset that I'd possibly hurt an agent's feelings.

Even keeping in mind that sending notifications to everyone -- including agents who just have queries -- is going to be a huge chore for people who query widely, I don't think most writers will mind. It's exciting! But mostly, I don't think they know they should. All the advice on blogs and websites I've seen have never said anything about notifying agents with queries. :)

Ack! Amber, don't query only one agent at a time. Some agents may take 6-8 weeks to respond just to a query. And then months to respond to a full. Do you want to take all year to get responses from three or four agents?

Query in rounds. Carefully researched and thoughtfully selected rounds, but rounds nonetheless.

Interesting explanation -- Thanks for the insight. Try looking at it this way: If you had e-mailed someone and three weeks later didn't have a response, might you assume they weren't interested?

2/23 would make three weeks. I didn't even have to look at my calendar to know this -- I knew it because I queried agents for the first (and hopefully only) time on 2/22! I'm not one of those people who queried a zillion agents. I queried six who I hand-picked. Most have responded by now to the initial query. At the two-week mark, I guessed the ones who hadn't responded might not be interested. By now, at the three-week mark, I'm feeling pretty sure they're not, that I should focus on the ones reading the full manuscript. Does that make sense?

I see how this is difficult for agents because it forces you to look through your queries quickly. And as you said, the non-responders (or the agents who say you can assume they're not interested if they don't respond in, say, three weeks) throw it off. But I like the point you make here -- and because of that, I'll make an effort to let even the non-responders I queried know when I've got an offer.

Thanks, Elana!

I don't think we authors are obligated to tell an agent we've queried that we have an offer of representation unless we have that offer at the time of the query. As for me, I have told agents who have requested my stuff that other agents have done the same, but I feel that's a curtesy to extend to interested parties only. I don't want to clog your inbox if you're not interested in my stuff.

And lastly (if I'm reading this correctly), if the query was sent on 2/23/10 and you didn't respond until 3/15/10, then it's quite possible the person queried the other agent on the same day and got a much faster repsonse and turn-around from the other agent.

This is actually GOOD news for me. I've often wondered what to do if I have several queries still floating around when I get an offer from another agent. (This is my positive thinking at work!)

Thanks for the head's up, Elana!

Caren

I think you're completely correct. When an author queries you, if they get an offer they should either tell you or withdraw the query. The problem is that there is a great deal of conflicting agent info floating in cyberspace. "Don't ever query me with the same project again." "Sure, if you revised, query me again." "Please have the courtesy to tell me if you've queried me before on any project." "I don't need to know if you've queried me before, each project stands on it's own." I could go on as I'm sure you know.

My suggestion: If an agent feels strongly about something, or even has a slight preference for a particular protocol, they should state it clearly in their submission guidelines. For instance, your guidelines clearly state that you don't take resubmission. Perfect. No one has to wonder about that.

I don't fault you for not stating in your submission guidelines your preference to be informed when a query is off the market. One would think that's common sense and common courtesy, but invariably when the question is raised on writer's forums the majority will advise only informing those agents with fulls or partials. However, it may makes sense to add it now. It may even be useful to blog about the conflicting advice that is floating out there so you can ferret it out and clear it up once and for all, at least as it applies to your preferences.

Oops. Sorry. It should have been Elana.

The real estate analogy is a little off because the Realtor has names of people who have seen the home and expressed interest. When you send out queries, you have no idea if there is any interest unless someone specifically contacts you to say so. With the current trend going to no response means no interest, writers have no idea if the agent isn't interested, never received it, is still thinking about it or hasn't gotten to it yet.

As to the subject, this falls into the "add another thing to the list" category. If agents had partials or fulls and I got an offer of representation, I would certainly contact all of them. Those who just had queries, probably not because I have read before some agents don't want the extra emails.

If you look at agent stats, the chances of an agent being interested in your submission are very slim. 135 queries-0 requests. Partials requested this month-2, etc. The chances of numerous agents being interested in my query seems almost like a fantasy, and I do have faith in the work.

Even so, after reading this, I would definitely contact any agents who have queries also. It may irritate some agents, but I think it's impossible to do everything right because of the wide variety of personal preferences.

I appreciate this post.

I have to say, the idea of letting a queried agent know I'm being offered representation - on the one hand - seems frivolous to me. I won't mention the number of agent blogs that say it's unnecessary, as we're all aware of them. I've not been querying too widely, but there are times when a writer is sending dozens of queries - all of which may be headed to the desk of someone they truly respect and hope to impress. With all the work and attention that comes with having someone express interest in heading to the next level with you, it is reasonable that they wouldn't take the time to go email a dozen other people. On the other hand, knowing that you are one of few who probably feel this way, I could make the time to send just the one.

I agree w/Jodie. I queried widely. When I got an offer, I informed the agents w/partials and fulls only. All agents had my query for at least one month, and most for two to three. I figured, if they hadn't responded in that length of time, either they weren't interested (non-responders) or had pretty full plates. Plus, the agents who had my work (17 had requested, 10 passed, 7 still had my work at the time I was offered representation) were all fabulous, truly some of my "dream agents." I didn't figure I needed to send notification to the 70 (no, I'm not exaggerating - I meant it when I said I queried widely!) I hadn't heard back from. As I said, the seven who had my work were all wonderful, so I knew I was in a good position. I could hardly imagine having to deal with more requests. (BTW: I only heard back from three agents out of the 70 after I signed w/my agent. Two were form rejections, and one was a request for the first 100 pages. So, you could say there were 67 non-responders. The one who made the request did say, "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you (it had been nearly 4 months), but if you haven't found representation yet, I'd love to see the first 100 pages and a synopsis." I sent her a personal reply thanking her and saying I had, in fact, found an agent.

I think the key is to be mindful of your situation. If you haven't queried widely, then you should absolutely notify all agents if you've gotten an offer. If, like me, you've queried widely, then I think you need to use your best judgment.

"And if I'm running 2-3 weeks on queries, that's really not that long. I know stuff happens, but the window there is short enough that I think it might be worth sending an update."

That's a remarkably quick turn around. I know some people who have had queries out for several months before getting a response.

I'm one of those authors who, once I got an offer, notified anyone who I'd queried within the last month. It resulted in seven additional requests for material. And while I ended up signing with someone who had requested material before the first offer came in, it was still nice to have more options. (I ended up getting an offer from one of those who I'd only queried pre-offer.)

I think the important thing to realize is what Elana said: There's no harm in informing queried agents that you got an offer. I used the same form letter for all agents (inserting their names), and it took me maybe an hour to send off 40+ emails.

Those agents who are non-responsive will still be non-responsive. And the agents who did respond were all very congratulatory, even if they were passing. It's win-win to inform. And there's no reason at all not to. But i did limit myself to anyone who I'd queried within the last month.

"I've only been querying one agent at a time. I'd feel so bad if I had to tell someone that I already found representation.

At the moment, I'm just searching for someone to WANT to give me representation."

Amber, you're doing yourself a great disservice. It may take agents weeks or months to get back to you. That doesn't mean send out 100 at a time, but send out a reasonable number. When you get a rejection, go to the next agent on the list and send out another query. Keep your queries rotating. If you get numerous offers, then all the better. You have to want more than just an agent. You have to want the perfect agent for not only your work, but also for you.

I agree w/Julie - your turnaround time of 2-3 weeks is lightening fast! Most of the folks who I hadn't heard back from had my query for at least two months, if not longer, when I got an offer. I can't imagine someone getting an offer in less than a month and not informing all queried agents. What H.W. Petty said is also true - it can't hurt to let everyone know. For me, I was so pleased with the agents who were interested, I didn't feel the need to complicate the situation more. Again, use your best judgment. ;-)

Elana - thanks so much for this conversation. It's definitely one of those areas that needs clarification.

It seems to me that most agents only want to be notified of an offer extended to a writer if they have a partial or a full. So, if you want to know of offers even at the query stage, you need to state that clearly on your site, agentquery, etc etc... Otherwise, how would anyone know to go against regular protocal and let you know about offers when you haven't responded to the query yet?

Sorry, but considering the amount of non-responders and that getting an agent interested in representing you is such a LONG shot, writers don't have time to tiptoe around and worry about agents who haven't responded to their query.

Honestly, whatever the controversy, I really appreciate this post because you are, in a way, debunking the rather negative stigma attached to contacting agents who are only reviewing queries; as others have said above, there are a lot of very prominent and visible agent blogs out there that are essentially telling authors who are still in the query process to avoid contacting agents at all costs, no matter what, because you'll come off looking like an annoying pest.

I think a lot of serious authors who have done their research and are in the middle of the querying process are afraid to contact agents just because of said so-and-so blogs -- there's the myth that contacting an agent for anything other than an initial query letter (and there's a lot of pressure there, too!) is going to be seen as needy, high-maintenance behavior. It's good to know this isn't necessarily a global opinion and that offer-contact-tradition still varies from agent to agent. It's difficult to assess what is a standard and what is up to preference when it comes to agents, querying, and all that good stuff.

Thanks for the read.

After I received one offer, I contacted the other agents who had my manuscript. Then, I wasn't sure what the procedure was for contacting the agents who hadn't responded to my query. I reached out and asked another agent and she encouraged me to contact anyone who I had queried who had not yet responded. Although I ended up accepting an offer from an agent who already had requested my manuscript I did receive three more offers besides hers and the initial offer, all from people who had my query but hadn't yet responded. The agent I signed with was the 5th agent to offer representation and the second agent to request my manuscript. It's in everyone's best interest that you find the best match possible.
Thanks, Elana!

2-3 weeks for a response is decent, but I wouldn't say "lightning fast." :) Of the handful of agents I queried, one got back to me within an HOUR, and another responded that night, another later in the week. Now that's lightning fast!