So today, after a little incident in my query pile, I posted something to Twitter that started a bit of a kerfuffle. That tweet was: 

@elanaroth: You know, I'm quick on query turnaround. Requested one sent on 2/23. Author already got an agent. Am I wrong to have wanted notice of offer?

With all apologies due the writer who sparked this reaction from me (seriously, it's not just you, I'm sorry!), this kind of thing happens sometimes. I'm going through my query pile, see something I'm interested in, ask for it, and get a note back, "Sorry! I've already gotten representation."

My reaction today had a few parts. First: well, shucks. Second: How did that happen in the 2 weeks since the query came in? And third: why didn't you tell me you got an offer?

Now, I know the standard operating procedure is to notify only the agents who have partials or fulls that you got an offer. And I fully support that. There's nothing more irritating than reading something, thinking about it, and then having someone not give you the courtesy of a response before accepting another offer. Like, why did you bother?

My reasoning for supporting that rule is thusly: this is your career. If other people are considering your work, and some of them are really digging it, don't you want to be able to make the best decision? The first offer is not always the best one. 

But I guess the specific question today is, do you notify the people who only have your query letter that you've received an offer? 

Truthfully, it could go either way. I'd like to think that if you queried me at all, you are interested in my representing you. So a query that is no longer viable just says to me, "Psych! I wasn't really serious about that." Is that what you're going for? Or did you really want to see what I thought? Pulling it from me without telling me tells me I'm irrelevant. And it wastes my time when I do get to your letter.

And if anything, contacting those query-only agents will help you. One Twitterer said this actually prompted more offers on her book. How awesome is that? You're saying no for them by not giving them the heads-up. And the worst they could say if you did? No. What's to lose? Nothing.

That said, I do understand the rationale behind only contacting the people who have requested material. Those people have already expressed interest. There are also a lot of non-responder agents out there. So there's no way to know if you've already been passed over and you're just adding clutter to the inbox.

But for me, the moral of the story is I don't think there's ever any harm in being a good communicator, which in this case involves tying up loose ends. And since it's your career, I'd hope you make those kinds of communication decisions--and representation decisions--wisely. There's so much conflicting information out there (I probably just added to it) but common sense and courtesy go a long way. 

Yell at me below...

~Elana