tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post3177826610114110084..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: Why Snail Mail Is Sometimes PreferredBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-3151019521117464162008-02-28T14:54:00.000-05:002008-02-28T14:54:00.000-05:00I just skimmed, I was afraid to read to closely, L...I just skimmed, I was afraid to read to closely, LOL. When I query BookEnds, and if Jessica asks me to snail mail, I'll do it gratefully. :-)<BR/><BR/>To contribute to the discussion, though, let's keep in mind that when we're writing, we're writing, and it's all about the love. But sometimes we have to turn on our business mind, and think about risks and profits and such.<BR/><BR/>I can see how someone would choose not to snail mail their manuscript in a search for representation. I've heard stories of people querying a hundred or more agents, sending out as many as fifty manuscripts.<BR/><BR/>I simply wouldn't be able to afford to print that many up. Even though I make enough profit from my fiction, where I could absorb that cost, I know that my living expenses could not absorb that kind of cost. (Printing and mailing a single manuscript has to be around $40, or?)<BR/><BR/>But I'd definitely set aside the money for my top pick agents.<BR/><BR/>Just like I wouldn't snail mail my manuscript to twenty small presses who typically give a $1000 advance, (I'd have spent the entire advance on the submission process and taxes!) <BR/><BR/>I <I>would</I> spend the money to snail mail it to Random House and Simon Schuster. :-)Spy Scribblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14299551957327543491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-38775368717863081772008-02-28T13:34:00.000-05:002008-02-28T13:34:00.000-05:00For an agent, potential clients are just potential...For an agent, potential clients are just potential earnings. Existing clients represent actual earnings (or soon-to-be-actual-earnings).<BR/><BR/>I guess it's sort of like a saleseman who has to go to 100 doors before he makes 1 sale. He's only making $$$ on 1/100 contacts, but the other 99 are necessary to find The One.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-25094240902324381412008-02-28T12:02:00.000-05:002008-02-28T12:02:00.000-05:00And for Anon 10:12 pm, I can understand your frust...<I>And for Anon 10:12 pm, I can understand your frustration -- this business can really drive us all crazy -- but it's not fair that you blasted Michele when all she's doing is pointing out the truth. Like it or not, agents do receive their income from their clients, not from potential clients who query them. Most agents read queries/partials after hours, as in nights and weekends, for that very reason.</I><BR/><BR/>If that's the case, and Jessica reads queries and partials in her spare time, then how am *I* (as a writer), taking any time away from Michele?<BR/><BR/>If that indeed is the case, then Michele is NOT paying for Jessica to read my query/parital.<BR/><BR/>I just feel it was a pretty crappy, yes crappy, thing to publicly state, and that it read more like a 5 year old throwing a temper tantrum because "Mommy" spends more time with the new baby.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-69234374080845288522008-02-28T09:33:00.001-05:002008-02-28T09:33:00.001-05:00Cranky Multi-Published Author wrote: Okay, this h...<B>Cranky Multi-Published Author wrote:</B> <I>Okay, this has gotten beyond ridiculous. AC and Mark can talk until they're blue in the face about how this is how THEY do business. Who cares? A writer who wants an agent to rep his work has two choices: either follow the submission rules for acquiring an agent, or don't. If he does follow the submission requirements, he *might* get representation. If he does not, he most assuredly will NOT.</I><BR/><BR/>Oh? And you know this...How, exactly?<BR/><BR/>You’re of course dead wrong, and I have the agent contracts to prove it. Three, as a matter of fact; one after another over a period of some two years — for the same ms. (The ms was a tough sell, and I gave each agent who accepted it for representation six months to peddle it. If they were unsuccessful in that time it was to be assumed by both parties that they’d exhausted their contacts for this atypical niche-market ms, and we’d therefore part company.)<BR/><BR/>But please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that others would do well to follow my example. I offered it here as *my* response to Jessica’s post. My business methods and procedures are right for me. Others’ mileage will indubitably vary.<BR/><BR/>ACDA.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-84834676509417110422008-02-28T09:33:00.000-05:002008-02-28T09:33:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.A.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-51950278805076288152008-02-28T09:26:00.000-05:002008-02-28T09:26:00.000-05:00"And as for Mark, here is the thing that puzzles m..."And as for Mark, here is the thing that puzzles me. You say you are represented so why did you enter the first chapter/synopsis/query letter critique contest at BookEnds? It doesn't make sense."<BR/><BR/>1. It seemed like a good idea at the time.<BR/><BR/>2. I'm keeping my options open.<BR/><BR/>3. For the hell of it.<BR/><BR/>4. It's good practice.<BR/><BR/>5. I discussed this in my cover letter to the fine ladies at BookEnds in response to "winning" the contest, and it's none of your business. :)<BR/><BR/>And I would say, if I'm working with someone and they say, "Can you mail us a hardcopy of the manuscript," I would PROBABLY say, "Sure." Or I might say, "I'd be willing to pay for your printing costs on your end so I don't have to spend three hours going to the UPS Store, paying $30 or $40 to have it printed up, return home, get it all packaged up, go back out again and spend $15 to have it mailed."<BR/><BR/>That's a couple hundred dollars of my work time that could be solved by attaching a PDF file and hitting SEND. It's a real consideration.<BR/><BR/>If they think that's a major inconvenience, well, so be it, but my time is valuable, it's cheaper for them to print it out than it is for me to print it and mail it.<BR/><BR/>My point, such as it is, is that if this writer-agent relationship is totally one-sided, then there may be problems with it.Mark Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410424046477699059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-26523913220217701622008-02-28T09:07:00.000-05:002008-02-28T09:07:00.000-05:00Okay, this has gotten beyond ridiculous.AC and Mar...Okay, this has gotten beyond ridiculous.<BR/><BR/>AC and Mark can talk until they're blue in the face about how this is how THEY do business. Who cares? A writer who wants an agent to rep his work has two choices: either follow the submission rules for acquiring an agent, or don't. If he does follow the submission requirements, he *might* get representation. If he does not, he most assuredly will NOT. <BR/><BR/>And as for Mark, here is the thing that puzzles me. You say you are represented so why did you enter the first chapter/synopsis/query letter critique contest at BookEnds? It doesn't make sense.<BR/><BR/>But then I'm just a cranky multi-published author who is in desperate need of coffee this morning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-61914516969158927262008-02-28T08:22:00.000-05:002008-02-28T08:22:00.000-05:00Mark Terry wrote: I find AC Douglas's comments--...<B>Mark Terry wrote:</B> <I>I find AC Douglas's comments--and people's responses to his comment--interesting. What I'm not seeing is an understanding of where AC is coming from. I don't know this for certain, but AC seems to be coming from a very business-oriented point of view. [...] I see A.C. essentially saying, "look, I'm a business person and this is how my business runs. I'll adapt if necessary, but, a little flexibility on my BUSINESS PARTNER'S end would be a good thing as well. Quid pro quo and all that." Now, maybe I'm putting words in A.C.'s mouth.</I><BR/><BR/>No, you’re not.<BR/><BR/>You’ve nailed it.<BR/><BR/>Perfectly.<BR/><BR/>ACDA.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-84556890424713252252008-02-28T07:46:00.000-05:002008-02-28T07:46:00.000-05:00I find AC Douglas's comments--and people's respons...I find AC Douglas's comments--and people's responses to his comment--interesting. What I'm not seeing is an understanding of where AC is coming from. I don't know this for certain, but AC seems to be coming from a very business-oriented point of view.<BR/><BR/>Why do I think that's important?<BR/><BR/>Your agent works FOR the writer. I know, I know. In the real world, agents may very well be in the driver's seat, or at least it seems that way since writers often feel like they're in the position of begging for representation. But agents are aware also that if you become wildly successful, guess what? They work for you. And you can go elsewhere if unhappy with representation.<BR/><BR/>I think the publishing industry works a certain way, ie., in regard to how manuscripts are delivered, how agents are expected to deal with editors, etc. So when an agent asks writers to do things a certain way, it's nice to think there's a professional level reason for doing so. In other words, we want hardcopies of manuscripts because 3 of the 8 editors we know who handle this material will only accept hardcopies.<BR/><BR/>But a truth often lost in the desperation to bend over backwards for representation, is that it's a business relationship and the writer may ALSO have a way of doing things for a variety of reasons, as well.<BR/><BR/>I see A.C. essentially saying, "look, I'm a business person and this is how my business runs. I'll adapt if necessary, but, a little flexibility on my BUSINESS PARTNER'S end would be a good thing as well. Quid pro quo and all that."<BR/><BR/>Now, maybe I'm putting words in A.C.'s mouth. I'm a published novelist, a fulltime freelance writer and editor, and a business person. I'm very flexible. At the same time, I'm aware that how my business partners (whether agents, editors, publishers, etc) run THEIR business affects MY business, and if I eventually find that the way they run their business hurts my business, then I need to re-think the relationship.<BR/><BR/>And yeah, I suppose I'm testosterone-addled as well, but in this case I think it's irrelevant.Mark Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410424046477699059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-12105331046308413982008-02-28T06:51:00.000-05:002008-02-28T06:51:00.000-05:00Merry Monteleone wrote: While I think it's pretty...<B>Merry Monteleone wrote:</B> <I>While I think it's pretty brave of AC Douglas not to sign anonymously for those comments (providing that's the real name he or she is trying to publish under).... [...] Here's the thing for me, though, if I was an agent that you were querying, I wouldn't work with you even if you wrote the most brilliant prose imaginable, because you appear more than a little difficult.</I><BR/><BR/>I’m afraid you’re right about my being “difficult” if by difficult you mean refusing to follow certain procedures simply because “that’s the way it’s done.” It has to make sense to me — business sense — otherwise I refuse to play along. And if you think I’m “difficult” in my dealings with agents, I’d be an absolute terror in my dealings with publishers as my view — my business view — of the publisher-author relationship is: after delivering a ms and going through the important editing process with the house’s editor to produce the finished ms, I’ve fulfilled my obligations and responsibilities — ALL of them. After that, everything — let me repeat that: everything — is on the publisher. I refuse to take any part whatsoever in the marketing and promotion of the finished book. That’s the publisher’s job entirely, not mine. That’s part of the reason why an author seeks a publisher. My job after delivering a finished ms is to write another book. That’s what authors do. Write books. Today (but not as recently as even 10 years ago), if an author is required by a publisher to take an active part in the marketing and promotion of the finished book, the author might as well self-publish and reap all the cash rewards for himself instead of sharing it with the publishing house.<BR/><BR/>Well, you get the idea.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and, yes, A.C. Douglas is my real name, and I’m a testosterone-saturated male (surprise!).<BR/><BR/>ACDA.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-91985084249419637392008-02-28T06:45:00.000-05:002008-02-28T06:45:00.000-05:00Michele Dunaway wrote:I sent Jessica 100 pages--a ...Michele Dunaway wrote:<BR/><BR/><I>I sent Jessica 100 pages--a partial. **snip** Jessica sold 6 books for me last year. Well worth the risk I took when I queried her and then put my package in the mail. </I><BR/><BR/>It should be noted that when Jessica received that original query, Michele was already a multi-published author with a strong sales record at a major publisher. Yet, Michele had to follow the rules like everybody else. Ultimately, it's what we all have to do if we want to succeed in this business.<BR/><BR/>And for Anon 10:12 pm, I can understand your frustration -- this business can really drive us all crazy -- but it's not fair that you blasted Michele when all she's doing is pointing out the truth. Like it or not, agents do receive their income from their clients, not from potential clients who query them. Most agents read queries/partials after hours, as in nights and weekends, for that very reason. I know Michele Dunaway personally. She's far from being an elistist. To the contrary, she's a generous published authors in terms of volunteering her time and support to RWA and to the genre she loves. <BR/><BR/>The bottom line here, however, is that if an agent says, "I want the partial by snail mail," you have to follow those rules if you want that agent to read your work. It's a rule that applies to everybody -- published authors with a proven track record of success and unpublished authors. <BR/><BR/>Best wishes to everyone for publishing success.<BR/><BR/>FayeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-16012190547804215072008-02-28T01:53:00.000-05:002008-02-28T01:53:00.000-05:00This all brings up two questions/concerns.1. I've...This all brings up two questions/concerns.<BR/><BR/>1. I've never heard of putting your e-mail addy in a slugline (the old-fashioned word for the header at the top of pages 2-540.) I've always seen it as "LASTNAME/Title Words--P. X" at most. If the title is long, you're supposed to just use keywords from the title. In fact, I've had problems in conference-sponsored contests that wanted the headers right-justified and mine were left-justified, and they argued that my way was "wrong." Where is the industry's position on this stated? Is there such a thing as "the industry's position," come to think of it?<BR/><BR/>I would be afraid that my partials would be trashed by other editors/agents who didn't like seeing an e-mail addy and/or phone number in the header of every page. You wouldn't want to have a footer for each page with those in it, either, as that would ruin your 250 wds/pg count and it'd "look unprofessional." *sigh* It's a dilemma.<BR/><BR/>2. Many agencies and houses say they'll only respond to queries they're thrilled by, and this means that you often have to wonder whether an e-mailed query even got there. That's part of life. I don't recommend using any kind of "return receipt requested" bot. I find that the "return receipt requested" trick is a problem; I personally click on "NO, DON'T SEND THIS JACKA** ANY KIND OF NOTIFICATION AT ALL, AS IT'S NONE OF HIS/HER BUSINESS WHEN/IF I READ THE MESSAGE." And then I usually block that sender from then on. What business is it of his/hers when/if I read some message or other? I can read it at my leisure; that's the appeal of e-mail and the 'net.<BR/><BR/>To some extent it's a privacy issue. Where I used to work as a software engineer, there were managers who tagged all their trivial, time-wasting BS messages with that flag, and then they'd come to meetings and claim that So-and-So had read the message on Date:Time, and thus must have completely comprehended the message. I often countered that I had seen the message in the e-mail queue and had opened it so that it would quit beeping ("Ya Gots Mail, Hon"), but I hadn't had time to read all that stuff, so I'd skimmed it and then dragged it to a "read later" folder and could not be held accountable for whatever detail in the TPS reports that manager had been blathering on about. I imagine it would be equally intrusive for an agent to have to "acknowledge" that he or she has "read" your query (it's just a plain old intrusion and against my idea of what courtesy and privacy rules would dictate.) I'd forget about those "get a click to verify they're reading my message RIGHT NOW and that it's the MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD" verifications unless I were the manager at some TPS reports-generating company and I had the authority to zap employees who didn't drop everything to read my deathless-prose memo immediately.Shalannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05503978745207805622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-78413786616855973612008-02-28T00:57:00.000-05:002008-02-28T00:57:00.000-05:00Wow! Well, that was a rousing set of comments... ...Wow! Well, that was a rousing set of comments... <BR/><BR/>While I think it's pretty brave of AC Douglas not to sign anonymously for those comments (providing that's the real name he or she is trying to publish under) I still have to comment on the conversation.<BR/><BR/>I really don't care what your procedures are for finding an agent, the only person you're hurting by not following the agency submissions policies is yourself. Here's the thing for me, though, if I was an agent that you were querying, I wouldn't work with you even if you wrote the most brilliant prose imaginable, because you appear more than a little difficult... life's too short to enter into miserable relationships banking on the fact that they might make you money... especially when taking the risk that an author's disposition could have an adverse effect on the agent's relationship with any editor they were skilled enough to get that author placed with...<BR/><BR/>Not wanting to snail mail partials isn't an issue, but the fact that you are so adament about it, and further that by the fact that you'd argue the point with every person to disagree, including the agents, on a public forum, kind of makes you appear less than fun to deal with... in case you were wondering...<BR/><BR/>And all of this is what I came away with from a blog about snail mail... I prefer to read in hard copy, like many previous posters said, but I'll submit in handwritten caligraphy if it'll help... okay, not really, but close.Merry Monteleonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09435956005780500310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-47377718994144985462008-02-27T22:56:00.000-05:002008-02-27T22:56:00.000-05:00And one more comment- in many industries, there is...And one more comment- in many industries, there is something called "paying your dues". Jessica, Kim, Jacky and every other agent out there do not owe us, aspiring authors, anything. So why all the negativity?Lauren Hawkeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05780053027625158602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-40607866640271876022008-02-27T22:52:00.000-05:002008-02-27T22:52:00.000-05:00I agree with the carrier pigeon comments... partic...I agree with the carrier pigeon comments... particularly with Bookends, since they are my dream agency. I would prefer Harry Potter owls, however ;) But if they insist on pigeons, pigeons it is :P<BR/>When I'm Nora Roberts, then I will question it if I don't like it.Lauren Hawkeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05780053027625158602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-14166605154556891712008-02-27T22:17:00.000-05:002008-02-27T22:17:00.000-05:00An addendum to the above post: Query letter or par...An addendum to the above post: Query letter or partial, either way Jessica spends the time you "pay" her for, reading them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-67471472395271772842008-02-27T22:12:00.000-05:002008-02-27T22:12:00.000-05:00Why is the agent supposed to be printing--at her e...<I>Why is the agent supposed to be printing--at her expense, which comes out of the 15 percent she earns from her clients--your book? Yes, it's her business expense, but frankly, you aren't paying her. We are. She's taking time away from me, and her other clients, to read your work on the hopes that she's found something.</I><BR/><BR/>Is it just me, or is this the selfish ranting of an author who's forgotten what it's like to walk the long, hard road to publishing?<BR/><BR/>As much as I'd hate to see it happen, perhaps Jessica should stop blogging so she can spend more time working for Michele. <BR/><BR/>I can only hope when I'm published, I don't think so highly of myself to whine about paying my agent to read other writers query letters. <BR/><BR/>After all, Michele, did you ever consider that before she offered you representation, someone else was paying her to read YOUR query letter?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-70053685334548391042008-02-27T20:54:00.000-05:002008-02-27T20:54:00.000-05:00I forgot this part.It's unethical for agents to ch...I forgot this part.<BR/><BR/>It's unethical for agents to charge reading fees. <BR/><BR/>Until the person is a client, the responsibility of the submission costs belong to the author. <BR/><BR/>I don't think it's a control issue or ego thing at all, but rather a time and expense issue.<BR/><BR/>I would think the amount of requests for material would go down, hurting everyone's overall chances, if agents and editors had to take on this cost for people who are not clients.<BR/><BR/>Also, there are agencies (and some are very big houses) that are notorious for requesting partials via email, reading one page, and deleting your email. You'll never hear from them again. It's not that they didn't get your work, but that since it was email without an SASE, they won't even give you a response. Simply not worth their time.Michele Dunawayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683297130591848826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-64479230117349336262008-02-27T20:41:00.000-05:002008-02-27T20:41:00.000-05:00Submitting a partial is a business expense. If you...Submitting a partial is a business expense. If you want to do business, you play by the rules of the agency. Would you turn down trying to apply for a job if they want things snail mailed? Can you afford to be that picky? <BR/><BR/>I sent Jessica 100 pages--a partial. Cost of paper for 500 sheets: $4.25. Cost of ink: I get 5000-10,000 sheets to a $89 cartridge (you do the math). Cost of postage (media mail) less than $2.00. Jessica sold 6 books for me last year. Well worth the risk I took when I queried her and then put my package in the mail. <BR/><BR/>Why is the agent supposed to be printing--at her expense, which comes out of the 15 percent she earns from her clients--your book? Yes, it's her business expense, but frankly, you aren't paying her. We are. She's taking time away from me, and her other clients, to read your work on the hopes that she's found something. When an agent requests a partial, she's not being nice. She wants to find someone else who she can sell, and who will make her money. <BR/><BR/>You can choose not to send something because of your principles, but that's just shortchanging yourself. The agent isn't stressing about your manuscript or that you've declined to send it to her. She has 100+ others to sift through. The only one you are hurting is yourself.<BR/><BR/>It's a hard enough business. Once you are an agent's client, then you can email everything like I do. But the key rule is that, like resumes and job hunting, you do it the way the company wants. If not, they don't care. They know they can find someone else.Michele Dunawayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683297130591848826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-68475011609289785002008-02-27T18:53:00.000-05:002008-02-27T18:53:00.000-05:00*Some of your comments made me wonder. How would a...*Some of your comments made me wonder. How would an author react if her agent said, "I sent your book to Random House and Penguin, but not Simon & Schuster. They insist on hardcopy only and since I prefer to submit via email I refused to send to them?"<BR/><BR/>just a thought<BR/><BR/>--jhf*<BR/><BR/>I would politely thank the agent for their time and hardwork and ask to terminate our relationship.<BR/><BR/>I love trees and mountains and all things natural, but I also love paychecks. My success should not be dependent upon an agent's political and personal convictions. It should depend on my writing ability and their professionalism.<BR/><BR/>Aside from that, if they are that adamant about not using paper, they are probably also lobbying to have cattle ranching banned since cows emit methane gas.<BR/><BR/>Moderation in all things. <BR/><BR/>JulieJulie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-50177012779263536322008-02-27T18:43:00.000-05:002008-02-27T18:43:00.000-05:00A.C.,Sorry, guess I didn't word that correctly. Y...A.C.,<BR/><BR/>Sorry, guess I didn't word that correctly. You're right, of course - the "click to acknowledge receipt" feature can be used by anyone, regardless of domains. What I meant is that automatic delivery confirmations *are* restricted. Those are the ones that tell you the date and time the email was delivered, opened, deleted, etc.<BR/><BR/>FayeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-33171559936115161722008-02-27T18:31:00.000-05:002008-02-27T18:31:00.000-05:00"Why waste the paper when you could ask for the fi..."Why waste the paper when you could ask for the first 10 pages of a work to be pasted into the body of the query e-mail? Wouldn't that streamline the process and help you reject/accept much faster?"<BR/><BR/>Some agents do this. A recent partial requested of me was after I queried an agent with CH 1 pasted into the query, which is the standard query process for that agency. <BR/><BR/>And some agencies give you a choice: CH 1-3 or 50 pp...Oddly enough, when given a choice, I prefer to submit smaller rather than larger partials, because that way if it gets rejected I can guage where the problem lies. The main point is to get them to want to read the full ms., so I make sure to leave the partial at a tantalizing break point, even if it means submitting less pages than I could.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-49261320155614236782008-02-27T18:29:00.002-05:002008-02-27T18:29:00.002-05:00Sorry, forgot to include my last name on my commen...Sorry, forgot to include my last name on my comment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-78981692932117202462008-02-27T18:29:00.001-05:002008-02-27T18:29:00.001-05:00Anon 6:15 --I can't speak for Jessica, but it stil...Anon 6:15 --<BR/><BR/>I can't speak for Jessica, but it still goes back to the experience of reading the submission on paper. Frankly, I hate reading submissions on the computer screen. On the rare occassions that I ask someone to e-mail a partial, I end up printing out the pages anyway. But, if I agreed to do that for every partial I requested, I'd spend my whole day printing out submissions.<BR/><BR/>I basically judge the submissions I read based on how connected I feel to the writing. I find it very hard to connect to anything I read on the computer screen. So, I honestly don't think I'd judge the works fairly if I tried to read them all that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-68026419959419124302008-02-27T18:29:00.000-05:002008-02-27T18:29:00.000-05:00My guess is by page 5, you have a good idea whethe...<I>My guess is by page 5, you have a good idea whether or not you want to request a full.</I><BR/><BR/>Word! Or by page 10-15 at the extreme outside. That's been made clear to me by any number of agents who really know their business.<BR/><BR/>Makes perfect sense to me.<BR/><BR/>ACDA.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.com