tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post1071575796698785045..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: Why You Should Resist Giving Agents ExclusivesBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-82035965949733434792015-04-25T09:22:07.462-04:002015-04-25T09:22:07.462-04:00I've seen 'exclusive query' requiremen...I've seen 'exclusive query' requirements on the submission guidelines of agents before, but I've seen a number of agents make similar comments to Jessica's: ignore exclusive requirements and send to as many agents as you wish. <br /><br />My need to follow rules has always had me a little on edge with this one, so I will be interested to read more on Jessica's follow-up next week :)AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-82061890261792221442015-04-25T06:24:57.060-04:002015-04-25T06:24:57.060-04:00Thank you for all the great comments/questions. I&...Thank you for all the great comments/questions. I'm going to answer these in a post for next week so that those asking questions and those afraid to ask can all see the answers.<br /><br />--jhfBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-74732096275190510192015-04-24T15:48:28.054-04:002015-04-24T15:48:28.054-04:00I truly appreciate your take on this subject. When...I truly appreciate your take on this subject. When I see the term "exclusive," my first thought is "am I permitted to query other agents or does this apply only to requested materials/manuscripts?' <br />Hence, I will query to my hearts content. <br /><br />Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-39708068485398905112015-04-24T13:41:45.569-04:002015-04-24T13:41:45.569-04:00Hi Elissa,
Excellent point on the compatibility. ...Hi Elissa,<br />Excellent point on the compatibility. You're right. I'm a pretty flexible person and probably wouldn't work well with that degree of rigidity.<br /><br />Thanks for answering. I've run across a few agents I've not queried because their query guidelines say they only accept exclusive submissions. And no - I'm not worried about exclusives on the actual querying. With as long as some agents take to respond (or not respond at all) on a query, I'd be an old woman if I only sent one query out every 6-8 weeks. :) It's the partials and fulls that always make me squirm.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-15076772728127641772015-04-24T13:19:27.751-04:002015-04-24T13:19:27.751-04:00Chattycathie,
I would just say, "I'm sor...Chattycathie,<br /><br />I would just say, "I'm sorry but I don't do exclusives." I don't see it being a problem with queries though, because no agent is going to directly ask for an exclusive on a query. It might be in the guidelines, but some guidelines can be "overlooked". <br /><br />Fulls are a different matter, but I still would keep my options open. I would tell an agent asking for an exclusive exactly that: "I like to keep my options open." If this offends the agent to the point they change their mind, we probably wouldn't have been compatible business partners anyway.Elissa Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10727748060605823895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-71674299050307001952015-04-24T12:49:10.937-04:002015-04-24T12:49:10.937-04:00Thank you for this post! How do you tell an agent...Thank you for this post! How do you tell an agent, politely, that you won't give them an exclusive? I'm not a good liar, so I can't say "sure" and then go back on my word. Yet, on the other hand, I always feel like the refusal to grant the request for an exclusive works against me as they're considering my manuscript. To date, I've been "lucky" and have been able to respond, honestly, that I'm not able to do so as it's already under consideration. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-22087614535213563432015-04-24T12:47:43.925-04:002015-04-24T12:47:43.925-04:00Yep, query them all at once...but don't ever l...Yep, query them all at once...but don't ever let them know you're doing it by sending out mass emails to everybody at the same time with the greeting, "Dear One of Thirty Agents I Randomly Selected to Query." Yeah, that's bad. <br />:-)<br /><br />- TOSKThe Other Stephen Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471972807328125155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-18987627300858954652015-04-24T12:25:58.604-04:002015-04-24T12:25:58.604-04:00And do I have this right? If you get an offer of r...And do I have this right? If you get an offer of representation, call the other agents you've sent your query to and give them a chance to jump in. Or, if you're sure you've snagged your dream agent, send the others an email withdrawing your submission. It helps to remember that writers are the talent--agents NEED us. (Full disclosure: Jessica is my agent.)Sally MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166303880685146915noreply@blogger.com