#ktrone-writing

As a writer myself, I only ever replied to partial manuscript or full manuscript request rejections. If an agent took the time to read some of my manuscript, I always thanked them for it, usually something like this:

Dear [AGENT],

Thank you for taking the time to read my manuscript, TITLE. I appreciate your feedback [if they gave any] and will keep it in mind while I write my next manuscript.

All the best,

[name]

Short, simple and to the point.

This always went well for me. Sometimes an agent would reply and we’d talk a bit more—almost always ending up in “please query me with you next manuscript” request (if I hadn't already gotten one)—and sometimes agents didn’t reply. But either way, I felt good about thanking them.

I almost never replied to query rejections. Agents send out a lot of query rejections, and if every writer replied that would be a lot more emails to deal with. If the agent gave me personal feedback, meaning they clearly took the time to write it, then I would thank them. But most of the time you’ll get form rejections or no response at all.

As a literary agent intern, I’ve seen a lot of weird replies to rejections. I’ve interned for three different literary agencies, and the strange things some writers do still amazes me. At the partial/full manuscript level, the responses were always nice, friendly, and thankful. But at the query level, it got weird more often that it was pleasant.

QUERY REJECTION 

What Not To Do:

There are a lot of potential questions you could ask an agent after they’ve offered you representation. I recommend you ask all the questions you have—agents are expecting this, and they’re happy to answer you. Here are the top 10 I recommend:

What revisions, if any, do you have in mind? (Important to make sure your vision and their vision for the novel align.)

Are you an editorial agent?  (Sometimes agents prefer to do their own editing, having an assistant do it, or outsourcing it. I personally don’t need a very editorial agent, because I’m confident in my abilities and my critique partners, but you might want a strong editorial hand. It depends on your desires.)

What would the timeline be between now and submission? (You might be able to gauge this from question #1, but it’s important to have peace of mind and know what your agent is planning. Do they expect to be on submission within a month, three months, or something else?)

Can I contact some of your current (insert your genre/marketplace) clients? (Important to hear what their clients have to say about working with them. I did this and got a lot of helpful feedback. When you contact their clients, ask about their communication styles and how easy it is to get in touch with them.)

What is your communication style? (Do they prefer email or phone? It’s really important your comfortable with their preferred communication method. A friend came had two offers, and decided on one over the other because her agent preferred email and the other offering agent preferred the phone—my friend likes email a lot more.)

Do you have a list of editors in mind? (The agent doesn’t necessarily have to give you a complete list of editors, but if they already have a good idea of who they want to send it to that’s a good sign.)

If this novel doesn’t sell, what happens? (It’s important to gauge the agent’s interest in you—whether they are the sort to stick around for your career or whether they are the sort that might drop out after a novel that doesn’t sell.)

If the novel doesn’t sell in the first two or three rounds of submissions, what will happen? (This, like the one above, is important. I strongly prefer an agent willing to stick it out for the long haul. You can be on submission for a year and still sell your novel—there are a lot of imprints out there—but some agents would rather shelve it and focus on the next project if the first three rounds are a no-go. It depends on what you prefer in this situation.)

How big is your client list currently? (A small list means the agent is still growing and will have time for you. A large list might mean there’ll be some attention issues, but not always. This is why it’s also important to talk to the agent’s current clients.)

I’m currently working on (describe your WIP) does that sound like something you’d be interested in? This is important—you want to make sure your overall writing style is in sync with your agent’s tastes.