# A foot in the door(?)



## Epic (Nov 28, 2010)

Hello, all. I'm set to teach an in-house course at one of New York's powerhouse literary agencies this week. Considering I just finished the gazillionth (and last) draft of my novel a month or two ago, and was just about to begin the querying process, this seemed fortuitous. I thought that, if the course went over well, and all seemed engaged in my shtick, I might bring up the fact that I have an unrepresented manuscript. 

I realize that cold calls and the like are frowned upon, but what about if the agent(s) have spent the last two hours in a room with you, laughing and learning? I guess I want to know if ya'll think I should give it a go or not even mention it.

Of course, this all depends on whether an agent is actually in the room with me. May be teaching janitors for all I know, but we'll see.


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## strangedaze (Nov 28, 2010)

i dont think its a problem, really. agents make their money by finding things they can sell. you should probably have describing your novel briskly and with a hook down to a science before approaching an agent in person. for example, if i asked what your novel is about, could you do it in 15 words or less? if so, i say go for it.


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## garza (Nov 28, 2010)

What is the content of the course? Is it directly related to writing or publishing? If it is, then casually bringing your book up during a break late in the course would probably be okay. If the content of the course is not directly related to writing or publishing, you would probably just make them uncomfortable. The house will have its own rules about reading manuscripts, and you need to find out what those are before you bring up the subject of your book. You may be in exactly the right place at the right time, but be sure of the ground.

If you decide to mention your book, do it carefully, and be prepared to back away quickly at the first sign of disapproval.


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## Epic (Nov 28, 2010)

Strangedaze: You know, that has always been a problem for me. I have a pretty good query letter that I'm refining, but doing it in 15 words or less? Rough. Even when friends and family ask what it is about, all I can manage to reply is, "A lot." 

Garza: Good advice. The course has absolutely nothing to do with publishing. I was thinking that, towards the end of the course (if everyone seems engaged and pleased), I might just make a seemingly offhand remark. Like: "So, you guys are literary agents? That's funny, I just finished my book. You may find one of my queries in your inbox soon." Or something like that. Y'know, so it doesn't seem like I'm forcing it down their throat, but I've still laid out the bait. Who knows? Someone might bite.


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## garza (Nov 28, 2010)

If you take that approach I think you will have no problem. They can simply ignore the remark if they are not interested. It's like letting your fly drift downstream past that deep spot where you know a big trout lives. He can ignore it, but if he's hungry...


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## strangedaze (Nov 28, 2010)

if they bite, the first thing they'll ask is 'whats your novel about?' if you cant field the question succinctly, you might want to save it for the query letter.


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## Epic (Dec 5, 2010)

I thought everyone might be interested in how things went.

Swimmingly! I was quite proud of my subtlety. During the beginning of the class, I made mention to December's tendency to coincide with many horrendous NaNoWriMo query letters. It was all very offhand. One of the young ladies in the class was curious as to how I would know such a thing, and she asked, "Are you a writer?" I nodded yes, meekly, to which she responded with, "You can send it to me."

At the end of the course, she gave me her address and the like. She's requested a partial and a synopsis. I'm very excited!


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## strangedaze (Dec 6, 2010)

congrats! keep us in all informed about how it goes! exciting stuff


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## Epic (Feb 8, 2011)

Here's a halfway-point update!

Well, they received my package on 12/13/10. I felt downtrodden, because I thought three months had gone by already, but then I put some real consideration to it and see now why I'm a writer and not a mathematician. Once I realized only two months had passed, my spirits brightened. 

There's another month before I have to get worried about not getting a response!

Quick question: How long should I wait before I give my POC a friendly phone call? Three months (the average response time), or more? Given I've had contact with her, I just think it'd be nice to hear if it's a yes or no. The thought of encountering "radio silence" on this query makes me sad in my chest.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Feb 8, 2011)

Epic, that's so cool.  Nice job getting your foot in the door.

As far as contacting this person about your submission, make sure you wait until after the listed response time.  Agents can be very busy, and while they try to get back to you as quickly as possibe, sometimes things just don't work out.  I would also suggest an e-mail or even an actual letter as opposed to a call, depending on what you think is approrpiate in your circumstances.  You have very right to check up on your submission if the listed response time has passed, but save the phone call until about two weeks after the letter, assuming they don't respond.  Be polite and professional:  "I sent you, x, x amout of time ago.  If you're still considering it, I would appreciate an update."  They might finally send you a rejection, or maybe ask for a full manuscript.  Either way, polite and professional is the way to go, before and after.  Good luck.


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## Epic (Feb 9, 2011)

Thanks, Ilasir. Turns out, though, that I didn't even need to worry about it.

I received my rejection letter today.

Oh well. Que sera, sera, right?

I'll probably shoot the young lady an e-mail and thank her, but that's that.

On to the next one, I suppose.


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