As many as you know, we’ve been on the agent hunt for the last couple of months. And while things seem to be going pretty well (keep your fingers crossed!), we’ve often been asked the question: How long is TOO long to hunt for an agent?
And who better to answer that question than NYT Bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch? After all, she answers Qs like this one every day on her fantastic Ask Allison blog and she’s a must-follow on Twitter. And, well, because we totally crush on her and are dying to hear her expert opinion!
So please welcome the lovely and talented Allison to Chick Lit is not Dead! (Oh, and don’t forget to check out her latest novel, The One That I Want! You’ll love it!)
Allison Winn Scotch
The Agent Hunt: How Long Is Too Long?
How long should it take to get an agent? Is there a certain point when an author should move on to writing another ms?
This is such a personal question and one that doesn’t have an exact answer to it, but I’ll give it my best shot. I’d say that on average, most authors who land agents end up querying between, say, 35-70. Which obviously is a huge, huge range. Some get lucky (and by lucky, I don’t mean actual luck involved – they’ve done their homework and also have a good manuscript), and land one much sooner. Some will query up to 100. Some won’t stop until they’ve queried every last agent they can possibly dream of. But in general (again, with no hard figures to back this up), I’d say that up to about 70 is average. For my initial query hunt, I probably went through about 40. When that agent and I parted ways, I was much better-informed about the process and also had a much stronger manuscript, so I think I only went out to about 15.
So how do you know when to throw in the towel? Again, I’m not ever going to tell someone specifically to throw in the towel, but I do think you reach a point when you have to accept that it may not happen for this manuscript. It’s not a failure, it’s a learning process, and I can almost promise you that your next manuscript will be stronger. So just when do you hit that wall? I’d say when you’ve gotten little positive feedback about the manuscript, when you really haven’t gotten many viable bites or interest, when you’ve exhausted nearly all of the agents to whom you’d be well-matched (remember, a bad agent is worse than no agent at all)…well, if all of these things have happened, and you’re still unrepresented, I’d say move on.
I think it’s really easy to keep going for the sake of it, but that’s not what’s going to be best for your career and your book. It’s a very, very emotional thing – accepting that this book might never be published, but again, try to look at it as a learning process rather than a failure. That’s what I did when my first manuscript (with that first agent) never sold. I realized that I had a wonderful opportunity to go out there and write something better. So I did. Eventually, with a new agent, that manuscript sold at a 4-way auction, and to this day, I’m grateful that I wrote the initial ms that never sold: it taught me how to be a better writer, and the agent query process taught me a lot about what I’m looking for in an agent.
Last words of advice: please be sure to do A LOT of research so you’re actually querying the right people. Look in the acknowledgment section of books that are similar to yours. Sign up for Publishers Marketplace. Check out Agent Query. The more you know, the smoother your agent hunt will go. Also, please, please, please be sure that your manuscript is ready to actually be read by the pros. This means that your first draft IS NOT the one to query with. Your fifth might be. Finally, hone your query letter to best represent your voice and spark some interest. There are some good ones floating around on the web to serve as examples.
With all of these things, I’m hopeful that you won’t hit 70-100 queries and still come up short. Good luck!
Thanks so much Allison! xo, L&L
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Great interview and loved her book The One That I want. I even gave a copy to my sister while she’s having her bed rest.
Love the advice and also loved her book The One That I Want. I have her other two books on my TBR shelf at home!
Perfect timing – just what I needed (a sanity check on the norm). Really appreciate the advice.
Such a common question! Thanks for clarifying that part of the answer in the *quantity* of queries lies in the *quality* of the agent search (meaning whom you query).
Overall great down to earth advice, thanks for sharing, Allison, Liz, and Lisa!
Allison says, “If all of these things have happened, and you’re still unrepresented, I’d say move on.” I’d only add onto that by saying, “Move on to directly querying publishers, and forget the agent.” I know that most publishers only want agented pitches, but not all do. And even those that say they only deal with agents can sometimes be pursuaded by a great manuscript. I’m certainly no expert, but I’m definitely an example of beating the odds. I never found an agent, yet I sold my manuscript direct to a major publishing house about three months after giving up on agents. What I lost in terms of a potentially great agent/writer relationship, I gained in keeping 100 percent of the advance. No agent? No deal killer.
Thanks Ella!
Colleen, we love Allison too, isn’t she great?
Lara, so glad it came at the right time for you. Hang in there and good luck! xoxo
Thanks Chick Lit Shorties!!!
Colin, great advice. And good to know! Thanks so much for the comment! =)
Love your books Allison!
Great advice – and I know the two L’s are going to get some happy news soon. I can feel it!
Thanks Sarah! We’re keeping our fingers crossed! xo
just catching up on my Chick Lit is not Dead addiction – after being sick for a week and out last week… this is a great post!