Author: Deborah Jasen
Date:   11-01-09 05:55

When I read past remarks about Dee Mura, I thought as did others that the writers have "sour grapes," but I've changed my tune! My manuscript was requested along with a 6 week agreement to send it to nobody else. After a couple of months, I followed up with an "I was wondering if you've had a chance to look at it?" and was ignored. I do understand that many agents are too swamped to respond to hundreds of query letters, but I think that once somebody is on the "requested" level and has been on hold for months, a one sentence email would have been humane. Sour grapes?

Author: Finnley Wren
Date:   11-01-09 07:19

I understand the excitement of having an agency request an exclusive, however once the six weeks have passed -- and there is no response to a follow-up -- it's time to move on.

And any agency whose website has been "Under Construction" for more than a year would raise my eyebrows.

Author: Gopher Gold
Date:   11-01-09 11:19

I agree that it's time to move on - but on the "under construction" thing, there seems to be no pressure amongst the agents to have a good, updated website. It's not on their list of priorities, - I've seen really top high-performing agents have non-functioning or outdated websites.

Author: Gary Kessler
Date:   11-01-09 12:37

Most agents and publishers, I think, have added Web sites only as an obligatory necessity that mostly brings them stuff they don't want, GG, and is part of the "expanding" publishing universe they abhor and resist as best they can.

On the original point, I agree with Finley. At the end of the six weeks, it's best to get the manuscript going again and not waste time with the agent. In these cases, it's good to have some sort of agreement that they acknowledge receipt of the manuscript in the first place. If you have done this and received no response in two months, it's an agent you really don't want anyway for various reasons of failure to communicate and/or set priorities or keep their work organized. Pursuing them is mostly a waste of your time and effort.

Author: Finnley Wren
Date:   11-01-09 16:01

there seems to be no pressure amongst the agents to have a good, updated website. It's not on their list of priorities

Have one, or don't have one, but don't have one that's "Under Construction" for more than a year. It's simply unprofessional and (I suspect) emblematic of other forms of unprofessionalism . . . like not returning correspondence.

Author: Gopher Gold
Date:   11-01-09 16:49

Yes I agree, I'm just stating the reality. I think there are very many agents who don't really care what writers think about them. They know that it is their market. They receive hundreds of queries a month from writers desperate for them to show them even the slightest attention. If an agent scribbled a short snippy note, saying, "Like this. Send me more" the writer is dancing all the way to the priority mail section of the post office. At that point, if someone pointed out to the writer how unprofessional that agent's website is, the writer would just turn a deaf ear because it doesn't matter: the agent has paid attention. And that's all that matters.
I doubt very many writers would decline to respond to an agent's request for a full, based on the unprofessionalism of the agent's website.

Author: Finnley Wren
Date:   11-01-09 17:24

I doubt very many writers would decline to respond to an agent's request for a full, based on the unprofessionalism of the agent's website.

Agreed. I also suspect many of those same writers would not be surprised to be treated unprofessionally by said agent.

Though not all, apparently.

Author: Finnley Wren
Date:   11-01-09 17:26

(Though as an aside, I've been treated unprofessionally by agents with excellent websites. At any rate, the days of professional literary agents -- like those of the travel agent -- are numbered. Someday soon, it will all be moot.)

Author: Denis Bonner
Date:   11-01-09 21:02

Indeed, speaking of professionalism, I have three pieces I am trying to place with agents and there remain (from a mid September e-mail out) 8 queries for one, 11 for another to which the agents (all in the US) have not deigned to reply. I remain hopeful for the other as the agent automatic reply said it will take 6 weeks plus for them to get back to me.