The self-addressed postcard...

[Ara Hagopian]

...you've sent it, neatly binder-clipped inside an organized packet. You've referred to the postcard in your short cover letter. You've marked the packet "requested materials", per the agent's instructions.

So how long can one expect to receive this postcard in the mail? The agent received my packet 2 weeks ago. (An email alluded to this).

Or has the email over-ridden the postcard?

Thanx all!

-Ara

[Elizabeth]

It took my agent about six weeks to read my 100,000 word novel when she requested it. So you could be in a for a bit more time biting your nails yet, Ara... Best way to deal with it: start writing the next book and fall in love with the second-born to take your mind off the first-born.

Just one thing: you said you bound the MS? Over here (UK) we are told just to use elastic bands (one north/south and one east/west) to hold the pages together so that it's easy for the agent and team to read a few chapters at a time or photocopy pages, or even, God forbid, (as one UK agent admitted) read bits of it in the bath... It may be different your side of the pond and I'm sure you did just what your agent asked you to do with the submission, didn't you?

[Ara Hagopian]

Hi Elizabeth,

I need to clarify. The postcard is enclosed so that the agent can easily notify the writer the materials were safely received. All the agent has to do is drop the postcard in the mail. No postcard received back equals materials either not rec'd, envelope not opened yet, card lost, agent overworked, etc.

Also, yes you're right we do not bind our manuscripts... but as these were thirty requested pages, I used an easily removed binder clip to hold the pages. The clips are considered acceptable. Had I sent a full ms, I would have sandwiched it between 2 cardboard sheets, held together with a large rubber band. I'm not there yet, but I am ready!

Thanks for the post. Best regards from the USA.

Ara
mobelwagen@hotmail.com

[Mary M.]

I would consider the email sufficient acknowledgement.

[Jane Forsman]

Hi Ara,

The agent's email "alluded" to the chapters having arrived? If you can basically read from the email that he's received them, then don't worry, he has them. If you're trying to read something that might not in the email, then perhaps you could email just to make sure?

Usually the post office will give you a little sheet that has a number on it, and you call that number on that day it is scheduled to arrive. If it has arrived, then you'll be told.

Good luck with it, don't bite your nails too much, and just try to relax for the next few weeks! I've been thinking about my second novel a little more, but I found that writing a short story is taking the pressure off nicely. So if you're not ready to write that next ingenius book, maybe you could doodle with a little poetry or a few short stories.

Best of luck to you.

[scribbler2]

Jane, I think you're talking about Delivery Confirmation. I always get it; it doesn't cost much and you can then track your package on the USPS website. I've never bothered with a postcard to confirm delivery. That sounds like just another thing for an agent to have to deal with, and it's all about making their job as easy as possible!

[Jane Forsman]

Ohh.

Is Delivery Confirmation used for regular mail, also? I'm always so excited I'm sending something off that I send it express, and I figured that little slip of paper went to everyone. Do you pay extra for it if you're sending your MS through the normal mail? Do I pay extra for it when I'm sending my MS express? They just tell me the cost and I pay. I should pay more attention, lol.

[Laura Gibson]

Yes, you pay like .50 or something like that. You can only get this if your package is a certain width (thickness). Then you get a tracking number and go online on the date scheduled for delivery and it tells you when and what time it showed up! It's great!! But again, the post office here in Arizona only offers it if the package is, say, a half inch (or there abouts).

[Jane Forsman]

Thanks, Laura. I'm always in such a blissful/nervous/excited daze when I'm sending off anything related to my book. I think I'm the only one in the history of the Post Office who doesn't mind the long line - I'm usually grinning and biting my nails at the same time, so I don't really notice anything outside of my sphere of joy.

[scribbler2]

Actually, I think you can get Delivery Confirmation with any package, regardless of thickness or size - even just a regular business envelope. Check the USPS website for sure.

Express Mail, you get a tracking number for delivery confirmation automatically; it's included in the price. But for everything else, if you want to track your package, you need to pay for Delivery Confirmation. But like Laura said, it's pretty cheap.