Response Time/Writers House

[A GV]

Does anyone have any info on Amy Berkower's response time for a requested full manuscript? Thanks...

[Savannah Smiles]

She's had my full for close to 6 weeks now.... no word yet.

[Emma C]

Hi,

That was the agent I wrote about below. She had my requested partial about 4 months. After the request for the full, I got a response about 3 weeks later.

[A GV]

Thanks for the info, you two. And good luck, Savannah.

[A GV]

Woops--I forgot to ask. Did you both grant an exclusive? I did, and I'm thinking I shouldn't have. I've had another request for it, and I'm not quite sure what to do.

[Emma C]

Hi AGV,

No, I didn't grant an exclusive because other agents had the manuscript. They give preference to exclusives so I didn't worry about the long response time to my partial. When I received the request for the full, the asst. asked if my ms. was still at other agencies and I replied yes, and promised that if I received an offer of representation, I would contact her right away.

So because of your exclusive, I imagine the response time would be faster. You can email the asst. and tell her about your situation and ask approx. when you might get a response.

Btw, Ms. Berkower and Georgiana are a class act. They gave me great feedback and wrote me the most encouraging R I've ever received, offering to reread the ms, but I was still bummed at the R. But things turned out for the best cause two weeks later, I got an offer from the agent that is perfect for me.

[Jerry Springer]

Amy Berkower has had a full of mine since January of this year.

-- Jerry

[A GV]

Really? January? Have you followed up or just given up, Mr. Springer?

[BPM Smith]

LOL I'm sure Jerry considers that submission to be dead.

On a related note, today I found a form rejection letter in my email box from a June pitch. Uh, 4 months is a little longer than the standard 6-8 weeks that's widely considered acceptable:

Many thanks for your submission and interest in (agency). After thorough consideration I'm afraid this doesn't sound right for my list. But I wish you the very best of luck with your writing endeavors in the future.

Very best wishes,
Agent Assistant

[Jerry Springer]

Shows how little BPM Smith knows.

Truth is, I've phoned a couple of times, and each time her assistant has said, "Oh, Jerry [or my real name, actually...], you're the author of [title here.]"

And each time, further, she's explained why the ms. hasn't gotten a thorough read yet.

Sheesh, nonetheless.

As the Wicked Witch of the West said, "What a world, what a world."

-- Jerry