Is it okay to send my manuscript out to multiple literary agents at the same time?

Question

I've heard you're only supposed to concentrate on one literary agent at a time, but that seems like it would drag the process out longer than necessary. Wouldn't it be smarter to send it to a bunch of agents at once?

I've heard you're only supposed to concentrate on one literary agent at a time, but that seems like it would drag the process out longer than necessary. Wouldn't it be smarter to send a manuscript to a bunch of agents at once?

OR...should I forget about the manuscript, and just send out a bunch of Query Letters to various agents instead?

Answer 1

My dear you have been given a ton of wrong information today. I don't know who your first three answerers are, but they have misled you terribly.

First of all to the answerer directly above me. A query and a submission are the same thing. It is really bad when you don't know the correct answer and you just guess at it or make stuff up. It is wrong to mislead people.

The correct answer. ONLY if the literary agents who you are interested in querying STATE in their submission guidelines that "multiple submissions are accepted" can you send a submission to more than one at a time.

I would never send to more than two at a time, and then only if both state multiple submissions are accepted. It is industry standard that you afford each of them the courtesy of letting them know you have submitted elsewhere at the same time. You don't have to identify the other agent, just so they both know you have sent a query out twice.

To send to a "bunch of agents at once" is completely unprofessional and amateur and a pretty sure way of getting yourself a very nasty reputation in the industry.

The process is a slow one. There is nothing you can do about that. These agents receive thousands of submissions a week - especially with all the misinformation going on here and at other forums.

This is the process in a nutshell.

1) You select one or two agents who are currently reading in your genre. Take a look at who they represent - are you familiar with any of the books they have sold? That tells you their track record. Use either Writers Marketplace which you can buy anywhere for 30 bucks or Literary Marketplace at a library's research section. You can buy one, but it costs 300 bucks a year. Libraries have them in the research section to use there but not check out.

2) You investigate the agent. Go to Preditors and Editors, Absolute Write Water Cooler's Bewares and Background Checks, Writers Weekly.com and Writers Wall among others and look for complaints against that agent. If there are any, move on. All of those sites are free to use and you can write to the people who run them if you are in doubt. They will all write back if they have any info you should know.

3) If the agent checks out, read their submission requirements entirely and follow them to the letter. That usually means a query letter and perhaps a synopsis of a certain length. NEVER SEND A MANUSCRIPT TO ANYONE UNLESS YOU ARE ASKED TO!!!!!!! The submission requirements spell that all out. If you are sending out two submissions, state that in your query letter. It is rude for an agent to get excited about a manuscript not knowing it is in someone else's hands, too.

4) If you get a "bite", you will be asked to submit a full or partial manuscript along with a book proposal. A book proposal is a very specific document. There are several books out there telling you how to write a good one. If you are smart, you have already had your book edited and your editor will assist with the proposal. A good editor knows how to write a great proposal. Your proposal is the number one selling tool for your book. It is what an agent uses to sell your work to a publisher.

5) If the agent likes what they see, they will sign you. However that is just the beginning of your journey. That agent now has to shop that book around and try to sell it. It could take another year or more to get the book actually sold.

There are no shortcuts. Expect a lot of rejection letters. Gone with the Wind got over 50. James Patterson got over 20. Most writers got stacks of them before they sold a book. And don't be surprised if the agent eventually gives up trying to sell your book and "fires you". Happens all the time. Then you start over looking for another agent.

I find it appalling that people post incorrect information here. I don't know where they get their information or what their track record is, but the sad part is often a person with genuine information misses the question and the bad information goes out. I am here to tell you this is the proper way to do it. I don't know why people feel they have to act like they know what they are talking about when they do not. Pax - C

Answer 2

go to: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
and check out the various agents who represent your genre. Then, once you have a list, query as many as you want. It is very common and universally accepted amongst agents that you will be sending to other agents. Never send a full manuscript unless it says to. Most want just a partial. If someone asks for a full manuscript, they may ask for exclusivity. This is acceptable as long as they get back to you in a reasonable amount of time.

Some may ask if this is a multiple submission, if they do tell the the truth. Don't fret about querying more than one agent. If you want the inside scoop, I'd suggest reading Miss Snark: www.misssnark.blogspot.com

She's retired now, but there's a ton of information about agents and how to approach them as well as some good writing tips.

Editors commonly don't accept multiple submissions of a manuscript, but I think multiple querying is ok. Always read the guidelines.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Unless a specific agent tells you to query them exclusively, querying multiple agents at the same time is absolutely fine. If any of them ask for a partial, they may want to see that exclusively. If they ask for the full manuscript, they'll probably want it exclusively. If you get a request for a partial or full while another agent is still making up his mind about a partial or full, just contact both of them to explain the situation and ask how they want to proceed. EDIT: Maybe practices have changed since I decided to stop playing guessing games with agents, but if you wait for a response before querying the next one on your list, you'll be dead of old age before you reach the end of the list. Several of the agents I queried haven't responded, over a year since I contacted them. Some of them say on their websites "we will respond only if interested," but some don't.

Answer 4

I think it would be okay of sending to multiple agents because the chance of rejection is, unfortunately, high. IF you are lucky enough to get more than one positive response it could be a good bargaining chip.

Answer 5

Send it to one agent at a time.
Only send it if you were given permission to send it. Unsolicited material is not accepted or appreciated. It will go in the trashcan.