HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE EDITORS TO RESPOND TO AGENTED SUBS?

[jessezachary]

Hi Nathan,

How long does it usually takes an editor to respond to a manuscript they request from an agent? After the agent pitches a project, and an editor says, "Sounds interesting, send it!", how long on average does it take for the editor to respond with a yes or no? If they like something do they sometimes sit on it for a while and get other feedback before letting the agent know they enjoyed it? Do they send it to acquisitions first, then let the agent know? Or do they usually let the agent (who then lets the writer know) first? Just curious. (I figured you might be an expert on this as a former agent and now a published author.)Thanks!

Jesse.

[Nathan Bransford]

It varies greatly from editor to editor and project to project. Sometimes a week, sometimes a month, sometimes a bunch of months. There's no real rule of thumb.