Errrr.....Excuse me?

[Hillsy]

(Dunno if this has been covered before but I couldn't think of the right term for the search program... )

Right,

I've got a partial out and it's coming up to it's "3 months without a response". I'm relatively sure either the agent has missed it, or it didn't arrive because (after checking Query Tracker) her average response time is betwee 13-27 days and only 1 went over 30. In that instance the author nudged her after 3 months and she replied within a few days.

So I need to nudge her, but I've tried to compile an e-mail a dozen times and scrapped it. Soooooooooooooooooooooo...

Has anyone heard of any pro-advice or, better still, got a template e-mail they used sucessfully??

[Krista G.]

Hillsy, I've had to follow up a few times. The last time, in fact, my manuscript actually had gone astray, so I'm glad I followed up. This was what I sent her:

"I noticed on QueryTracker that you responded several weeks ago to a manuscript sent after mine, so I thought I'd just check in and make sure [MANUSCRIPT TITLE] hadn't gotten lost. If it's still in your to-read pile, great. If it did get misplaced, I'd be happy to resend."

Hope this helps!

[Ryan]

It seems as though agents fall into the same category as plumbers. They may or may not get back to you and they may or may not show up.

Sort of like Comcast too.

How about this?

"Yo (agent name)! What gives?"

[Hillsy]

Cheers Krista.....Did you consider attaching the requested materials as a matter of course anyway?

"Yo (agent name)! What gives?"

I reckon that'd go down about as well as a Hog Roast Stand at a Vegan convention....

[Krista G.]

Cheers Krista.....Did you consider attaching the requested materials as a matter of course anyway?

Hillsy, I haven't reattached the requested materials unless the agent has asked me to. In almost every case, they've received the manuscript just fine but simply haven't gotten to it, so I haven't wanted to add unnecessary bulk to their inboxes. But it's not like they're going to automatically reject you if you do, so if it makes you happier to reattach it, I say go for it.

[maybegenius]

Try not to overthink it too much I had to nudge a few agents when I was querying, either because I needed to hear back within a certain timeframe or they'd told me I could contact them if I hadn't heard from them in X amount of time. Just keep it short, polite, and professional.

"I'm emailing to check up on the partial I sent you on [DATE]. Could I have a status update, please? Thank you! If there's anything else you need from me, please let me know."

[Hillsy]

Thanks, MaybeGenius.