I'm at the point when I feel about ready to take a deep breath and plunge into the pool of trying to get my first novel published! I've been browsing through the old threads in this forum and it seems that many people send multiple submissions. This makes sense to me but I've just been told by someone, who supposedly should know, that "under no circumstances" should I approach more than one agent or publisher at a time. The rational for this advice seems to be that agents and publishers are a small club who communicate regularly, and sending to more than one might damage my chances of getting my novel (or any future work) published.

As my novel doesn't fit into any obvious catagory I'm anticipating a lot of rejections in the hunt for an interested party! My feeling is that if I have to wait for a response from one before submitting to the next then I wont just be old and grey by the time I find a home for my work.... I'll be six feet under!

If I hadn't had such adamant advice to submit to one at a time I would have pressed confidently (and maybe unwisely)ahead with multiples, but now I don't know what to do!

I'd be grateful for any advice.

Mand

I think this is very old-fashioned advice, born of the pre-word processor days when slushpiles were merely obstacles, not imminent dangers to life, there were fewer wannabe writers and more time. It ain't like that any more.

If agents took a week to get back to you, it would be okay, but they don't. As you say, at 3+ months each time, you'll be old and grey. And anyway, why should you? They have no particular right to demand exclusivity. Some of us are really cynical, and think that they don't want to be competing against each other, others (like me) simply think that this is one place where individual agents have absolutely no idea of the realities of the system. All they know is that a couple of times they read an MS, loved it, spent lots of time thinking about how they'd sell it, carefully crafted an enthusiastic email, and then heard back that the book had gone to someone else. Well, tough! (And it's not usually me saying that on WW).

For one thing, at the chapters-and-synopsis stage, no one notices who it's by, so they're not going to be bad-mouthing you round the system anyway. If you get asked for the full MSS by more than one agent, then opinions differ as to whether you should tell them about each other. I'm all for honesty, given that you might be working with one of them long-term, and if they want you, they want you: they don't like feeling they're being lined up for a beauty contest, but they know perfectly well that if they like something, the chances are someone else will too. They also know that, actually, the agent-writer fit is very personal, and they don't take it personally that you'd like to find the best fit possible. Myself, I think being open is the best policy, but sticking to your guns. Most particularly in not granting an exclusive read of the full MS for more than, say, a week. If at all.

Emma

It's totally and utterly fine to multi-submit. If you didn't, you'd be sumitting for years! I'd recommend you submit in batches of 10-15 every 2-3 weeks. This allows you to tweak your query as you go along. So say the first round only gets standard rejections, you might need to tweak your query a bit. if it gets requests for partials / fulls, sometimes you get feedback so you can tweak your m/s (if you want) based on this and query your next round of people with an 'improved' m/s. I did e-queries in the first batch (it matched my green and cyber-savvy ethos and the agents I liked most happened to take e-queries anyway).

So go ahead and multi-submit! And unless an agent specifies on their website that they want to know if you've submitted to other agents, I wouldn't waste space in your query letter saying you're querying other agents, it's a given really. If and when you get requests for partials / fulls, you might be asked if you're querying others (my agent asked this) and fine to be transparent then.

Anyway, go ahead and query! Good luck! It's uber-exciting and scary.

When I started subbing I sent out 10 partials and every time a rejection came in I sent out another to replace it. Since then I've also sent God knows how many email queries too.

Not only should you query simultaneously, you should keep querying even when you get a sniff from an agent as it's no guarantee they'll take you on.
Mind you I did come across one agency when I was researching last year which stated wearily in its guidelines that they preferred authors who approached only them and if you weren't prepared to do that then you shouldn't waste their time. Needless to say, I didn't!

Jess posted a link to an interview with her agent recently and I was thrilled to hear him telling everyone to submit simultaneously as it wastes too much time to do it one at a time. I know some agents still say they only want to see your work on an exclusive basis, but I would (& do) just ignore this.

The rational for this advice seems to be that agents and publishers are a small club who communicate regularly

This is still true to some extent I think. However, I think it is very, VERY unlikely that agents would be communicating about their slush piles. About editors, maybe, about established authors possibly, but unsolicited submissions? - there aren't enough hours in the day for agents to share their thoughts on those! So I really wouldn't worry.

Also, as far as publishers are concerned, once you get an agent he or she will almost inevitably submit to several publishers at a time, and they will expect that.

Oooh, one thing I forgot to add - it's not a good idea to query both agents and publishers at the same time cos if you get an agent, they won't be best-pleased if you mention you've approached, say, Walker Books yourself already. Publishers don't take unsolicted m/s anyway but thought I'd mention just in case.

Multiples, Mands, multiples. I do about 6 in a batch. I wouldn't do many more, cos a rejection might give you a useful bit of advice on how to improve your early chaps, before you submit them elsewhere.

Good luck.

Thanks so much everyone. This is going to be my first foray into trying to get something published. I've never even let anyone read anything I've written until very recently and I'm feeling very out of my depth and intimidated.

I have to say, I think joining WriteWords is the most valuable thing I've ever spent my money on! Everyone is very generous sharing both their time and experience. It's hugely appreciated.

It's also great fun to be involved in such a welcoming community. Thanks again for the advice. Multiples it is!

Mand

Multiples it must be Mand - unless you have the elixir of youth and the patience of saints - otherwise you'll only get through 3 or 4 agents a year and you might just give up the ghost in the process!

I remember my first ever sub is sent out in December 2006, to one of the big agencies that said it didn't like it if you did multiples.

So, good as gold, i posted it off, just subbing to them, and i sent it recorded delivery.

LOL, i soon learnt fast. It came back just before Xmas with a standard rejec letter. I went upstairs to shed a wee tear, i recall. Either that or i'd have 'gone quiet' for a few hours.

If i'd known then,what i was going to go through during the next few years, writing-wise, i wonder if i would have continued.

Er, sorry Mands - this doesn't sound very encouraging!!

If you're outside London/S.E. Eng. there are far fewer Agents and so publishers are used to direct submissions - especially in Scotland. But, as has already been mentioned, don't submit to them until after you've done the rounds of Agents.


- NaomiM

Mand, thanks for starting this incredibly helpful thread, and to everyone else for their words of wisdom. I'm very close to submitting for the first time myself, and was going to ask exactly the same question.

Multiples are always best then!

Draw up a list of agents/agencies that you think that you would like to work with, and get the ms out there. Do as many as you can afford to, and once you have, work on developing that rhino-like hide that you (might) need once rejection letters start to come in.
Keep positive and persevere.

S

Ah crap!

I've just read my last submission to this thread, and I have to apologise to the OP for coming across so negative. I am really sorry that it reads this way, and I can only put it down to me having a bad day when I wrote it.

Ignore my pessimistic bollocks at the end of my sub. It's good to be realistic, but you must 'Keep The Faith'.

S