What did you blog about today?

[Juliana]

Here's a Star Wars themed post, since this is opening weekend for Solo in the USA...

Write Like Yoda

 

[Jo Zebedee]

A few query stats to cheer everyone up. TLR - no responses are becoming the norm. Don't let them grind you down
What does a non-response mean? - Jo Zebedee

 

[Brian G Turner]

A few query stats to cheer everyone up. TLR - no responses are becoming the norm. Don't let them grind you down
What does a non-response mean? - Jo Zebedee

Those are very interesting stats.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I still think no responses are obnoxious. I recently (along with many other Chronners) got turned down by Unidentified Funny Objects, but did appreciate they did it very promptly rather than faffing about.

 

[Biskit]

The Naked Sheep

 

[Juliana]

A few query stats to cheer everyone up.

Those are very interesting stats.

I agree with Bryan. Interesting stats! I've just started querying again, after over two years since the last time. I've tried to mix up the agents for each 'batch' of queries, including some fast responders, some with longer response times, and some inevitable non responders. A heads up for those who are new to querying: not all agency websites state if their agents are non responders. But if you make yourself a free account on Query Tracker, you can research the agents and see messages from writers querying which are really useful for obsessing over figuring out average response times, or if agents tend not to respond.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I confess I'm baffled by the whole no-response thing. Apart from the inefficiency arguments and the fact that it generates uncertainty for all concerned, it's just impolite. Agents and publishers are nothing without the talent. Talent comes from all directions. I can tell you from personal experience that editors at top-flight imprints all have an abiding fear of missing The Next Big Thing. You'd think therefore that a simple email could be sent to say "No."

 

[Cathbad]

 

[Montero]

In terms of no response, what I find as OK is where there has been a submission online or by email, I get an automated acknowledgment email back, ideally with "at the present time we are taking up to x months to respond" in it.
What I like best are those automated submission systems which are linked to a work tracking system, where you can see something reaching "being read" stage. Only worth it for larger companies to buy, so one or two man agents, wouldn't expect them to buy it, but it does give you some feedback when you see that your submission is still in the queue. (Which makes me think of all those call centres where I sit on the phone listening to a scratchy recording of some music regularly interrupted by a soft female voice saying "all of our operators are busy helping other customers, you can access your account online at www.xxxx" or "we value your custom" etc, etc.)

 

[Jo Zebedee]

No responses only really bother me when a full has been requested. That raises hopes.

 

[The Big Peat]

I confess I'm baffled by the whole no-response thing. Apart from the inefficiency arguments and the fact that it generates uncertainty for all concerned, it's just impolite. Agents and publishers are nothing without the talent. Talent comes from all directions. I can tell you from personal experience that editors at top-flight imprints all have an abiding fear of missing The Next Big Thing. You'd think therefore that a simple email could be sent to say "No."

I guess the problem is that the talent doesn't seem put off by the impoliteness. If you No Respond all the time but don't see a decrease in your slush pile or the quality of it, why change your ways?

I'd love to suggest writers stop submitting to agents known for No Respond, but at the same time, I know that I'd take a chance on an agent who No Responded a lot but would be great if they took me on. So that would be rank hypocrisy. Although the paranoid corner of my mind whispers that if that's how they react when they have no use for you, is that really someone you want in your corner on the downswings of a writing career?

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I guess the problem is that the talent doesn't seem put off by the impoliteness. If you No Respond all the time but don't see a decrease in your slush pile or the quality of it, why change your ways?

I suppose the truth is people in business have far less of a chance to develop a conscience.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I suppose the truth is people in business have far less of a chance to develop a conscience.

Not necessarily - ethical leadership is very in at the moment

 

[Montero]

Anyway - conscience - business is complicated. In general in business you have responsibility to the company, to co-workers, to the staff who work for you and to customers. Sometimes these responsibilities could come into conflict.
In terms of an agent - they have a responsibility to all their existing clients and if time is short, then it seems reasonable to me that they minimise the time they spend on potential clients to give the time to existing clients. Doesn't meant they don't have a conscience.

 

[The Big Peat]

Anyway - conscience - business is complicated. In general in business you have responsibility to the company, to co-workers, to the staff who work for you and to customers. Sometimes these responsibilities could come into conflict.
In terms of an agent - they have a responsibility to all their existing clients and if time is short, then it seems reasonable to me that they minimise the time they spend on potential clients to give the time to existing clients. Doesn't meant they don't have a conscience.

It takes maybe five minutes to set up an automated reply email telling all queries that if there's no response within X it's bad news and maybe 30 seconds to look up an email address then copypasta in a standardised rejection. I know a lot of agents have slush piles taller than they are, but in terms of time management, its the equivalent of refusing to give 5p to a homeless person because you might need it.

 

[Steve S]

Blogged today about finishing the first draft of my latest novel, Second Sun. Link is here

 

[Jo Zebedee]

It takes maybe five minutes to set up an automated reply email telling all queries that if there's no response within X it's bad news and maybe 30 seconds to look up an email address then copypasta in a standardised rejection. I know a lot of agents have slush piles taller than they are, but in terms of time management, its the equivalent of refusing to give 5p to a homeless person because you might need it.

30 seconds by 30 queries a day (conservative for the big agents) - 15 mins a day by 7 days a week = nearly 2 hours = a day a month. Just to respond, not even to read....

 

[The Big Peat]

30 seconds by 30 queries a day (conservative for the big agents) - 15 mins a day by 7 days a week = nearly 2 hours = a day a month. Just to respond, not even to read....

I doubt it'd be the most wasteful use of 15 minutes in their day as currently constituted.

 

[Montero]

It takes maybe five minutes to set up an automated reply email telling all queries that if there's no response within X it's bad news and maybe 30 seconds to look up an email address then copypasta in a standardised rejection. I know a lot of agents have slush piles taller than they are, but in terms of time management, its the equivalent of refusing to give 5p to a homeless person because you might need it.

Providing that your email software does do automated replies, then yes it is that easy. Quite a few agents and publishers do use that.
I'm not convinced by 30 seconds to look up an email address. Yes, if you have email address in an address book and you type the name into that, maybe it is that fast. But with a heap of emails received and the address is buried somewhere in that heap, not so fast. If you are reading the attachment from the email, then yes you have your "hand" on the email and could press reply and send the no thanks.
But if the system brings the manuscript to you separate from the email, you are more onto looking at the email address on the submitted manuscript, finding it on the computer, starting an email and then doing the copy paste and send.
The other "thing" you may not be considering - how quickly some manuscripts are rejected. The time taken to get two sentences into a synopsis, think "BIN" and drop it in the shredder pile or hit the delete button is less time than it would take to send the email.
Discussion by agents of rejection statistics frequently include things like people sending them a romance when they don't do romances, unbusinesslike covering letters, typos in the synopsis etc, etc. I would have no qualms about sending such submissions straight to the dustbin.
Finally - in a proportion of cases - sending a rejection email results in the writer replying to ask why, or get cross and that too sucks time.
As a writer I would love to have a rejection notification each time, as someone who has worked in a busy office with emails thundering in faster than they can be read I really understand the grind of dealing with the volume.
This is where software based tracking systems really help as all the information is in one place and you can hit a "reject" button which could be programmed to do multiple things like send a rejection email, and delete the file all with one button press.

 

[CTRandall]

A review of Stephen Graham Jones' Mapping the Interior