Attempt number 2 at submitting.

[DAgent]

So, I've gave my manuscript a bit of a once over, did some more googling and managed to find some genuine agents this time to send it to for some appraisal. Last time I did this, it turned out I'd found myself a vanity publisher whose google search results made them look like an agent...

I managed to find 8 in total, and sent emails/completed forms for 7 of them as 1 wasn't taking any submissions. I fully expect to either hear nothing back at all, or get rejections, but that's the way it goes.

I've also learned that Hotmail's spellchecker is the most temperamental thing I've ever came across. It just seems to turn it self off while you're typing, never to return, so you've no idea if you're making any errors!

 

[Steve Harrison]

I always read my submission emails closely several times before sending to make sure there are zero errors. So, yesterday I pulled up an email from last week to amend and forward to another agent and found two typos...

 

[Serendipity]

It's just plain rude to not reply to submissions after all the trouble the author has gone to to submit their story. Is it too much trouble for agents to set up an auto-receipt? (If it is, they're plain lazy.) Is it too much trouble to let automatically know that after a given time interval from receipt that rejection should be assumed?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

The vast, vast majority of agents don't respond (and publishers often don't respond to agents) - give it 12 weeks and assume a pass.

 

[Steve Harrison]

It's just plain rude to not reply to submissions after all the trouble the author has gone to to submit their story. Is it too much trouble for agents to set up an auto-receipt? (If it is, they're plain lazy.) Is it too much trouble to let automatically know that after a given time interval from receipt that rejection should be assumed?

I absolutely agree. When I first got into writing in prehistoric times (late 80s), it was rare not to get a response and often there was an encouraging handwritten note with a rejection.

But times have slowly changed, and agencies and publishers have become leaner and meaner, so we have to suck it up. However, it does make me appreciate the rare agent or publisher who still takes the trouble to respond personally.

 

[DAgent]

I absolutely agree. When I first got into writing in prehistoric times (late 80s), it was rare not to get a response and often there was an encouraging handwritten note with a rejection.

But times have slowly changed, and agencies and publishers have become leaner and meaner, so we have to suck it up. However, it does make me appreciate the rare agent or publisher who still takes the trouble to respond personally.

I supposed those few agents who do respond in any way might very well be the most in demand if words gets out who they are

 

[Wayne Mack]

I've also learned that Hotmail's spellchecker is the most temperamental thing I've ever came across. It just seems to turn it self off while you're typing, never to return, so you've no idea if you're making any errors!

A little off-topic, but in my business days, if I wanted an email to be clean, I would write it in a word processing program and then copy and paste it into the email. I have much more confidence in the word processor's dictionary and grammar check.

Good luck on your agent search.

 

[HareBrain]

Quite a few UK agencies do respond, in my experience (albeit form rejections in my case). Of nine agencies I submitted one of my books to, seven responded -- and I didn't choose them on the basis that they said they would.

 

[Steve Harrison]

I supposed those few agents who do respond in any way might very well be the most in demand if words gets out who they are

My lips are sealed!

 

[Tirellan]

So, I've gave my manuscript a bit of a once over, did some more googling and managed to find some genuine agents this time to send it to for some appraisal. Last time I did this, it turned out I'd found myself a vanity publisher whose google search results made them look like an agent...

I managed to find 8 in total, and sent emails/completed forms for 7 of them as 1 wasn't taking any submissions. I fully expect to either hear nothing back at all, or get rejections, but that's the way it goes.

I've also learned that Hotmail's spellchecker is the most temperamental thing I've ever came across. It just seems to turn it self off while you're typing, never to return, so you've no idea if you're making any errors!

This list of UK SF/F agents may be of use to you https://www.martinowton.com/pdf/sf.pdf

 

[DAgent]

This list of UK SF/F agents may be of use to you https://www.martinowton.com/pdf/sf.pdf

Brilliant, I'll give that a look over ASAP. Thanks.

 

[DAgent]

Ok, now I feel like I'm making some progress, for I have had my very first, clearly copy pasted/standard template Rejection Letter!

It almost feels like a coming of age in some regards. But it was also very fast, like withing a few days of sending out the manuscript instead of the four to twelve weeks most agents were saying it would take.

That kind of makes me think my covering letter was so bad, they took one look at that and didn't bother to read the story, so I guess I'd better go and look up examples of good covering letters to improve that aspect too.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Keep the letter! When you become famous it will be an amusing novelty item.

 

[OuttaInc]

Ok, now I feel like I'm making some progress, for I have had my very first, clearly copy pasted/standard template Rejection Letter!

Woohoo! You're a proper writer now.

That kind of makes me think my covering letter was so bad, they took one look at that and didn't bother to read the story, so I guess I'd better go and look up examples of good covering letters to improve that aspect too.

You might also want to take a look at your first five pages as that's about as far as most agents will get (if at all.) With hundreds of manuscripts submitted per month, they just don't have time to read past the first few pages. They're basically looking for reasons to reject a manuscript.

Here's a book that I found helpful, but any book on writing a novel will have a section on prepping your manuscript for submissions, and how crucial the first few pages are:

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, by Noah Lukeman.

Good luck!

 

[DAgent]

Woohoo! You're a proper writer now.

You might also want to take a look at your first five pages as that's about as far as most agents will get (if at all.) With hundreds of manuscripts submitted per month, they just don't have time to read past the first few pages. They're basically looking for reasons to reject a manuscript.

Here's a book that I found helpful, but any book on writing a novel will have a section on prepping your manuscript for submissions, and how crucial the first few pages are:

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, by Noah Lukeman.

Good luck!

Now there's a thought, the first few pages probably aren't as good as I thought they were, which might just go to show I've gone word blind on it

 

[Tirellan]

If you can get them to look at the 2nd page you're winning