So I got myself so worked up over whether the agent who requested materials from me on November 2nd was not interested because she hadn't replied back yet or not. Then I read somewhere else that she was an agent at the Backspace conference on November 5th and 6th.
Oh good! That's at least 2 days where she simply would not have had any time to read my partial.
So this is where I get all stalker-y. I start looking up other conferences that have occurred since I submitted my partial. Crimebake? Yep, she was there. OK. That knocks out November 13th, 14th, and 15th, and probably a day or so for travel and/or recuperation. So she's had my partial since I sent it on the 2nd - at 9 PM-ish my time, so she wouldn't have actually received it until the 3rd. So she maybe could have looked at it on the 3rd or 4th, but probably not.
If we're not including weekends, that means she has had 9 days that she could have possibly looked at my material. That's nothing. You would think that I would be satisfied. But no. Does anyone know of any other conferences that went on between Backspace and Crimebake? Can I check the agent list to see if my person was at any other conferences, giving her even less time to peruse my work and more reason for me to remain hopeful at this point? Ay yi yi I need a life.
Three agents have my partial. One of them is in this area and he only reps romance, so he is the last on my "excite-o-meter." In second place is a New Jersey agent. She would be tied for first place, but she has an old version of my first 3 chapters that includes way too much backstory, so I'm sure she's going to reject me anyway. It's simply not good enough. The agent in first position is in New York, and from everything I can find about her, she's absolutely fabulous. And she has the most up to date copy of my work, with all the lame old backstory trimmed from the text. So she gets first place. Not just because she is an awesome agent, but because she has the right version of my story as well. So she is my #1 most stalk-worthy.
Now. About those November conferences.....anyone? Anyone?
Past Missteps
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Several years ago, when I was much stupider, I briefly interned for a
reasonably well-known agent. I let her know ahead of time that I had a
v...
2 months ago
Yikes, Too Cute, and I thought *I* was impatient! A couple of things you can do to assuage your restless spirit. Check Absolute Write bewares & background check thread, see how many others say they have/have had submissions with her, try to gauge how long it usually takes her to make her way through them. Also, check the comments and the reports on her on QueryTracker; the reports will give you a good idea of her response times to materials.
ReplyDeleteThere may be other things taking up her time besides conferences -- you know, horse shows, parent-teacher conferences, bar mitzvahs, in addition to, one supposes, agenting stuff.
Good luck!
Travener: I know, I know. Holds head in hands. I wouldn't be such a freak but she's got a track record for being incredibly fast...when she either wants or doesn't want something. When she's on the fence, it can take a long time. And I've never read a story of her coming down off the fence on the "right" side. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a full in with someone who has had it since early August, and I kid you not, I worry/think less about that one than any of the others, because I'm expecting that one to take months at best. It's when I think that a fast response from a partial means a yes that I start freaking...more than usual...
I haven't checked QueryTracker though, I will definitely look at that, thank you for the idea!!
I am much better at giving advice than taking it, Too Cute.
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