Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

I have been getting a lot of nudges, most of them very useful and urgent (so many offers of rep, yay!!). But I have gotten a few that compelled me to write this blog post.

When you query, you send your pitch out into the abyss and wait and wait and wait. Literary agents are not purposefully leaving you on read, we just….have a lot to read.

Most if not all agents welcome nudges to be sure that your query landed safely in their QM, but may in fact be at the bottom of the ocean.

So when do you nudge?

1. If the agent has a timeline listed on their website or in their QM replies, you can send your first nudge (not required) in that timeframe. Though if you notice their QM stats are a bit behind what they promise, maybe grant them some wiggle room. Please also note that if their QM auto reply message says that after a certain time without a response it means a no, do not nudge!
2. If you get an offer of rep- nudge EVERYONE. This includes people with your full and those who have an outstanding query. Be sure to notify them of the date you need to inform the offering agent whether you’ll be accepting their offer of representation. That usually is around 2 weeks. This also goes for small press offers!
3. You are welcome to nudge if there has been a big update on your MS. Did you win a prize? Did you get highlighted in some magazines for this story concept? All of these are useful, but not necessary. So yes, you could nudge, but I want to say that it may not swing the agent one way or the other. If anything, it is an excuse to check in esepcially if it’s been a bit.

**I’m going to but this in the space between when to nudge literary agents or when not to, because personally, I don’t need it, but I know many agency’s request this so LOOK AT THE AGENT’S WEBSITE. When you get a full you do not need to update all the agents with your query (IMO). But again, check with the agent’s preferences before you take my word for it.

When you should not nudge literary agents:

1. If they haven’t replied within (meaning prior to) their average response timeframe, that could mean good things. Don’t nudge then. Wait.
2. If you finished the second book in the intended series, we don’t need that update in QM. If we are interested in representing the MS we will as on the call or can ask in QM.
3. If you want to query someone else at the agency but it is a one at a time policy– just withdraw! You can notify us why then.
4. If you’re feeling angry and want to say something snarky, nudging isn’t a good idea. We’re humans too. Be kind.

This leads me to the age old question: but what if we haven’t heard back and we did nudge and it’s been AGES.

If the literary agent says they’ll reply to every query, they will reply to every query. We’re human, we have busy lives and many times multiple jobs. If they have a track record of not responding ever though, I think it’s safe to say that you can CNR when QT does it on its own. But if it says they welcome nudges after XYZ date, do so!

One last note about revisions to your query package. I always want to see your best work so I am open to nudges asking if its okay to submit a new package. But I think it’s important to note that usually means a new query which bumps you to my most recent queries and could mean a longer wait time. Take that for what it’s worth– it may not be ideal, but at least your BEST work will be in front of the agent.

Really what nudging comes down to is being respectful of the literary agent and agency’s policies, and what information they put out there. If there is a lack of information, stick to a general nudge around 3 and/or 6 months. After that, and no response I would write it off as a CNR sadly. But that’s not to be said they may come back! Query responses can come a year or more later.

Querying is hard, keep at it and don’t give up!