Why Do Literary Agents Take So Long?
It’s every aspiring writer’s least favorite scenario: waiting to hear back from a literary agent.
After all the months/years of writing and revising, then (hopefully) weeks of diligent agent research and query crafting, your literary baby takes its first wobbly steps, in search of agent representation. Where once you had all the control, now you must wait.
And wait.
Quite honestly, it’s torture.
Maybe an agent even responds to your initial query, inviting you to send along more. A sample chapter. First 50 pages. Or even the whole manuscript. YES! You’re in!
And then you’re back to waiting.
But it’s possible—hardly even uncommon—to never get a response from your queries, or even after an invite was extended. What gives? Is your work that bad or wrong for them to justify query amnesia? Are agents so inundated that even a form letter rejection is too much to ask? Because, like in dating, getting “ghosted” is by far THE WORST.
Well, I’m going to let you in on some secrets. Or rather,
12 Hard Truths About Getting Rejected (Or Receiving “the Silent Treatment”) from Agents
It’s not first come, first served.
Agents rarely read queries and consider manuscripts in order of receipt. It’s more like: 1) pre-existing clients, 2) direct referrals (often from clients or sometimes editors), 3) writers they’ve personally requested to see more, 4) general queries. Depending on their current workload and reading pile, even a simple query may take a long time to address.
They like it, but don’t love it (enough).
It’s easier to auto-reject the hard no’s. But agents can maddeningly hold on to the indecisive maybes (of which 99% become no’s—especially once something else undoubtedly lights their fire).
It’s buried in the in-box.
Technology has both helped and harmed the process. Email is instant and “green,” but easy to miss or ignore. Where once agents received hard-to-hide physical mail with helpful SASEs (self-addressed stamped envelopes) for response reminders, an agent’s email inbox is deluged daily with new and existing business. And the “hot” names of existing clients, acquiring editors, and colleagues garner first (if not all) attention.
They’re focused on pre-existing clients—who bring in the guaranteed money.
Remember, agenting is a business. Some high-profile agents may not even be open to new clients, so be sure you’ve double-checked their current submission guidelines. Also, don’t overlook more junior agents, as they tend to be hungrier to build a client list (and thus more willing to take a chance on someone “fresh and promising.”) Junior agents are the future superstars. Climb together.
They have a too similar client.
The agent of your best comparative title may sound like a great match, but already has that topic successfully covered. Instead, look for an agent that is either seeking a particular kind of book, voice, or theme, or is a clear fan of a broader category, genre, or sensibility. That shows you’re paying attention versus asking an agent to duplicate success (and perhaps alienate a client).
They’re swamped.
Reading queries and submissions is but one part of an agent’s job—and often the last. You’ve got to respect them for devoting so much energy to their clients’ needs. You’d want the same if they were your agent. But intuitively get the message to move on if they’re forever too busy to say yay or nay.
It’s “too small.”
If there’s no tested platform and/or a perceived niche audience, any publication deal would inherently anticipate a low advance. Getting published may be your goal, but the time and effort may not be worth an agent’s projected 15% commission.
Sometimes the more reader eyes, the less likelihood of a response.
Multiple people in-house (e.g., an assistant) might be reading, whether to pre-screen, offer a second opinion, or be given the chance to better pursue. If no one bites, the original source may forgot to inform the writer.
You rushed it and queried too early.
Maybe the query or manuscript is still too long or rough. Does it bury the lead or hide the “good stuff” ‘til Chapter 3? Or perhaps UNTITLED MEMOIR didn’t quite capture the imagination. Did you closely follow all the agency’s submission requirements? If non-fiction, is there a formal book proposal available?
You’ve sent it to every other agent at the agency.
They talk. And prefer to feel special. This is generally a big no-no, especially all at once.
They want to treat you with respect.
If you put love and care into your work, agent research, and query, many agents are courteous enough to want to respond with the same love and care (vs. an impersonal form letter). But this takes time and energy that they often don’t have. Maybe they even “flag” your query to address later. But soon its priority and placement in the in-box gets lower and lower. Their sincere intent to personalize the rejection—yes, it’s still a pass—gets misplaced and leaves you forever hanging.
They’re human and fallible.
Maybe they flaked and forgot. Or wavered and forget. Or wavered and moved on to other things. Or you found a really lame one.
Ultimately, the why doesn’t matter. That agent was not meant to be. You can wallow in what-ifs or continue to be your work’s best champion and find new possibilities. First, decide if there is anything you can do better. Was there any usable feedback? If so, incorporate it, and then persevere.
You want someone who is excited to work with and represent you—someone who shares the fire. And it will likely take a whole lot of thick-skinned rejection or radio silence before you connect and find your match. Just remember, a rejection is someone’s opinion. Yes, it may be a well-qualified opinion, but there are countless scenarios and variables behind the scenes, so you can’t judge a work’s long-term merits on a specific response—or even a dozen. It only means it’s not right for them.
After a fair wait—and an exact length is impossible to firmly establish, but I’d say 4–5 weeks for a general query, count a non-reply as a rejection. Anything more is wishful thinking and a waste of your time. If they suddenly pop up weeks or months later, begging to see more, then great. But you aren’t still holding your breath, wondering why you’re lightheaded.
Now if you were invited to send more, a polite follow-up is warranted. But at some point, check “no” on the submission list and free yourself—and your sanity—to find a “yes.”
It only takes one.