30 days are up on the exclusive of my full...and I am leaving the country.

[Prawn]

Hi there!

An agent's assistant called and asked for a 30 day partial on my full. I agreed and sent it off, but the 30 days are up today and I haven't heard anything. For all I know, the rejection may already be in the mail, but how long should I wait before I contact them?

Here's the twist. I am going abroad for three weeks and will be mostly unreachable by e-mail and entirely unreachable by phone, the manner in which the assistant contacted me before. This also means I cannot send any more queries in that time so I wouldn't mind extending the exclusive a few weeks if it won't make me look like a pushover. On the other hand, I don't want my story about leaving the country to seem like some sort of pressure tactic either.

I am sure I am WAY over analyzing this, so I hope you can advise me. What would you do?

Contact them if I don't have a rejection waiting when I return?
E-mail the agent about my travel plans?
Call the agency, ask for the assistant and explain things?
Or would you do something even more clever?

Thanks!
Prawn

[katiemac]

I'd write it off as a rejection and query someone else while you're on vacation (preferably to someone who accepts e-mail subs).

[jordijoy]

I'd contact them. Hey, it's been thirty days and the least you should expect is a yes or no. You shouldn't have to assume anything. You gave them a 30 day exclusive and they need to give you an answer.

[Ziljon]

Prawn, would you enjoy yourself more knowing that you had a rejection or hoping you had an acceptance? If you're like me, you'll choose the latter and send an e-mail just before you leave saying, "just wanted to let you know that I'll be incommunicado for the next three weeks. Extending your exclusive till then.
Sincerely,
Prawn"

That way you have a good vacation, full of hope. Sure, it would be even better if they called to offer representation, but remember, if they want you, they'll call. But it is the summer, so they may be on vacation themselves.

Think of all the possibilities and have a good time, old bean!

[BlueTexas]

Leave an outgoing message on your phone saying you're away for three weeks and unreachable, so if they contact you that way they know what's up. Let the rest wait until you get home. Drink too much and have fun!

[JoNightshade]

Leave an outgoing message on your phone saying you're away for three weeks and unreachable, so if they contact you that way they know what's up. Let the rest wait until you get home. Drink too much and have fun!

Agreed. Odds are that they are running behind schedule anyway. If they call you and get an away message, it's not going to break the deal if they want to represent you. You've got to go through the whole contract-signing stuff anyway, which takes time, so it's unlikely that they'll be in a huge hurry. Three weeks isn't very long; they'll be fine waiting until you get back.

Oh-- and you can also set up an automatic response on most email clients, so that if someone emails you they get a little note saying whatever you like in return.

[David I]

Screw the manuscript--what is it you do for a living that you can get three consecutive weeks off?

I'd send them an e-mail letting them know I was going to be gone and out of touch for three weeks:

1) It's the courteous thing to do
2) It doesn't run the risk a phone call does of getting bad news just before you leave
3) It works better than leaving a message on your own answering machine, becasue who knows if they're going to call, whether the news is good or bad?

Don't assume that all good news comes via phone. My editor accepted my novel via e-mail.

And have a good vacation--where are you going?

Three weeks. Sheesh.

[Spiny Norman]

I'm in a similar situation - I'm editing my rough draft now and am teeter-tottering on the edge of the researching agents stage. However, I'm going to Spain for two weeks next month.

I'll probably just put it off. A hiatus can sometimes be good before the last round of editing.

[Prawn]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I like BlueTexas' idea of putting a message on my answering machine. I guess I am overthinking things again: worried about not contacting them and looking unprofessional, worried about contacting them and looking like a desperate wanna-be stalker guy.

As for the three week vacation, I am a low-paid school teacher which is bad, but I get lots of time off, which is great. I get almost eight weeks off in the summer. You'd think that all that time off would be good for my writing, but its not. I get a lot more done during the school year. I am still writing a bit every day, but I am keeping my kids home from daycare a lot more, traveling and such. During the school year, it is easier to set aside a scheduled time to write. Summer is great for the family, but bad for the writing.

[Spiny Norman]

I forget who said "You get the most done when you have the least time to do it in," but it's often true.

[FennelGiraffe]

Leave an outgoing message on your phone saying you're away for three weeks and unreachable, so if they contact you that way they know what's up.

There's one problem with that--assuming it's your home phone number the agent has. You'll be letting any random stranger who happens to call (telemarketers, wrong numbers, etc.) that your house is unoccupied for three weeks. Talk about an open invitation to burglars!