Is No Answer the new No

popmuze · Nov 20, 2009

Here's some interesting stats from querying my latest novel.

Queries: 18
Requests: 5 Fulls, 1 Partial
"Not for Me" 3
No answer 9!!!!

*The request for pages all came within a day (sometimes within an hour) of the original email. Two of the three "not for me" only came after I followed up with another query (under the pretext that my email wasn't working right).

The no answers have now been lingering for quite a while but I have no expectation of receiving an answer. Many of them I've re-queried (just because I hate this new trend).

kellion92 · Nov 20, 2009

Hey, those are pretty good stats, except for those lingering no answers! But I don't think re-querying the no answers is a great idea. I doubt you'll get a positive response from those agents, and if you don't like their policies, you probably don't want to go into business with them anyway.

Carmy · Nov 20, 2009

I think you're right, popmuse.

Look at it this way--if they're that unprofessional and rude, how well are they thought of by publishers? Methinks you had a few lucky escapes. Me too.

jclarkdawe · Nov 20, 2009

I ended up with something like a 60% result. See An experiment with a query.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

KTC · Nov 20, 2009

i have more no answers than you do. ha! no answer is not the new no...it's a very old no. trust me.

Cassiopeia · Nov 20, 2009

you mean they don't even have the decency to answer you, sometimes?

KTC · Nov 20, 2009

Cassiopeia said:
you mean they don't even have the decency to answer you, sometimes?

good christ! my ya that i shopped to about 50 agents last year...most of them didn't reply at all.

Cassiopeia · Nov 20, 2009

KTC said:
good christ! my ya that i shopped to about 50 agents last year...most of them didn't reply at all.

ChaosTitan · Nov 21, 2009

It's not unusual, especially for equeries, to receive no response if the agent isn't interested. A little research on their websites will tell you if they only respond if interested. It will also tell you expected response times.

I've had my share of no replies to queries--some of them very good agents I'd have loved to work with. *shrug* Chalk it up to a no and move on to the next agent.

Ken · Nov 21, 2009

... I like the way you phrased this: Is No Answer the new No

:-D

As to whether it is true or not I suspect so to some extent. At the same time, agents who have such a policy in place do so out of necessity, for one reason or another, and not out of lack of respect for sub'ers. So writers shouldn't take it personally. ps Very impressive stats you've got there: 5 fulls and 1 partial!

YAwriter72 · Nov 21, 2009

My agent is a no answer is a no. I knew that when I queried him. Quite a few actually say on their sub page they will only reply if interested. If you read the particular agents sub page you'll know what to expect and won't have to wonder after awhile. (I'm not sure its on sites like agentquery or litmatch)

You wouldn't believe the number of people who will argue/email back after an agent sends an R.

Ken · Nov 21, 2009

YAwriter72 said:
You wouldn't believe the number of people who will argue/email back after an agent sends an R.

... heard of this happening, but wasn't aware it was so common. Definitely would explain the no reply = no policy, in part. Sheer number of queries is also responsible, I'd suppose.

Mel A. · Nov 21, 2009

Ken said:
agents who have such a policy in place do so out of necessity, for one reason or another, and not out of lack of respect for sub'ers.

Agreed, and most (but not all) agents now state in their guidelines if this is their policy. It is what it is, you know? No sense wasting your time/energy trying to figure out why or whether it's considerate. The "no answers" don't matter one bit when you're getting such a good request rate. And when you get the one "yes," it's all good!

Jamesaritchie · Nov 21, 2009

No answer has always been common. I started writing thirty years ago, and it was common even then. Most agents or editors who used to practice this policy had a standard two months without word meant no policy, and that made things a little easier. Agents and editors these days generally do not put this in the guidelines, but it's still largely the rule of thumb. If you haven't heard within two months, you never will.

James D. Macdonald · Nov 21, 2009

Given spam traps and various other hazards of the course, no answer could also mean Never Received.

No Answer means No is, by its nature, abusive.

Shadow_Ferret · Nov 21, 2009

If not abusive, at least rude.

Especially in this day and age when emails and pasted form rejections take all of 2 seconds of their time.

JMBlackman · Nov 21, 2009

"No answer" = "new no" seems pretty common, which honestly, I don't mind as long as it's specified on an agent's page and with a certain time frame. The agents who state "no answer means no" and leave no time frame just make you wonder. I don't see how putting that on your site is very difficult.

But what really bothers me is the agents who do not state any of that and claim to respond within a certain time frame, but then don't respond. I suppose they expect people who are querying to figure, "Oh, they said they typically respond within 3 mos., but since it's been 5 with no answer, that must be a no." Well, how do I know you got it at all? I don't want to pester you with another query if you're not interested. So, just make sure you specify what "not interested" means and all is good.

End of mini-rant.

kellion92 · Nov 21, 2009

It would benefit authors and agents if agents specified guidelines that no answer means no, but if they do that, I don't think it's rude. With the ease of e-queries, many writers query so widely that agents are inundated. The older convention is to reply to manuscript queries, but that differs from other types of unsolicited business calls, letters, or emails. I myself don't reply to those unless I am interested.

Wayne K · Nov 21, 2009

I sent 147 hard copy queries out last year and got 146 rejects and 1 no answer. It's a shame we have to save the paper because it was a much better response ratio.

JMBlackman · Nov 21, 2009

Wayne K said:
I sent hard copy queries out last year and got 146 rejects and 1 no answer. It's a shame we have to save the paper because it was a much better response ratio.

Holy Helvetica, Batman.

1. You are persistent. Kudos.
2. I so need to start sending hard copy queries.

icerose · Nov 21, 2009

The vast majority of the e-queries I sent out were no answer. Especially from agencies who sent back a form letter of "I am out of the office I will be responding in a few days to your query."

Mel A. · Nov 21, 2009

JMBlackman said:
I so need to start sending hard copy queries.

Maybe so. In my experience, not only are response rates better, but so are request rates. My request rate was 50 percent with snail mail queries, which was a nice bit higher than with email ones. Maybe there are fewer writers querying the old-fashioned way, so the pool is smaller?

Wayne K · Nov 21, 2009

JMBlackman said:
Holy Helvetica, Batman.

1. You are persistent. Kudos.
2. I so need to start sending hard copy queries.

I am that. Thanks.

Wayne K · Nov 21, 2009

Mel A. said:
Maybe so. In my experience, not only are response rates better, but so are request rates. My request rate was 50 percent with snail mail queries, which was a nice bit higher than with email ones. Maybe there are fewer writers querying the old-fashioned way, so the pool is smaller?

I figured that too. It's a lot of work and expense, so I would assume a lot of writers have gone to e queries.

JMBlackman · Nov 21, 2009

Mel A. said:
Maybe so. In my experience, not only are response rates better, but so are request rates. My request rate was 50 percent with snail mail queries, which was a nice bit higher than with email ones. Maybe there are fewer writers querying the old-fashioned way, so the pool is smaller?

That's pretty logical. I suppose I need to put together a small list of agents and some materials then. The best time for me to do it is coming up--Christmas break--but I think that's the worst time to query maybe? Perhaps if I got things ready and then started sending things off after people start coming back from vacation. Kinda thought I was getting an agent recently, but haven't heard back in a bit. [Sorry for the hijack; end tiny-rant.]

Wayne K said:
I am that. Thanks.

You're welcome! An inspiration, you are.

Is No Answer the new No

Last of a Dying Breed

A cat may not look at a king

Feeling lucky, Query?

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Otherwise Occupied

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Otherwise Occupied

Around

someone let me off this crazy ride

settling in with my red pen . . .

Your Genial Uncle

Court Jester

I’m trying.

A cat may not look at a king

I’m trying.

Lost in School Work

settling in with my red pen . . .

I’m trying.