Agent asks for exclusivity; what do I do?

How long have they asked for exclusivity?

Are they worth exclusivity?


I wouldn't grant it for more than thirty days, assuming they're worth it. I know exclusives are frowned upon and I agree with that, but my own agent asks for them (but for only a week, at least in my case; I couldn't grant it, but I would have. The fact that he only asked for a week would have made it an easy decision for me, but I considered my agent definitely worth it. Others may feel differently).

How enthusiastic did they sound in their request? How much have they read so far?

I've never been asked for a chapter breakdown but I would assume you're correct in your interpretation.

If you get a full request from someone else then yes, you'd have to tell them the work is currently being read exclusively. This is the drawback to exclusives. Again, for me it depends on who the agent is, how long they want it, and how enthusiastic they sounded. But again, some writers just say "No" and that's perfectly justified; I'm not in general a fan of exclusives but felt it would have been worth it with my agent.

Be polite and accept, but give them a time period - no more than a month, if they've already read the first three chapters.

I've heard of chapter breakdowns in non-fiction. I'd guess no more than a sentence or two per chapter?

Good luck, if this wildcard option is with one of your dream agencies. But don't give them the exclusive for too long. It's in your interest to shop around, especially if you're this new and your mms is getting that much attention.

Personally, I would tell them that if any of the agents you already queried request a full, you feel obligated to give it to them, but that you will query no further. That's not really fair of the agent unless the agent can promise a very quick turn around.

happywritermom said:

Personally, I would tell them that if any of the agents you already queried request a full, you feel obligated to give it to them, but that you will query no further. That's not really fair of the agent unless the agent can promise a very quick turn around.

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Or just say you cannot offer an exclusive at this time. The whole point of an exclusive is that no one else can look at the material. If you're not willing to do that, best to be upfront.

On the other hand, I would keep right on querying even if you agree to the exclusive. If you get another request, simply inform the agent that you have an exclusive expiring on whatever date, and send it then.

Whatever else you do, tell the agent exactly how long you're willing to let the exclusive go. Something like, "I am able to offer a one-month exclusive at this time." Do not leave the time period open-ended. Make clear what you're willing to do and let the agent decide if he/she wants to take you up on it. (Most are very understanding of why authors don't want to tie up their manuscripts.)

Congrats and good luck!

1. Email back and thank them. Tell them you're very interested in working with them and appreciate the request, but would like to know what time frame they have in mind. (You can say it's your understanding that thirty days is usually standard for exclusive requests, but I'd wait and see what they say, because they may ask for a shorter time. Really they should have given a time limit when they made the request, IMO, but that's not a huge deal.)

2. You can tell them that while the ms is of course ready for their review, and you have a detailed synopsis, you don't have a specific chapter-by-chapter breakdown ready. Ask for a day or two to put one together, and ask if they want the ms now or if they'd rather wait. (Note: does their website say they ask for a chapter breakdown? Because if it does, you'll want to put one together immediately and send the whole thing tomorrow; you don't want them to think you didn't read their guidelines or know they'd want one.)

Alternatively, don't reply, and just put one together immediately and send the whole thing tomorrow with your email asking about the time limit for the exclusive. I'm more inclined to recommend that one, but only you know how long the c-by-c will take.


Remember, agents are human. They expect you to be, as well. Don't worry about saying or not saying the exact right thing, honest. As long as you sound professional and nice and easy-going it's okay to ask questions.


And personally I wouldn't keep querying while someone has your ms exclusively. The last thing you want is for an agent to get excited, make the request, have to turn them down, and have them think "What the hell did you query me for now, then, if you couldn't send the work?"

Also, you want to keep the request under your hat a bit with other agents. Reason being that if they know someone is reading the full on an exclusive, and then however long later you email to ask if they still want to see it, you're telling them flat out that another agent rejected your book after reading the full (this is actually my largest issue with exclusives). Yes, of course intellectually they know there will be others out there who won't want it for whatever reason, but personally I prefer not to make them automatically think "Hmm, must be something wrong with it," if you know what I mean.

Thirty days isn't a long time to hold off. And who knows, it may be a moot point!

Stacia Kane said:

And personally I wouldn't keep querying while someone has your ms exclusively. The last thing you want is for an agent to get excited, make the request, have to turn them down, and have them think "What the hell did you query me for now, then, if you couldn't send the work?"

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Okay, fair point.

(retracts previous advice in favor of things that make sense)

Katrina S. Forest said:

Okay, fair point.

(retracts previous advice in favor of things that make sense)

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Your response made sense! Others would agree with you, I'm sure. I'm just saying my feeling on it.



Best of luck, Kado!

Assuming you DO NOT have an ongoing business relationship with this agency, and they are not representing you.
My opinion: This is business, so this is where YOU need to be in control. You are offering your product to them to represent for you; in essence, the opportunity to make money. They are offering you nothing in return for tying up your manuscript for 30 days (or longer). If they feel they need 30 days to read it and make a decision, that's fine, but if they decide to do nothing with it, then they just took 30 days of you potentially selling that product elsewhere and paid you nothing for it.
If they are truly interested in the project, they will read it and get back to you pretty quickly, exclusivity or not.

I don't know what the request looked like but over the course of several rounds of querying I remember getting maybe one or two requests for more content that asked for exclusivity. They were cut-and-paste sorts of things - like the agent had copied a standard request form that they used. The fact that yours asks for exclusivity plus the chapter breakdown makes me think it might be one of those. If the format looks like that - ie rather than a personal note from the agent - I would not consider the exclusivity request to be as "firm," if you know what I mean.