When they accept either, do you email or snail mail?

benluby

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 22, 2012
Messages
713
Reaction score
62
Location
Georgia!!
Agents accept work by post or by email in order to make it easier for the writers whose work they've requested. It's not a question of their being more impressed if you send your work in by post.

They certainly don't see paper submissions on their desks as "something that they have to dispose of", and suggesting that they do is insulting to agents and patronising to the writers who send in their paper submissions.

Literary agents are people first, agents second. They want to find good writers in their slush piles; they want writers to succeed. Let's not suggest that they're tyrants, out to squish us. Please.

Not suggesting their tyrants, Old Hack, and if I gave that impression, apologies. My point was that trying to decipher which an agent preferred if they list both on their site in submission guidelines is really a crapshoot.
I personally believe it's a case of that particular one doesn't care. They, much like you say, just want a good story and writer.
Others? If they specify email only, they probably are quite serious about it. Same for those that want MS on a ream of paper.
 

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman
Super Moderator
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Messages
22,454
Reaction score
4,956
Location
In chaos
... sometimes depends on how they phrase it.
Some say both, but still rather mean one.

"EMAIL ME! But if you must make a nuisance of yourself then I suppose you might be a stupid son of a gun and snail mail me." Or vice verca.

They don't say so in so many words, but that's the general impression you get.

You're reading too much into things, Ken.

If agents are happy to take both email and postal submissions then they'll say so.

If they're not, they'll say so.

They offer to accept submissions in the ways that they do in order to help writers submit their work in the best way possible; and in order to ensure that they, they agents, can work their way through those submissions as speedily and thoroughly as they can.

Agents certainly don't say these things as part of an elaborate ploy in the hopes of trapping the writers who might dare to submit exactly according to the agents' guidelines and therefore reveal themselves as potential troublemakers. That would be ridiculous.
 

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman
Super Moderator
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Messages
22,454
Reaction score
4,956
Location
In chaos
Not suggesting their tyrants, Old Hack, and if I gave that impression, apologies. My point was that trying to decipher which an agent preferred if they list both on their site in submission guidelines is really a crapshoot.
I personally believe it's a case of that particular one doesn't care. They, much like you say, just want a good story and writer.
Others? If they specify email only, they probably are quite serious about it. Same for those that want MS on a ream of paper.

There's no point trying to decipher these things: it's like trying to work out what exactly an agent meant by, "sorry, not for us". All you need to know in that case is that the agent has said no. Similarly, if an agent says they'll accept both email and postal submissions then submit in the way you prefer.

If they do specify email only, though, then of course don't send them a postal submission. If you do, your submission will probably be rejected unread. And why would you want that to happen? Don't go out of your way to give an agent a reason to reject you: write an excellent book and a good query, and submit it to the right agents in the ways that they ask. Simple!
 

Ken

Banned
Kind Benefactor
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
11,478
Reaction score
6,198
Location
AW. A very nice place!
You're reading too much into things, Ken.

If agents are happy to take both email and postal submissions then they'll say so.

If they're not, they'll say so.

They offer to accept submissions in the ways that they do in order to help writers submit their work in the best way possible; and in order to ensure that they, they agents, can work their way through those submissions as speedily and thoroughly as they can.

Agents certainly don't say these things as part of an elaborate ploy in the hopes of trapping the writers who might dare to submit exactly according to the agents' guidelines and therefore reveal themselves as potential troublemakers. That would be ridiculous.

... not a ploy, or anything. Just a way of encouraging writers to sub via their preferred route: email or snail. Some, actually do express this outrightly. "If you must send it by mail, then ..." I have encountered that at least half a dozen times. It's a way of keeping the options open, while expressing a preference. Nothing wrong with that on an agent's part. And there's nothing wrong with a writer doing opposite as suggested, especially if there's a reason for it. Incredibly, some still do not have internet access or email accounts. There are still some holdouts, g*d bless them. Anyway, just trying to add something to the discussion. Am not speaking from any direct experience. Don't have an agent. Don't have any books pub'd. Etc. So figure all that I post as = or < 2 cents.
 

HFgal

Who wants a cup of tea?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
162
Reaction score
15
Location
19th century
Another factor to consider that I just thought of (forgive me if someone has mentioned this earlier in the thread):

Most of the submission guidelines where either form is accepted state that for snail mail, if you include a SASE, they will get back to you. If email, they will only contact you if they are interested.

So snail mail might be good if you are interested in either 1) knowing definitively where you stand (perhaps because you want to query another agent at the same agency, assuming this is allowed), or 2) you want feedback, with the giant caveat that you will in all likelihood get a form letter which wouldn't really be feedback.
 

mayqueen

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
4,624
Reaction score
1,547
Yeah, but I've sent out plenty of snail mail queries with SASE and never got a response. So it's not a guarantee, either.