[Agency] Curtis Brown, Ltd. (USA) - Page 27

JoyMC · 11-20-2012, 01:37 AM

Ginger Knowlton has had my full for over six months, and that's fine. I'm not planning to nudge or anything; it seems to me that nudges on fulls only prompt rejections.

BUT Sarah LaPolla recently tweeted that she's looking for something that matches the manuscript I'm currently querying. (A different manuscript than the one Knowlton has.)

I can't find anything on the CB guidelines about multiple agents at the same agency. Given that they're different manuscripts, and the time that has passed, should I query LaPolla? Should I mention that Knowlton has a different manuscript? Should I just wait?

Thoughts? Thanks!

LiteraryMouse · 11-20-2012, 06:41 PM

Hi Joy,

Coming out of years of lurkdom to say I'm in the same boat as you. Ginger requested my full on May 7. Because she usually responds so quickly, under a month most of the time, and because I had been having e-mail problems, I contacted her assistant 6 weeks later to make sure they had received the manuscript.

Got a very kind response that no, they had not, and I re-sent. Had to re-send one more time before Ginger personally e-mailed me to tell me they had finally got it. Again, she was super nice and told me it'd probably be 3 weeks before she could get around to reading it.

After that, I never heard from her. I did check in a couple of months later and didn't get a reply, so being a writer, I assumed she must've really, REALLY hated my manuscript. I had visions of her turning the pages into paper airplanes, maybe burning it in a giant bonfire and roasting marshmallows over it.

But the less dramatic explanation is that she's totally swamped with work/life so manuscript-reading fell to the wayside. Also, she has a new assistant now so that probably didn't help matters either.

My long-winded point is that in all my interactions with Ginger, she's always been exceptionally kind and understanding. You've been waiting for a response for 6 months when she said she'd get back to you in under a month. E-mail her and ask for an update. If she really loves your manuscript, a nudge after so long isn't going to make her turn you down. If she says she's too busy to read it, then at least you'll have closure and can move on.

JoyMC · 11-20-2012, 07:43 PM

Thanks for coming out of lurkdom, Literary Mouse!

The only thing is that Knowlton didn't ever tell me it would only be one month. She asked for a one month exclusive, which I told her I couldn't grant. She said that would be all right, but never said how long she would be.

I know some agents take even longer than six months. I wouldn't even worry about it, except that I have this new manuscript now and would love to query LaPolla with it.

Thanks for your input!

MaraudingDon · 11-20-2012, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoyMC

Thanks for coming out of lurkdom, Literary Mouse!

The only thing is that Knowlton didn't ever tell me it would only be one month. She asked for a one month exclusive, which I told her I couldn't grant. She said that would be all right, but never said how long she would be.

I know some agents take even longer than six months. I wouldn't even worry about it, except that I have this new manuscript now and would love to query LaPolla with it.

Thanks for your input!

JoyMC, I think you are giving Ms Knowlton too much reverence here to be honest. Six months is more than enough time to read requested material. I would query Ms LaPolla anyway - what have you got to lose? You aren't playing them off against one another.

Look after your own interests first. If you have a new ms that you think would be a great fit then GO FOR IT!

Krista G. · 11-21-2012, 02:52 AM

Popping in to say I agree with LiteraryMouse and MaraudingDon. I'd nudge Ms. Knowlton, see what she has to say, then query Ms. LaPolla if Ms. Knowlton isn't interested. I don't think it's a good idea to query another agent at the same agency until you have closure on the last project, but I do think you deserve an answer.

I never used to nudge, because I thought it made me look needy and desperate, but then I decided if you're polite and professional (which, I'm sure, you would be), nudging actually makes you look like a smart, savvy writer who's invested enough in her career to stay on top of her queries/submissions. Agents nudge editors all the time, so they're used to it. And any agent who isn't wouldn't be worth your time, anyway.

Just my two cents.

Corinne Duyvis · 11-22-2012, 10:48 PM

Exactly what Krista said. I've nudged several agents in the past few years and I've never had a negative response. This is your career, and there's nothing wrong with looking after it. Good luck!

JoyMC · 11-22-2012, 11:15 PM

Thanks, guys!

TexasTraveler · 01-17-2013, 08:39 PM

Does anyone have any experience with Maureen Walters? I sent her a partial in Nov., non exclusive, because I have other fulls and partials out. Like what is her response time? How long should you wait before nudging? Thanks anything would be helpful.

Aggy B. · 01-28-2013, 07:46 AM

I e-queried Ginger Clark on 1/3/13 and received a partial request on 1/25/13.

WriteStarfish · 02-07-2013, 12:02 AM

Does anyone know if Jonathan Lyons has returned to Curtis Brown? I understand that he left in 2007 to form his own agency. On Curtis Brown's website, I now see that he is listed as an agent. Thanks.

O hAnnrachainn · 02-07-2013, 07:44 PM

His PM page has him at Curtis Brown so it looks like he's the prodigal son returned to the fold.

Aggy B. · 02-07-2013, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WriteStarfish

Does anyone know if Jonathan Lyons has returned to Curtis Brown? I understand that he left in 2007 to form his own agency. On Curtis Brown's website, I now see that he is listed as an agent. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by O hAnnrachainn

His PM page has him at Curtis Brown so it looks like he's the prodigal son returned to the fold.

I think he is at Curtis Brown in a function other than "agent". His bio states he oversees the Translation Rights Department. He's also on the staff of Folio Literary as Executive Director of Subsidiary Rights.

ETA: It seems there is confusion about this. The Jonathon Lyons thread seems to indicate he has gone back to Curtis Brown as an agent. Might be time to try and check things out.

ETA2: Emailed him. He confirmed that he is agenting at Curtis Brown as well as handling Translation Rights.

WriteStarfish · 02-09-2013, 12:40 AM

Thanks, AggyB and best of luck with your partial request!

JoyMC · 02-09-2013, 12:43 AM

I finally nudged Ginger Knowlton, who'd had my manuscript for nine months. She wrote back right away, very nice and apologetic - she thought she'd sent the rejection months ago (though confirmed that she actually hadn't). Sigh.

FictionAuthor · 04-02-2013, 11:20 PM

I haven't seen a lot of new deals listed for Curtis Brown (US). Are they separate from the UK agency? Are they smaller? Is the UK agency the reputable one?

Girl Friday · 04-26-2013, 08:39 AM

They are seperate, and both are big, extremely reputable agencies.

HapiSofi · 04-27-2013, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FictionAuthor

I haven't seen a lot of new deals listed for Curtis Brown (US).

I don't know where you were checking. Curtis Brown is a six-hundred-pound gorilla.

11-20-2012, 01:37 AM	#651
JoyMC practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Seattle-ish Posts: 750	Ginger Knowlton has had my full for over six months, and that's fine. I'm not planning to nudge or anything; it seems to me that nudges on fulls only prompt rejections. BUT Sarah LaPolla recently tweeted that she's looking for something that matches the manuscript I'm currently querying. (A different manuscript than the one Knowlton has.) I can't find anything on the CB guidelines about multiple agents at the same agency. Given that they're different manuscripts, and the time that has passed, should I query LaPolla? Should I mention that Knowlton has a different manuscript? Should I just wait? Thoughts? Thanks! __________________ WEBSITE * TWITTER

11-20-2012, 07:43 PM	#653
JoyMC practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Seattle-ish Posts: 750	Thanks for coming out of lurkdom, Literary Mouse! The only thing is that Knowlton didn't ever tell me it would only be one month. She asked for a one month exclusive, which I told her I couldn't grant. She said that would be all right, but never said how long she would be. I know some agents take even longer than six months. I wouldn't even worry about it, except that I have this new manuscript now and would love to query LaPolla with it. Thanks for your input! __________________ WEBSITE * TWITTER

11-21-2012, 02:52 AM	#655
Krista G. AW Addict Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 421	Popping in to say I agree with LiteraryMouse and MaraudingDon. I'd nudge Ms. Knowlton, see what she has to say, then query Ms. LaPolla if Ms. Knowlton isn't interested. I don't think it's a good idea to query another agent at the same agency until you have closure on the last project, but I do think you deserve an answer. I never used to nudge, because I thought it made me look needy and desperate, but then I decided if you're polite and professional (which, I'm sure, you would be), nudging actually makes you look like a smart, savvy writer who's invested enough in her career to stay on top of her queries/submissions. Agents nudge editors all the time, so they're used to it. And any agent who isn't wouldn't be worth your time, anyway. Just my two cents. __________________ Author of THE REGENERATED MAN (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Winter 2015) Represented by Kate Schafer Testerman of kt literary www.motherwrite.blogspot.com

11-22-2012, 10:48 PM	#656
Corinne Duyvis She of the Comfortable Shoulders Join Date: May 2010 Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Posts: 728	Exactly what Krista said. I've nudged several agents in the past few years and I've never had a negative response. This is your career, and there's nothing wrong with looking after it. Good luck! __________________ * Blog * Website * Twitter * The Fourteenery Represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. OTHERBOUND: a YA fantasy about a boy from our world who's spent ten years involuntarily witnessing the life of a servant girl from another world every time he blinks--and what happens when he finally learns to communicate with her. Available 2014 from Amulet Books.

11-22-2012, 11:15 PM	#657
JoyMC practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Seattle-ish Posts: 750	Thanks, guys! __________________ WEBSITE * TWITTER

11-20-2012, 06:41 PM	#652
LiteraryMouse New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 2	Hi Joy, Coming out of years of lurkdom to say I'm in the same boat as you. Ginger requested my full on May 7. Because she usually responds so quickly, under a month most of the time, and because I had been having e-mail problems, I contacted her assistant 6 weeks later to make sure they had received the manuscript. Got a very kind response that no, they had not, and I re-sent. Had to re-send one more time before Ginger personally e-mailed me to tell me they had finally got it. Again, she was super nice and told me it'd probably be 3 weeks before she could get around to reading it. After that, I never heard from her. I did check in a couple of months later and didn't get a reply, so being a writer, I assumed she must've really, REALLY hated my manuscript. I had visions of her turning the pages into paper airplanes, maybe burning it in a giant bonfire and roasting marshmallows over it. But the less dramatic explanation is that she's totally swamped with work/life so manuscript-reading fell to the wayside. Also, she has a new assistant now so that probably didn't help matters either. My long-winded point is that in all my interactions with Ginger, she's always been exceptionally kind and understanding. You've been waiting for a response for 6 months when she said she'd get back to you in under a month. E-mail her and ask for an update. If she really loves your manuscript, a nudge after so long isn't going to make her turn you down. If she says she's too busy to read it, then at least you'll have closure and can move on.

01-17-2013, 08:39 PM	#658
TexasTraveler New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 4	Does anyone have any experience with Maureen Walters? I sent her a partial in Nov., non exclusive, because I have other fulls and partials out. Like what is her response time? How long should you wait before nudging? Thanks anything would be helpful.

01-28-2013, 07:46 AM	#659
Aggy B. not as sweet as you think Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: in a chilly place Posts: 5,996	I e-queried Ginger Clark on 1/3/13 and received a partial request on 1/25/13. __________________ _________ A.G.C. In-Progress: Miranda Shade and the Hell-heads - YA Southern Gothic Thingbreaker - Magicpunk The Gear'd Heart - NA Steampunk (QUERIES SENT - 136, PARTIAL REQUESTS - 3, FULL REQUESTS - 8, REJECTIONS - 78) A.G. Carpenter : updated 6.14.13 @Aggy_C : mostly updates on what I'm writing/eating/cleaning

02-07-2013, 12:02 AM	#660
WriteStarfish practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 118	Does anyone know if Jonathan Lyons has returned to Curtis Brown? I understand that he left in 2007 to form his own agency. On Curtis Brown's website, I now see that he is listed as an agent. Thanks.

02-07-2013, 07:44 PM	#661
O hAnnrachainn New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 25	His PM page has him at Curtis Brown so it looks like he's the prodigal son returned to the fold.

02-09-2013, 12:40 AM	#663
WriteStarfish practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 118	Thanks, AggyB and best of luck with your partial request!

02-09-2013, 12:43 AM	#664
JoyMC practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Seattle-ish Posts: 750	I finally nudged Ginger Knowlton, who'd had my manuscript for nine months. She wrote back right away, very nice and apologetic - she thought she'd sent the rejection months ago (though confirmed that she actually hadn't). Sigh. __________________ WEBSITE * TWITTER

04-02-2013, 11:20 PM	#665
FictionAuthor New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 1	I haven't seen a lot of new deals listed for Curtis Brown (US). Are they separate from the UK agency? Are they smaller? Is the UK agency the reputable one?

04-26-2013, 08:39 AM	#666
Girl Friday Word Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 21	They are seperate, and both are big, extremely reputable agencies. __________________ http://desperatelyseekingwords.tumblr.com/

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