Submissions and Queries: How Long Will it Take?

As a writer myself, I understand the agony of waiting for a decision-maker to read my work. Or, as we say in publishing, “to get a read.” Therefore, I thought I’d address the question that seems ever on the tip of querying and submitting authors’ tongues: how long until we read their query or submission? Here’s a look at what to expect.

All queries route through our submissions@knightagency.net address. I typically answer queries within a week, often the same day. At present, I only have queries in the box from Saturday onward. An important tip here: the Net can be a wonderful tool, but not all e-mails arrive. If you query and don’t hear from us within ten days, please re-query to be sure we’ve gotten it. Unless I am traveling (note: and therefore office life is on hold), I stay current. If I get into a major traveling season, then it takes longer.

On partials, I then decide who will get each submission based on a variety of factors: current workload, tastes, interests, geography. You name it. We’re looking to make the best match here for all parties, so in deciding how to direct each submission, those are the kinds of factors that play into the decision. I’m current on my own partials right now, and I have roughly seven completes in my in-box. More on complete manuscript submissions next. Nephele, I believe, has partials dating back about six weeks prior to now. Pamela is current also. Typically, we do review all partials in roughly 6-8 weeks time. Roughly. Remember that reading submissions is in addition to reading anything from our clients, doing our jobs, and so forth. We’re truly not trying to torture anyone, but think about this for a moment. Would you rather agents wait until they have a calm moment to truly settle in with your work—which might mean more of a wait—or would you just have them look quickly and therefore be less receptive to a new client. I think the answer is obvious—and it also leads us to the issue of complete submissions.

Full manuscripts will always take the longest to consider. Recently a comment from a writer made its way back to me. She was asserting that our agency tended to sit a long while on complete manuscripts, which is generally untrue—last year we fell a bit behind after a death in my immediate family. Generally on completes authors should hear within a week to four months. How’s that for a range? Why should there be such a broad timeframe in our reply? Because a complete manuscript requires a significant amount of consideration. We’re looking to make a partnership with you, to determine if we can champion the work in the marketplace. And the reading does not take place during the work day—it happens on the weekend or at night, when we’re also trying to steal a moment with our families or for ourselves. Plus, this reading has to be squeezed in between all of our necessary client reading. Case in point: just this past week no less than four client manuscripts have come in the door. That means before I can read any of the seven submissions I have here, I must first read these clients’ books. See the problem?

And sometimes at night, after a day conducting auctions, or dealing with Hollywood, or reviewing contracts, or whatever it is I have done, there’s just not any energy left to engage that part of my brain. You can imagine, I’m sure!

Just remember this—we don’t want to torture you. We’re not in the business of requesting material simply to sit on it. We’re looking to find bright new stars of both fiction and nonfiction, and there is only one way we can accomplish that: by reading. By taking the time to read first your query, then your partial, and ultimately your complete manuscript.

I’ll give you a piece of advice gleaned from my own writing experiences. Once you’ve made the submission, put it as far from your mind as you can. Otherwise you will make yourself sick wondering about responses, whether it be from agents or editors. To sound like Tony Soprano, “Fugghetaboudit!”

Post your questions on this thread!
Deidre