I'd love to hear what you thought of October's round of "An Agent's Inbox," specifically what you thought about knowing who The Agent was beforehand. Do you want to try another round like that sometime, or do you prefer not knowing The Agent's identity upfront? I can see pros and cons to both, so I wanted to get a sense of what you guys were thinking as we get ready for next month's contest.
P.S. Happy Halloween!
I liked knowing. If you've been querying for a while, the chances are good that you've already queried an anonymous agent. So if you know who s/he is up front, you can decide whether to participate or not.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Krista!
I also like knowing, because like Vicki said it helps in case it's an agent you already queried, that way you're not wasting your time or taking a slot from someone who'd never queried the agent before.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above commenters.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea to reveal the identity. That way if you've already been rejected by that agent on a particular project, you'll know not to participate - especially since the next month might be an agent who is fair game, and you won't have wasted your entry when you didn't really have a chance.
ReplyDeleteBTW please get someone looking for paranormal romance that's not strictly YA! I'm dying to participate in one of these things!
I also really liked knowing who the agent was, for the same reason as Vicki.
ReplyDeleteI actually like it being anonymous. I've done a couple of these on different sites, and in both cases the agents ended up being agents I had already queried. As a result, they'd read my opening before - possibly even more than was posted here - and I ended up getting feedback on why they rejected it. I was incorporate the feedback and didn't feel like I'd wasted an opportunity with someone I hadn't queried yet. Of course, it would have been great if it had been someone I hadn't queried yet who loved it :).
ReplyDeleteI can see the benefit of knowing who the agent is as well. But if I'd known who the September agent was and not participated, I wouldn't have received some very helpful feedback.
I can see it both ways, but I agree with all the posters above who said it's good to know if it's someone you've queried before. (Or if it's someone who, though they technically represent your genre, might be obviously not right for your particular book...in that case, you could leave the space for others who are a better fit.)
ReplyDeleteI like knowing the agent, because then if you've already been rejected, or have a partial out with them, you know not to enter. That way, more people can enter who have a shot.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts, everyone. Lots of good points here. I'll definitely try to set up some more rounds in which I reveal The Agent's identity right off the bat, since that seems to be the consensus. (Sorry, Michelle!) I might not be able to do that for November's round, though; it'll just depend on what November's agent thinks (since I set that round up a few weeks ago).
ReplyDeleteIf anyone has any more opinions to add, feel free to share them!
I didn't participate, but I think knowing the agent's identity is helpful. I've entered so many of these kinds of competitions where the agent was secret, only to find out at the end that I'd already queried that agent and been rejected. I felt like I wasted the agent's time, a little.
ReplyDeleteYou are so generous with your time to host these, Krista!!
Amy
You could leave it up to the agent. If they'd rather give their name so they can get all new queries, I'm sure they'll tell you.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know and be able to personalize the query.
ReplyDeleteHappy Nevada Day!
I like knowing! But either way is such great fun, and also very helpful to know if you're on track or not!
ReplyDeleteSo thank you, Krista! You are a superstar for sure! : )
Amy, that is the biggest problem with keeping The Agent's identity a secret. If you're well into your agent hunt, chances are, you've already queried him or her.
ReplyDeleteKali, great idea. I've actually done that the last couple of months. Some agents just feel more comfortable remaining anonymous until they've already posted their feedback.
Myrna, it is nice to be able to personalize the queries, especially since you get a feel for what personalization everyone uses and what personalization is a little more, well, personal.
Linda, you're welcome! And thank you for such a lovely comment.
I like the idea of mixing it up. Knowing has its obvious benefits, but not knowing ends up putting everyone on more even ground. The ability to personalize is great, but then you might as well just send a query to that agent.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've had friends who have been rejected when they queried and been accepted when they did the contest. They never would have entered had they known the agent.
Laura, I like that idea, too. And if I take Kali's suggestion and leave it up to The Agent, that will automatically happen. See, I KNEW you guys would know what to do:)
ReplyDelete