Friday, November 02, 2007

Is it OK to send the same query to more than one agent at the same agency? Could any issues arise from that?

You mean, like, having two agents mention your project in the same meeting, and decide that you've wasted at least one of their time, and reject you just because you're inconsiderate?

Or having one agent like it and having another one say, "Yeah, I read that, and it wasn't very good," thus deflating the other agent's enthusiasm?

Yeah, I guess there could be issues.

Labels: queries

6:48 AM

13 Comments:

Devilish...

By  kadgi, at 9:03 AM  

yeah, but since about 99% of query letters fail to get a response, how likely is it that two agents at the same agency will actually bother to respond. much less actually read the script? The risks you posit in your post are outweighed by the increased chances you get by targeting more than one agent.

By  Michael, at 11:50 AM  

Then query away, Michael.

By  Alex Epstein, at 11:56 AM  

Isn't that called something like multiple submissions. . .and not having to accept contracts from both of them?

By  The_Lex, at 12:12 PM  

It's okay to say "I don't know", Alex. We won't respect you any less for it.

There's also the possibility of both liking your material, thus bringing you to the attention of the those higher up in the company. I guess it all depends on the confidence you have in your material.

My only concern is whether it would be a faux pas that someone out of the industry might not know about. It doesn't sound like it is, though.

By  Tim W., at 7:14 PM  

Yes. My feeling is it would be a faux pas, if you got nailed for it. If you get away with it, then you get away with it.

Bear in mind though that the agents in an agency will talk to each other about who they're taking on as clients. So they will probably know that you double queried. And they'll probably be pissed off.

But your mileage may vary.

By  Alex Epstein, at 7:29 PM  

Okay. I, personally, wouldn't do it, then. I do find it funny, though, that hey would be pissed off. They do know that the queries are going out to a lot of agents, don't they? What's really the difference between querying two agents at two different agencies and two agents at the same agency? Either way, you're simply trying to increase your chances of being represented, and are under the knowledge that most agents will say no.

By  Tim W., at 8:24 PM  

Okay, one more comment and then I'll shut up. Alex is certainly right that "agents in an agency will talk to each other about who they're taking on as clients." In fact, the entire lit department of an agency will read your script before they sign you-- not just the agent you make contact with first. Taking on a new client is a pretty big deal at any reputable agency, which is one of the reasons queries don't work. But if you *are* so lucky to get an agent interested in you via a query letter, you will surely meet and/or talk on the phone with her before you are signed. Probably several times. And it's easy to say 'oh, by the way, I also queries your colleague Jane Agenty' and have a good laugh about it.

But again, that almost certainly won't happen because query letters almost never work.

By  Michael, at 8:34 PM  

Uh, excuse me. That's MY bubble you're bursting there. Do you mind?

By  Tim W., at 12:11 AM  

Would it be wiser to query one agent at an agency, and if the query gets rejected/ignored, then feel free to query a different agent there? Because no one's gonna talk about a reject query (unless it's intensely bad), and it's possible the other agent might be interested, right?

By  Jud, at 2:55 PM  

That seems wiser.

By  Alex Epstein, at 3:27 PM  

I find the line of reasoning here very interesting. Are screenwriting agents so different from publishing agents that they would assume you're only sending out your query to one at a time? In publishing, agents would be surprised if you didn't query like you send out resumes--until you get an actual contract.

By  Mitch Klein, at 5:00 PM  

And if I had bothered to register the "same agency" part, it would have made sense. D'oh!

By  Mitch Klein, at 5:09 PM  

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