Before I wanted to write a draft of the very polite letter I sent to the most recent A2B, I thought I'd check in on their website to see what their responses were likely to be like in the first place.
if we are interested in discussing possible representation, we will contact you by email or phone—typically within 6 weeks.
The time limit has run out. They haven't contacted me. So...
I pick another A2B and try again. At least the next one I have lined up promises to get back to me inside of a month. So less time in torture, I guess. They're also the first agency I've seen who specifically requests that I don't send an exclusive query. The others, for the record, leave any indication of desired exclusivity out. Therefore, I'm going to have to search my little list for anyone else who states they don't mind a non-exclusive query.
If I'm plumb out of luck, I'm plumb out of luck and they have to get an exclusive query because nobody else does what they do. Bleh.
Today, after I do my Instant, I will shop for a few presents. One for Chaos' friends, who's having a birthday party next week, and one for my friendo. If I can find anything good, of course. And maybe a little something-something to help me feel better.
And sometime during the weekend, I'll get KFZ ready to fly out to possible, multiple A2B's.
Yoiks and a-firkin-way.
After some significant research, it's turned out that this A2B is the ONLY ONE that I know of who is at all interested in being competitive with another A2B. There's even one that insists on a (shudder) postal submission. That one's going to take six firkin months to get back to me (also by snail mail) plus whatever time it takes for said mail to get back to me.
You can bet that one's going out by registered post. There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth with that particular effort. Which I will be saving for dead last because I abhor using snail mail for this shit.
There's just three agents to go on this A2B list. Three more chances to get my money's worth out of this $400 list of people. Then I shall complain to AR&E and demand a refund.
I'm getting faster on my turn-around, but the way. From acceptance of rejection to sending it out again in the same morning. No hiding under the pillow-fort, today!
I also have plans to read through Beauties so I can send it off to my Beta readers. I'm going to use the text-to-speech feature so, theoretically, I can listen to my book as I do other stuff.
That's for the afternoons. When I'm done with my work.