A little while back (maybe sometime at the beginning of NaNo, I can’t remember, it’s all a little fuzzy) I posted about Agent Kristin’s high school intern and the insightful things she’s learned while working at the agency.  Remember?  If a seventeen-year-old can follow directions, why can’t an adult?  Well, Julie made another post and it’s something I’ve seen reiterated over numerous agent blogs.  Aside from follow the directions, don’t send things unless they’re asked for.

You know, there’s a reason why certain agents only accept email submissions.  Don’t question this.  Don’t take it upon yourself to make them see the error of their ways and send them something by snail mail.  At the Nelson Literary Agency, it’ll meet it’s fate in the paper shredder.  Don’t ignore “email only.”  It’s for your own good.

I just don’t know why someone would send money if it wasn’t asked for.  Even more, I don’t know why someone would send any agent money but there you go.  Save your checks.  And your cash.  If you’re sending money to an agent to read your work, you’ve been had.  I can tell you that without any doubt in my mind.

And no one wants to read your full manuscript if you couldn’t be bothered to send a query first.  Especially if you didn’t understand the concept of “email only” and send it by post.  Repeat after me–query, partial, full.  That’s usually the submission process for an agent.  First you query, following their submission guidelines precisely.  You don’t want a mark against you before the agent even reads your query, right?  If the agent is intrigued enough by your query and specifically requests a partial, then and only then do you send it via the means specified.  If you’re lucky enough to graduate to a full requested manuscript, THEN AND ONLY THEN do you send it.  Not before.  No one wants to work in the red.  I hope.

more…