Here's how my agent life stacked up in numbers for 2014:
Queries (unsolicited) rec’d:
Request rates (based on above):
Partial: .4%
Partial Request genres:
- MG Contemp Fantasy (3)
- Adult/YA crossover contemp
- Adult Cozy (2)
- Romantic Suspense
- YA fantasy
- YA fairy tale fantasy
- YA historical
Full: 1%
Full Request genres:
- MG fantasy (3)
- MG multi-culti contemp
- MG contemporary (2)
- YA paranormal
- YA mystery/thriller/psych suspense (3)
- YA LGBT fantasy
- YA fantasy
- NA contemp
- NA fantasy
- Adult/YA crossover contemp
- Adult contemp romance (3)
- Adult sci-fi/fantasy
- Cozy mystery (2)
- PB (text & art) (2)
- PB biography (2)
- PB (text only)
Offers: .6%
Signed Genres:
- YA LGBT Magical Realism
- Adult sci fi/fantasy
- Adult psychological suspense
- Adult contemp romance
- Adult/YA crossover contemp
- Cozy mystery
- PB (text)
- PB biography
- PB (text & art)
This means, roughly, that I requested a partial on 4 out of every 1000, a full once out of every 100, and offered on 6 out of every 1000 queries I received.
This year, I was 270% likely to request the full from a partial
I was 59.3% likely to make an offer on a full request
In sum: I was more likely to request a full, and I was very much actively building my list, so this was a big request and offer year (vs. last year, I was 56% full from partial and 21.6% on offer)
Avg. response time:
Partial: 7 weeks
Full: 9 weeks
R&R’s requested: 3 (.1%)
Offers from R&Rs: 0 (however, I signed 2 I'd worked with since last year)
In Sum: despite it being a big offer and full year, I had little patience for revisions. It needed to be READY!
Months with most requests: February, April & May (last year Jan-Feb, September)
Months with most queries: March, June-July (last year, Jan-Feb & Sept-Nov)
Most active period of offering and signing: Jan-Feb & June (last year May-June)
Obviously, with being closed to submissions until May 1, this year's trends will be very different! But just how did last year's growth all pan out for me? Well:
My agent resolution last year was to increase turnaround time (to respond) on requests and edits. How did I do? Considering that my response times were 7 weeks on a partial and 8 weeks on a full last year...I totally failed. I know my numbers got way dragged down later in the year during the Horrid First Trimester when I got behind in everything. BUT, maybe the longer wait was worth it as it was more likely to turn into an offer and/or sale?! :D
This year's resolution: keep up the momentum!
I know this is going to be a particular challenge, as baby drops into my life and shakes everything up. I wanted, last year, to really have tons in the hopper in prep for that. I'm a fighter; I'm hitting the ground running in 2015, and though this Spring may be a quieter time for me as I adjust to momhood (whoa) and focus on existing clients...look out Summer and Fall!!!
