Here's how my agent life stacked up in numbers for 2015:
Queries (unsolicited) rec’d:
Request rates (based on above):
Partial: .2%
Partial Request genres:
- MG funny contemp
- historical romance with mystery
- YA contemp
- YA historical magical realism
- contemp romance
Full: .6%
Full Request genres:
- adult multi-cultural
- Chapter Book boy funny
- PB author/illustrator
- PB text only (2)
- MG speculative
- MG magical realism/multi-cultural
- MG funny contemp
- YA adventure
- YA historical
- YA historical magical realism
- YA magical realism
- Gritty YA contemp
- YA fantasy
Offers: .2%
Signed Genres:
- MG magical realism/multi-cultural
- YA magical realism
- Chapter book boy funny
R&R’s requested: 2 (.1%)
Offers from R&Rs: 1
This means, roughly, that I requested a partial on 2 out of every 1000, a full 6 out of every 1000, and offered on 2 out of every 1000 queries I received.
This year, I was 40% likely to request the full from a partial
I was 29% likely to make an offer on a full request
In sum: I was more likely to request a full, though I was not as active with signing and requesting as last year (down from 70% likely to request full from partial, and 59% likely to make an offer on a full).
Avg. response time:
Partial: 7 weeks
Full: 8 weeks
After tracking my turnaround times for several years now, this has been pretty consistent. I always wish I could be faster, but, considering this year I felt like a literal black hole as I adjusted to everything baby, it's an accomplishment to have kept things the same.
Months with most queries: June-July, Sept-Oct (last year March, June-July)
Months with most requests: July, Oct (last year Feb, April-May)
Most active period of offering and signing: Aug-Nov (last year Jan-Feb & June)
With being closed to submissions until May 1, everything shifted down!
My agent resolution last year was to keep up the momentum; I was pretty on par for deals, and managed overall growth while being shut down for four months, which is a 100% success!! I pulled in to focus on my fabulous clients, and this year...
My agent resolution: GROW, SELL, GROW!!
