Yesterday I enjoyed a “turn-around day” where I basically caught up on stuff so that today I can begin to dig into my revisions on SEX, PIs & PACKING TAPE. Thought I’d get to them way before now, but summer intruded. Also, the news I didn’t announce yesterday intruded, and I wasn’t gonna complain.
I don’t know if anyone remembers, and I’m too lazy to check back through my posts and provide a link, but awhile back we were talking about how agents could help alleviate author stress, specifically the stress created when an electronic query or submission floats off into the stratosphere and we never hear from the agent again. I mentioned email auto-responders. To me, it seems like such a simple solution. Set up the query/submission email to automatically let the writer know her/his submission or query has been received, give an estimated time frame for your response and ask that the writer not bug you during that time frame. Well, the other night, I submitted a story electronically for Penny, and, wow, how nice to receive an auto-responder in a matter of minutes. Makes me feel bad that I put a return-receipt indicator on the email. Now, this was a publisher that deals in ebooks, so manbe that’s why they’re so on the ball. But the auto-responder works so well it still makes me wonder why more agents who take email queries and submissions don’t make use of one.
Another tidbit…I went to see Julie & Julia the other night. Anyone seen it? What did you think? I loved it. Heartily recommended.
I would love it if more agents used the auto-responder. It just makes sense. This way if they don’t reply, you know they at least got it. I’m sure people email agents asking if they ever got their query — clogging up their in-box more — and this way we wouldn’t do that. It’s a win-win.
I saw Julie/Julia. I loved it, too. I want to be like Meryl’s Julia — only I’d be the shorter version. The shorter version who doesn’t cook like her. LOL
Good luck on your story!
LOL, Edie. But your voice doesn’t drive me nuts. Watching that movie, I thought, if I had to listen to that voice all day, I’d throw a cat. And I LOVE cats!
I haven’t seen the movie yet – not sure it will even open up here.
Auto responders sound like a good idea to me – my mum always has them set on her email and I don’t even notice them going out. Would the editor/agent necessarily realize?
Hi Teresa,
I’m not sure I understand your question. If an editor/agent set up an auto-responder, no, they wouldn’t realize they were going out, but at least they’d know they’re set to go out. The type of thing I mean is like when you go on holidays from work you can choose to have your email program send out the same message to everyone who emails you. I can do this with my website email address. That way people don’t sit around wondering why you’re not answering them. At least they know the email has reached you and they can tell by your auto-responder message when you might return or when they can reasonably expect to hear from you.
For submission purposes, you would have to have a special submission email address so that every email sent to you didn’t result in a return message from the auto-responder.
Re: Julie & Julia–I read the book a few years back and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing the film sometime soon. Heard it was great!
It’s excellent, Marilyn. Really enjoyable and top notch.