Status Update
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Sep 10 2010
My Twitter followers will have seen this already, but for those who haven’t, let me quickly update you on where things stand in my inbox.
I closed for queries for roughly six weeks, from mid-July through the first week of September. When I opened this Tuesday I had 50 queries by 9am. At the moment I am writing this I have 325 in my inbox. Because I’ve also recently returned from vacation these queries will have to sit untouched for a few more days while I focus solely on my clients.
During my time off I was not only able to read a number of published books, but I also read most of the proposals I had requested. At this point I still have four proposals to read and one requested full, a request I made just a week or two ago. The partials I have yet to read were sent in late July and August.
My goal includes reading through the partials my clients have sent in the last week or two, catching up on emails, doing general follow-up work for clients and then I’m excited to get to the full (a Steampunk for those who are wondering), the last four partials and finally, I’ll get to the queries.
And by the way, for these keeping track, this blog post took less than 5 minutes to write (hence any grammatical errors).
–Jessica
I have one query – I have redone it 325 times. We have so much in common.
It's so nice to know agents make errors too. I didn't find any but then again I wasn't looking.
I deleted my first post because it had an error, I'm typing weird because my nails are wet; girls will be…well you know.
*thumbsup* Good luck with the rest ^_^
Good luck with catching back up!
Now you know why I rarely go on vacation…the mess awaiting me when I get home (in my case, of my own making) is hardly worth the time away!
Good luck.
Awww, Jessica! Ignore those who are keeping track.
I've had someone think I must not be working because I Facebook too much. I have this little timer thing: I work for 25 minutes, real focused and sprint-like, and then I take a five minute break. I repeat all day. So sometimes I'm on Facebook twice an hour. But I get waaaaayyyyyy more done that way than if I sit for three hours and do nothing but work.
And you know? I had "real jobs" in college and a year afterward, and I got all my work done before noon: the same work it took someone else ALL DAY to complete. Should I really become less productive in order to prove I'm working all the time?
Please twitter and blog and Facebook as you please, without guilt. And take vacations. Those things (and breaks in general) make you more creative, happy, and productive. And a better agent.
Besides, do you really want a client who is going to make you feel guilty or be jealous whenever you stop for lunch, play with your dogs/kids/friends, blog, twitter, or get a drink from the water cooler?
I wish you a wonderful work day!
Come meet Bonnie and Butterfly if you have a minute. https://acamphosthousewifesmeanderings.blogspot.com/2010/09/meet-bonnie-and-butterfly.html
Oh no! I apologize now. I am one of those who sent a query while you were shut down and only today found out you were. Thanks for sharing this information:)
Hey, Jessica! I haven't stopped by for a while. I don't know how you agents manage to read all you do and take care of the other business of agenting (contracts, submitting to pubs/editors, etc). Your work load never ceases to amaze me. I certainly hope no one was calling you on your FB or Twitter time. That would be wrong on SO many levels.
"this blog post took less than 5 minutes to write"
_fewer_ than 5 minutes, please
🙂
Do agents take speed reading courses? I imagine you can probably read faster than the average person, what with all the reading you do!