The universe is filled with questions. And each sub-universe carries
their set of questions. In the world of published (or more accurately agented writers), there seems to be one question that plagues their minds. That question is, “Why doesn’t my agent return my phone calls?” To them it is akin to “What is the
purpose of life?”
Writers wait. Waiting builds frustration. Soon, enough waiting means
more frustration and it begins to build and heat up into a slow
simmer. After months and months of playing telephone tag, this simmer
explodes into a pot of hot boiling water, splashing everywhere as the
author becomes infuriated and joins other bitter writers in spreading
their discontent and frustration. Don’t believe me? Check out Absolute Water Cooler, an online forum group dedicated to dissecting agents.
Why are some agents notorious for not returning calls? Are they really that busy? Or is there another, perhaps more profound reason that writers just don’t know about? We posed this question to a number of literary agents and came up with some interesting responses. Stay tuned to find out.